The Sri Dalada Maligawa is facing severe financial strain, with its annual operating costs rising to around Rs. 1.5 billion, Chief Lay Custodian Diyawadana Nilame Pradeep Nilanga Dela said on Friday (23).

Speaking at a public event in Pallekele, Dela said the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic now needs to generate at least Rs. 5 million a day to sustain its daily rituals and meet maintenance requirements.

“This year, this has become a very heavy responsibility and a major challenge,” he said, pointing to a widening gap between income and expenditure.

Dela noted that the temple’s financial landscape has changed dramatically over the past two decades. In 2005, its annual income amounted to about Rs. 80 million, including roughly Rs. 35 million earned through interest. Today, he said, meeting annual expenses of Rs. 1.5 billion has become increasingly difficult.

Expenditure, he explained, covers a wide range of obligations, including daily religious observances known as Thevava, the upkeep of the centuries-old temple complex, staff salaries, and the care and maintenance of temple elephants.

The Diyawadana Nilame’s remarks underscored the growing need for sustainable and reliable income streams to ensure the uninterrupted continuation of religious practices and the preservation of one of Sri Lanka’s most sacred and historically significant sites.

At present, the temple relies primarily on tourism-related income, public donations, and interest earnings, leaving it to balance the preservation of long-standing traditions with mounting modern financial pressures.