Buddhist relic

A material object associated with the Buddha or another revered Buddhist figure and preserved for veneration. Relics include bodily remains, objects used by revered figures, and objects linked to their lives.

Buddhist devotion: Practices expressing reverence toward Buddhas, bodhisattvas, and other sacred figures. Relic veneration is one way devotion becomes directed toward a tangible presence.
Tooth Relic of the Buddha: A tooth traditionally believed to have belonged to the Buddha and enshrined in Sri Lanka. Its custody and annual public procession make it a prominent example of a relic's civic as well as devotional role.
Stupa: A Buddhist mound-shaped monument that can enshrine relics and serve as a focus of veneration. Stupas provide a durable architectural form for protecting and honoring relics.
Mahaparinirvana: The Buddha's final passing away and release from the cycle of rebirth. Relic traditions begin with accounts of the Buddha's cremation after his final passing.
Śarīra: A Sanskrit term for bodily remains or relics, especially the bead-like deposits found after cremation. The term often names the physical remains most directly associated with Buddhist relic veneration.
Merit (Buddhism): A beneficial moral quality generated by wholesome actions and associated with favorable outcomes. Making offerings to relics is commonly understood as a source of merit.
Kandy: A city in central Sri Lanka and the historic seat of the Kandyan kingdom. The Temple of the Tooth in Kandy houses Sri Lanka's most prominent Buddha relic.
Circumambulation: Ritual walking around a sacred object or place, often in a clockwise direction. Walking around a relic shrine turns its location into a repeated bodily act of reverence.
Mahaparinibbana Sutta: A Pali discourse recounting the Buddha's final journey, death, and funeral rites. It describes the distribution of the Buddha's cremated remains among claimants.
Contact relic: An object believed to have touched a sacred person or their remains. Contact relics differ from bodily remains while claiming sanctity through physical association.

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