The shrine, which is considered to be important to the Buddhists in Sri Lanka, houses the relic of the tooth of the Buddha and is also a UNESCO designated World Heritage Site.

[10] Amid fighting, the LTTE carried out a number of suicide attacks on military, economic and civilian targets within the government held areas.

[13] Despite heavy clashes in Kilinochchi and surrounding areas, the Sri Lankan government was eager to demonstrate that a normal life has returned to its people.

[3] On 25 January 1998, the LTTE exploded a massive truck bomb inside the Temple of the Tooth premises, which was to be the centre of the independence day celebrations.

[14] Three suicide LTTE Black Tigers drove an explosive laden truck along the King's Street (Raja Veediya), firing at soldiers manning road blocks around the place, crashed through the entrance and detonated the bomb around 6:10 am, local time.

[13] A 1000-strong mob then attacked and looted the Sri Selva Vinayagar Hindu temple at Katukelle in Kandy where the statues of 22 deities were damaged.

[27] The then Sri Lanka's minister of defence Anuruddha Ratwatte handed over his resignation, taking responsibility for the security lapse which led to the bomb blast.

[29] Coincidentally, Madras High Court issued execution warrants to the LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran and 25 others on 28 January, in connection to the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi.

[33] According to the Mackenzie Institute, part of the LTTE's incentive for the attack was to spark widespread mob violence against the country's Tamil minority, by the Sinhalese majority, as occurred in 1983,[34] although it did not transpire.

Palipane Sri Chandananda, the then mahanayake thero of the Asgiriya chapter, the chief custodians of the relic of the tooth of the Buddha expressed their deep shock of the attack.

Vipassi thero stated, "It is with immense pain of mind that I express my shock and profound sorrow on the extensive damage caused by terrorists to the sacred Sri Dalada Maligawa [Temple of the Tooth], which is held in deep veneration by the entirely of the Buddhist world.

The then Archbishop of Colombo, Nicholas Marcus Fernando stated that no one in their normal senses would have thought of perpetrating such a crime which is not only against the Buddhists but against every citizen of the country.

"[21] The then UNESCO Director General Federico Mayor Zaragoza, on 27 January stated, "I am deeply shocked by this act of blind violence perpetrated against a place of meditation, joy and peace.

It called on the LTTE to abide by basic principles of international humanitarian law, especially the common article 3 of the Geneva Conventions and the Protocol II.

[40] Prince Charles, addressing the 50th independence anniversary celebrations in Colombo on 4 February stated, "A proud consciousness of this richness of heritage must have made your pain all the more acute when a bomb was exploded at the Temple of the Tooth last month.