Circulating Videos of the Sacred Tooth Relic on Social Media Are Misleading
The “Siri Dalada Vandanaava” exhibition, in which the left sacred tooth relic of Gautama Buddha is displayed to the public, is currently being held at the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic in Kandy. During this exhibition, photography or video recording of the relic is strictly prohibited by the temple authorities. In this context, FactSeeker observed that several videos, claiming to show the Sacred Tooth Relic, are being circulated on social media.
by Anonymous |
April 25, 2025
As a result, FactSeeker looked into the authenticity of these videos.
One of the videos features a mysterious object placed inside a square-shaped chamber. Upon closer inspection, the label “Replica Tooth Relics of Shakyamuni Buddha” was visible. Through our exploration, we discovered that such replica relics exist around the world.
Using Google Lens, we traced the video to a Facebook account named Waki Relic Museum, where a similar video was uploaded on April 30, 2024. The visuals matched those of the video under investigation. Upon reviewing the associated web page of this Facebook page, we confirmed that it was footage of a replica relic exhibition held at a museum in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The tooth relic enshrined at the Temple of the Tooth Relic in Sri Lanka is a different type, belonging to the left canine tooth. Accordingly, it is evident that the circulating video is not of the relic currently displayed in the “Siri Dalada Vandanaava.”
Another video circulating on social media shows a sacred object placed inside a lotus-shaped container covered in a golden mesh.
FactSeeker found that this video had been circulating on social media even before the official exhibition began.
The video’s title also falsely claimed that it was from a Sacred Tooth Relic exhibition.
When we inquired about these video clips from the Temple of the Tooth Relic, Subhash Liyanage, the head of the temple’s media unit, confirmed that none of these videos feature the actual Sacred Tooth Relic housed at the temple. He also stated that no permission is granted for photographing the relic during the “Siri Dalada Vandanaava”
Based on these findings, FactSeeker confirms that the videos being shared on social media claiming to show the Sacred Tooth Relic at the Temple of the Tooth Relic is not authentic and are therefore misleading.
