Travel News Sri Lanka

KANDY ESALA PERAHERA (Procession)

Travel News Sri Lanka

If you want to see this spectacular procession, which started during the 3rd century CE and continued to this day, you should visit Sri Lanka during the month of July. 

This annual festival is a combination of the Dalada perahera and the Esala perahera. The Dalada procession is believed to have started when the sacred tooth relic of the Buddha was brought to Sri Lanka during the 4th century CE, 800 years after the death of the Buddha.

This two-fold aspect of the annual festival has many traditional dances, fire-dancers; whip dancers and a cultural mix of traditional dancers depicting the flag bearers of each region of Sri Lanka.

Among all the ceremonial pomp and splendour of the perahera are the very noticeable, spectacularly adorned elephants walking gracefully with the crowd of whip crackers, flame throwers, traditional dancers, drummers and men carrying fire torches to light up the streets.

​This annual event has maintained its original theme, which to this day has not had much of a variation to its form.

Kandy Perahera 1885

Kandy Perahera 2018

The original esala perahera was an invocation to the guardian gods for rainfall needed for the cultivation of crops and enrichment of the lands of the kingdom.

​The temples dedicated to these guardian gods Natha, Vishnu, Kataragama and goddess Pattini are built in the sacred temple grounds of the tooth relic of the buddha. The presence of these temples in Kandy ascertains a strong fusion of Hindu beliefs entwined with Buddhism long before the arrival of the tooth relic of the Buddha.

Leisure world Tours conducts itineraries that cover the Kandy perahera each year. Make reservations to witness this event for July 2020 with reg@leisureworldtours.net.
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