Overview
One of the 32 Marks of a Great Man is that he possesses exactly forty teeth (Cattālīsadanto), which are perfectly even, without gaps, and brilliantly white. Following the Buddha’s Parinibbāna and cremation, his bodily relics were distributed. The commentarial and chronicle traditions specifically track the destiny of his four primary canine teeth (the most venerated tooth relics in the Buddhist world).
The List
The 40 Teeth: The Buddha possessed 40 teeth in total (20 upper, 20 lower), unlike an ordinary human who possesses 32.
The 4 Primary Canine Tooth Relics (Dāṭhādhātu): According to the Mahāparinibbāna Sutta and later chronicles, while the other 36 teeth and bone fragments were divided among the eight northern kingdoms, the four supreme canine teeth were separated and enshrined individually:
- One canine tooth was taken to the Tāvatiṃsa Heaven and enshrined by the deva king Sakka in the Cūḷāmaṇi Cetiya.
- One canine tooth was taken to the realm of the Nāgas (serpent deities) and enshrined in the underwater city of Jayasena.
- One canine tooth was enshrined in the ancient territory of Gandhāra (modern-day Pakistan/Afghanistan region).
- One canine tooth was originally enshrined in Kaliṅga (India) and later smuggled to Sri Lanka, where it is currently venerated at the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic (Sri Dalada Maligawa) in Kandy.
Textual References
- Canonical: Mahāparinibbāna Sutta (DN 16) – The closing verses of the sutta detail the distribution of the four canine teeth.
- Chronicle: Dāṭhāvaṃsa – The Sri Lankan Pali chronicle specifically detailing the history and miracles of the sacred tooth relic.