Travel to Sri Lanka: Kandy and the Temple of the Tooth: Photo 14

Another stone wall rims an enclosure with devales, or temples, for three protective deities: Natha (taken as equivalent to Avalokiteshvara), Vishnu, and Pattini, a goddess associated with the cure of disease.  A fourth deity, Kataragam, has a shrine in the city's downtown.  Since the 18th century reign of Kirti Sri Rajasingha, these four gods have been part of Sri Lanka's syncretic blend of Buddhism and Hinduism: it was this king who brought them together by enlarging the annual procession of these gods to include the Tooth relic.  The building rising behind the wall here is the Natha Divala, a 15th century structure that is considered to be the oldest building in Kandy.

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