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Sri Lankan police have launched an investigation into a photo circulated on social media claiming to show a Buddha tooth relic, which has gone on display under tight security.
The Criminal Investigation Department was ordered to determine whether the widely shared image was taken during the rare display of the relic, police said.
Photography is strictly prohibited during the public viewing of the highly venerated object, which went on display this month for the first time since March 2009.
Devotees are frisked before being allowed into the sacred area of the Temple of the Tooth in the central city of Kandy. No bags or parcels are permitted and the use of mobile phones is banned.
“If someone took a photo inside the temple, it is a serious security lapse,” a police official told Agence France-Presse. “There is a significant presence of plain-clothed officers inside the temple,” he said, requesting anonymity as he was not authorised to speak to the media.
A police statement said detectives would investigate whether the photo had been taken by a worshipper during the current exhibition, or whether it was a doctored image.
Police reported that an estimated 125,000 people worshipped the relic on the first day of the display, which was open for just two and a half hours. On subsequent days, the exhibition is open for five and a half hours. The 10-day viewing ends on 27 April.
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Sri Lanka’s majority Buddhist population believes that the Buddha’s left canine is enshrined in the temple. It is more than an object of religious devotion – it is also a symbol of state sovereignty.
The huge crowds visiting the Temple of the Tooth have led to traffic chaos in Kandy, while tens of thousands of devotees have also been camping overnight to worship the relic.
