The controversy around the alleged destruction (and authenticity) of Buddha's tooth relic is little known and is rarely taken up for debate in Sri Lanka. Though the relic's status; of the highest veneration above question, and the sketchiness of 16th century chroniclers (vague geography, hearsay and prejudice towards Asiatic belief systems) make the story difficult to validate, the subject is still worthy of attention.
The Portuguese historians,
Diogo de Couto and
João de Barros describe how the relic was destroyed by the Viceroy of Goa;
Don Constantino de Braganza subsequent to its capture during their
invasion of the Jaffna Kingdom in 1560. The relic had remained in the custody of that Kingdom following
the fall of Prince Veediye Bandara[1];
the Commander in chief of the Kingdom of Kotte in
Nallur
"It was mounted in gold, and had been deposited for security in one of the pagodas (in the island of Mannar). On the intelligence of its capture by Don Constantine de Braganza, the King of Pegu (Bago, Myanmar) sent an embassy to Goa to tender for its ransom three or even four hundred thousand cruzados, with offers of his allegiance, services in many capacities and an engagement to provision the Portuguese fort at Malacca as often as it should be required of him"
The Fidalgos (Portuguese nobility) and Commanders were unanimous in their wish, to accept the offer as means of replenishing the exhausted treasury of India. But the Archbishop Don Gaspar was of a different mind. He firmly resisted the offer as an encouragement to idolatry and was supported in his opposition by the inquisitors and clergy. The Viceroy, in consequence, rejected the proposal of the infidel king. The tooth was placed in a mortar by the archbishop, in presence of the court, and reduced to powder and burned, its ashes being scattered over the sea. "All men," said Faria y Souza, then applauded the act."
Diogo de Couto and João de Barros
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"There was formerly an ape's tooth in the kingdom of Jaffnapatam, which the idolaters worshipped as one of Budu’s teeth. Constantine de Braganza carried it away in 1560 and chose to destroy it by fire rather than to sell it to the king of Pegu, who offered him 800,000 livres for it."
Joao Ribeyro 1685
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Closer observations made later by British historians of the 19th century, describe the relic as;
"
Through the kindness of the Governor, I had an opportunity (enjoyed by few Europeans) of seeing this celebrated relic, when it was recovered, towards the conclusion of the rebellion, and brought back to be replaced in the Dalada Malegawa, from which it had been clandestinely taken."
"
It was of a dirty yellow color, excepting towards its truncated base, where it was brownish. Judging from its appearance at the distance of two or three feet, (for none but the chief priests were privileged to touch it,) it was artificial, and of ivory, discolored by age."
-Dr. John Davy 1821
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"This precious tooth of Buddha, it is affirmed by Europeans, is an artificial one, made of ivory,which is perfectly discoloured by the hand of time; but most assuredly, if a natural one, both from its size and shape, this tooth could not have been carried in the jaw of a human being; but that it might have belonged to some ancient alligator, many centuries ago, is extremely possible."
"This discolored memento of superstition is wrapped in a delicately thin sheet of virgin gold, and deposited in a box of the same precious material, which is of the exact form of, and only sufficiently large to receive the relic."
-Charles Henry 1850
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"The dimensions and form of the present dalada are fatal to any belief in its identity with the one originally worshipped, which was probably human, whereas the object now shown is a piece of discolored ivory, about two inches in length, and less than one in diameter, resembling the tooth of a crocodile rather than that of a man."
-James Emerson Tennent 1860
