Buddha's Tooth

John S. Strong is the Charles A. Dana Emeritus Professor of Religious Studies at Bates College. He is the author of several books, including Relics of the Buddha and Buddhisms: An Introduction.

• Preface and AcknowledgmentsNote on UsageIntroductionPart I : The Portuguese and the Tooth RelicOne / The Tale of the Portuguese Tooth and Its SourcesTwo / Where the Tooth Was Found: Traditions about the Location of the Relic in Sri LankaThree / Whose Tooth Was It? Traditions about the Identity of the RelicFour / The Trial of the ToothFive / The Destruction of the ToothConspectus of Part One / The Storical Evolution of the Tales of the Portuguese ToothPart II : The British and the Tooth RelicSix / The Cosmopolitan Tooth: The Relic in Kandy before the British Became Aware of ItSeven / The British Takeover of 1815 and the Kandyan ConventionEight / The Relic Returns: The Tooth and Its Properties Restored to the TempleNine / The Relic Lost and Recaptured: The Tooth and the Rebellion of 1817–1818Ten / The Relic Disestablished: Missionary Oppositions to the ToothEleven / Showings of the Tooth: The Story of the King of Siam’s Visit (1897)Twelve / Showings of the Tooth: The Story of Queen Elizabeth’s Shoes (1954)Summary and ConclusionReferencesIndex

"Strong marshals a wide range of sources and tells the story of the tooth relic in a compelling way . . . This is not just the story of a relic, but of western colonization and its appropriation or destruction of the traditions of the colonized."