The festival of Kandy Esala Perahera is held annually to pay homage to the Sacred Tooth Relic of Buddha. Travel+Leisure India & South Asia’s contributor delves into the fascinating rituals of one of the oldest cultural and religious events of Sri Lanka. By Veidehi Gite
The Buddhist flag bearers, whip-crackers, flaming acrobats, traditional dancers, and several elephants groove to traditional Sinhalese music a few metres ahead of me. I am in Kandy for the famous Esala Perahera, one of the oldest and most extraordinary festivals in the world. Legend has it that during the reign of King Kithsirimewan in 310 AD, Princess Hemamala and Prince Dantha brought the tooth relic believed to be the blessed left canine tooth of Lord Buddha to Sri Lanka, to safeguard it. Both the king and countrymen believed the sacred tooth relic had the power to bring timely rain and a bountiful harvest, and made this Perahera an annual ritual. Centuries later, I’m seated in the first row of the Queen’s Hotel, which is located right in front of the Sacred Tooth Relic Temple, to watch the Kandy Esala Perahera up close.
I see Peramuna Rala, the chief official, ride the first elephant, accompanied by various groups of Kandyan drummers and dancers, musicians, elephants, and flag bearers. The Maligawa tusker bringing the relic is addressed by a choir of singers in white attire while its ransivige (a decorated turret that is fitted on the back of an elephant) is trussed to the replica tooth relic casket. These performers lead the Devale Peraheras (temple processions), while both visitors and residents of Kandy clamber up on either side of Sri Dalada Veediya road to watch the spirited march in full swing. The locals toss pennies to demonstrate their support for the performances.
The festival has been taking place every year for a millennia until the pandemic put a halt to it for two years. This makes Perahera 2022 even more special. This reverence ceremony for Lord Buddha’s sacred tooth relic kept in Sri Dalada Maligawa (Sacred Tooth Relic Temple) in Kandy is held in July or August for 10 days. Because it incorporates so many rituals, Kandy Esala Perahera, one of the oldest Buddhist celebrations in Sri Lanka, steers me towards a side of Buddhism that I was previously unaware of.
During my visit to the Sacred Tooth Relic Temple earlier in the morning, I learn that the festival commences with the ritual of Kap Situveema or Kappa, where a young sanctified jackfruit is cut in the premises of each of the four devales (temples) that are devoted to the four guardian gods Natha, Vishnu, Katharagama, and the goddess Pattini.
Temple priests inform me that each procession symbolises different devales. The second procession represents the Natha Devale, the 14th-century temple is situated in front of Sri Dalada Maligawa or the Sacred Tooth Relic Temple. The fifth procession originates from Pattini Devale, which is home to a goddess renowned for curing ailments. This is the only procession that features female dancers.
I watch in awe as the devotees perform the kavadi or peacock dance, in which they carry semi-circular wooden devices decorated with peacock feathers on their shoulders. The most impressive procession is the one in which the object of worship, carried by the sacred elephant, is taken to both the Kiri Vihare and the Valli Amman Temple.
The pageant concludes with Diya Kepeema on the 10th day, which is a water-cutting ritual at the Mahaweli River in Getambe, a town near Kandy. Both Buddhists and Hindus participate in the ceremony during which men and women splash in the river early in the morning, and fill a vessel with holy water to take back home. Sri Lankans regard the water ritual to be sacred, and bathing in it or even touching it is said to banish evil.
Four hours into the procession, I am in a trance. The energy and vibration of the festival are mesmerising enough to make me want to return and immerse in it again.
Getting There
SriLankan Airlines flies from major Indian cities to Colombo. From there, Kandy is 125 km away.S TAYNestled beside the mighty Mahaweli River, Mahaweli Reach Hotel combines refined luxury with old-world charm. Doubles from INR 10,000; mahaweli.com
Kandy Esala Perahera Circuit
Wislan Apparel
Wislan Apparel in the village of Weligalla is where elephant costumes for the festival is being made for almost eight years. Two hundred kilograms of thread were used for the 2022 Kandy Esala Perahera.
Kuragala
The village of Kuragala, located on Palkumbura Road, near Kandy is where 15 out of 50 resident families make musical instruments for festivals and temples.
Pilimathalawa
The brassware for the Tooth Relic Temple and the Kandy Esala Perahera is made in Vasindha and Kumar’s workshops in the village of Pilimathalawa. It is a great place to learn about the process.
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