Mr Nash At Tooth Shrine; And Opens Dental School

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28543, 24 March 1958, Page 11

Mr Nash At Tooth Shrine; And Opens Dental School

(Special Correspondent N.Z.P.A.)

COLOMBO, March 23.

The Prime Minister of New Zealand, Mr Nash, fingered pure gold and jewel-studded vessels before the shrine of Buddha’s tooth at Kandy on Saturday, then he signed autograph books laid out on a pure silver altar by the temple’s lay trustee. Overhead, an electric fan clattered, suspended from a silver and gem-decorated ceiling; and within the locked and barred shrine sat a 7ft gold case which holds the tooth, which is said to be the left eye tooth from Buddha’s jaw snatched from his funeral pyre 2500 years ago. The temple is being reconstructed in places in the original style. It dates to the sixth century. Additions include a perspex awning which will allow processional elephants to be dressed and fitted under shelter.

The Prime Minister was welcomed at the temple by priests who led him to the inner shrine and there displayed priceless vessels used in services before the sacred tooth.

They showed him gifts of gold and silver left by rich pilgrims,

and one bottle for sacred oil the size of a baseball and carved from a single emerald. Later, Mr Nash inspected the campus and grounds of Ceylon University at Kandy, lunched there, and drove back to Colombo in time to be guest of honour at a reception tended by the Prime Minister, Mr Bandaranaike, who will meet him today for talks just before Mr Nash flies to Bombay on his way to Karachi. Yesterday, tiny girls danced in front of Mr Nash while he walked to the site, and yellow-robed Buddhist monks watched when he opened the Maharangama School for Dental Nurses at Colombo. New Zealand gave £61,000 in Colombo Plan funds towards the building and equipping of the school.

Mr Nash said that New Zealand was proud to have assisted in the project, and believed that it was helping itself by helping the people of Asia to lift their health and living standards. On his return, Mr Nash will spend an extra day at Sydney for talks with th<e Australian Prime Minister (Mr Menzies) and will fly to Auckland on April 2.