The exposition of the Sacred Tooth Relic, which was attracting thousands of visitors daily to the Sri Dalada Maligawa in Kandy, was called off yesterday evening at 5.30 pm.
The exposition, which began on March 6, was to end on Tuesday.
Maligawa authorities said the decision to end the exposition earlier than scheduled was prompted by security concerns and the fact the police were finding it hard to cope with the overwhelmingly large crowd of devotees.
Diyawadana Nilame Nilanga Dela Bandara said the decision was made on the advice of the Mahanayakes of the Malwatta and Asgiriya Chapters.
Security concerns were triggered yesterday when a section of the crowd panicked on seeing an electrical gadget lying on the ground within the temple precincts.
A bomb disposal squad was called in, and the team confirmed that the suspicious object was in fact a part of a toy belonging to one of the children visiting the temple.
In the ensuing panic several persons in the crowd suffered minor injuries, and six were taken to hospital for treatment.
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