Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic hosts Karthika on 24 November

Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic in Kandy hosts the Karthika Festival on 24 November 2026, a programme listed for Sri Dalada Maligawa at the end of November. The evening combines a perahera with oil lamps offered after nightfall, giving visitors in Sri Lanka a fixed cultural event beyond the better-known Esala season.

Karthika Festival brings a November procession to Kandy

The temple’s official 2026 events calendar lists Karthika Festival for Tuesday 24 November 2026, identified there as Ill Poya Day. The date falls inside the current travel planning period, while the event remains connected directly to the temple rather than to a general city programme.

The official listing does not publish a minute-by-minute schedule. An event description from the Karthika Festival programme describes a perahera followed by oil lamps offered to the Sacred Tooth Relic after nightfall. It identifies the Diyawadana Nilame of the temple as the organiser and places the event within the four main festivals on the annual calendar.

The date is also recorded on the temple’s official 2026 events page. That page lists the Karthika Festival separately from the Weera Monarawila Kappatipola Memorial on 26 November, so the two November dates should not be treated as one programme.

The November rite belongs to a royal Buddhist complex

The temple stands in the former royal centre of Kandy and houses the Sacred Tooth Relic of the Buddha. Its setting links the event to a living religious complex rather than a temporary festival venue: the former royal palace grounds, Kandy Lake and the surrounding shrines form part of the wider historic landscape.

The Central Cultural Fund describes the complex as part of the Sacred City of Kandy UNESCO World Heritage Site, inscribed in 1988. Its account records the temple’s development during the Kandyan Kingdom and identifies the octagonal Pattirippuwa as a pavilion added under the last Kandyan ruler, Sri Vikrama Rajasinha. The Karthika date therefore places a current public ritual within a site shaped by royal and Buddhist traditions.

The same background is relevant to the programme. The perahera takes place before the lamps, while the relic chamber remains the spiritual focus of the evening. Visitors are therefore encountering a scheduled religious observance in an active place of worship, not a staged historical performance.

What the 24 November programme means for a visit

The official calendar confirms the date and venue but does not provide a detailed timetable for 2026. The available programme description gives the sequence as an evening perahera followed by lamp offerings after nightfall, so travellers should avoid relying on a precise start time unless the temple publishes a later notice.

The temple’s published visitor information gives regular access hours of 5.30am to 8pm, but the festival sequence extends into the evening description and may require visitors to follow instructions from temple staff. Appropriate dress and respectful behaviour are expected in the complex, which welcomes worshippers and visitors of different faiths.

Visiting Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic: what travellers from Western Europe should know

• The Karthika Festival is scheduled for 24 November 2026 at Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic in Kandy, with an evening perahera followed by oil lamps after nightfall.
• The 2026 calendar confirms the event but gives no detailed timetable; the published sequence is the perahera first and the lamp offering after dark.
• The temple is in central Kandy, within the former royal palace grounds near Kandy Lake; local tuk-tuks serve the temple area.
• The complex is a working Buddhist shrine. Visitors should cover their shoulders and knees, remove footwear where required and follow directions from temple staff.
• Sinhala and Tamil are Sri Lanka’s official languages, and the national currency is the Sri Lankan rupee.
• Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.

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Frequently asked questions about Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic

When does the Karthika Festival take place at Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic?

The festival is scheduled for 24 November 2026. The published sequence is an evening perahera followed by oil lamps after nightfall.

What is Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic?

It is a Buddhist temple in Kandy that houses the Sacred Tooth Relic and forms part of the Sacred City of Kandy UNESCO World Heritage Site, inscribed in 1988.

Where is Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic and how do you get there?

The temple stands in central Kandy near Kandy Lake and the former royal palace grounds. Tuk-tuks serve the temple area.