Kandy Esala Perahera is one of the most spectacular and extravagant Buddhist festivals in Sri Lanka. It is the oldest and grandest Buddhist festival in the country, which has continued for centuries. This historical procession holds annually to pay homage to the Sacred Tooth Relic of Lord Buddha, housed at the Temple of Tooth in Kandy.
Esala Perahera holds in between July and August for 10 days. It is considered the longest Perahera festival in the world. As well, it is one of the most beautiful religious festivals in the whole of Asia. This is an absolutely stunning and fascinating festival to watch with amazing traditional dances you might have never seen. Hundreds of beautifully decorated elephants are parading in the Perahera festival. The elegantly dressed majestic tusker carrying the golden casket containing the tooth relic of Lord Buddha is a completely worthy sight to witness.
Here we will point out a short description of the history of Esala Perahera, its significance, and what you’ll see at this festival. We hope this information will help you to enjoy the festival more, with your prior knowledge of its cultural background.
History of Esala Perahera
The sacred tooth relic was bought to Sri Lanka in the 3rd Century B.C. Esala Perahera first started during the reign of King Keerthi Sri Rajasinghe (1747 – 1782 AD) who ruled the Kandyan Kingdom. Before this time, the tooth relic was considered as a private property of the King. The public never got the opportunity to worship it. But King Keerthi Sri Rajasinghe ordered to take the sacred tooth relic in procession for the public to see and honor. After that decree, the grand Kandy Esala Perahera festival continued for hundreds of years until today.
When the British acquired the Kandyan kingdom in 1815, the Kandyan kingdom ended up without a king. Therefore, a chief lay custodian called the “Diyawadana Nilame” was appointed to handle routine administrative matters of the sacred tooth relic.
Until now he is the chief custodian of The Temple of the Sacred Tooth and he holds the responsibility of organizing the Perahera festival. Diyawadana Nilame dressed in traditional Nilame attire worn by the high official rankers in the Kandyan king’s reign. With him, his staff walks beside him.
Definitely, Esala Perahera is a unique symbol of Sri Lanka, featuring traditional dancers, drummers, musicians, whip crackers, flag bearers, and lavishly decorated elephants. Amazing traditional dancing items including Kandyan dances are the major highlight of this festival. Various other cultural dances mix both the Buddhist and Hindu ritual practices to Esala Perahera. As a result, Esala Perahera harmonizes the different nations in the country.
Kumbal Perahera
The Kandy Esala Perahera pageant contains a total of 11 processions, including 5 Kumbal Perahera, 5 Randoli Perahera, and the final Day Perahera. The festival starts with the first Kumbal Perahera and it continues for 5 days.
The first Kumbal Perahera is led by the ‘Maligawa Perahera’ and the ‘Basnayaka Nilame’. In the following 4 days, the Devale Peraheras of four guardian gods, respectively Natha, Vishnu, Kataragama, and Pattini Devales continues.
Randoli Perahera
After the 5 nights of Kumbal Perahera, the Randoli Perahera begins and continues for 5 consecutive nights. ‘Randoli’ refers to the palanquins on which the queens of the ruling Kings traditionally traveled. Later, the queen stopped participating in the Perahera, as it was considered improper. But still, a palanquin takes in the procession as an honor to the Queen.
Final Randoli Perahera
Final Randoli Perahera takes place on the 5th night of Randoli Perahera, as the 10th night overall. It is the most beautiful, spectacular, and grand of all, from the Perahera taking place during the festival. This is the last procession and it attracts thousands of visitors every year. It considers the climax of the Esala Perahera, the most beautiful and elegant with breathtaking dances and majestic elephant parades. This fantastic final Randoli Perahera is a must-visit extravagant festival in Sri Lanka.
The Main Route Plan
Esala Perahera is parading in different streets each day. The route is marked to identify the pathway of the procession easily. Mainly, it parades nearby streets and goes around Kandy Lake, and then returns to the Temple of Tooth. The route of the final Randoli Perahera shows below. It goes along Dalada Street, Yatinuwara Street, Kotugodella Street, and D. S. Senanayake Street, then returns to the Temple of Tooth along King Street.
On the day of the final Randoli Perahera festival, the route of the procession pack with a lot of spectators. Almost all the roadsides, balconies, rooftops, and upstairs fill with visitors. Both locals, as well as foreign spectators, flock to Kandy city to witness this final spectacular Perahera.
It is starting around 8.00 p.m. in the evening. But people start to save spaces on the parade route early in the morning for the nighttime Perahera. Therefore, you have to reach there a few hours earlier, to secure a better place among the crowds.
Order of the Procession
1. Whip Crackers
At the forefront of the procession is the whip crackers, which signifies the approach of the Perahera.
2. Flag Bearers
Immediately after the whip crackers, there are the flag bearers. They are carrying Buddhist flags, national flags, and different province flags.
3. Fire Ball Dancers
Afterward, you can witness the fascinating sight of fireball dancers, who play with balls of fire. This team performs amazing dances that involve a lot of acrobatic movements.
These fireball dancers are known as ‘Pandampaliya’ and symbolize the glow of lighting. This is a wonderfully entertaining dance item, which displays an awesome rhythm and movements.
4. Drummers
Next on the procession are the drummers playing traditional drums and flutes. It is a religious ritual used to pay homage to the sacred tooth relic. This procession consists of several generations of hereditary drummers. They play the tunes with great honor and respect to pay homage to sacred tooth relic.
5. Trumpet Players
Trumpet players play the traditional tune of Gajaga Wannama throughout the procession. This tune is very popular among Sri Lankans, as the tune of Dalada Perahera.
6. Traditional Dancers
Next, you can witness traditional coconut flower dancers. They perform a dance carrying the coconut flowers in their hands. The coconut flower is a symbol of prosperity according to traditional Sri Lankan beliefs. Since the purpose of Esala Perahera is to wish prosperity to the country, these coconut flower dancers denote that purpose.
7. Kandyan Dancers
Kandyan dance is a native dance in the Kandy that identifies the Kandyan tradition. It performs only by male dancers in Sri Lanka. Their leaps and moves are fabulous and fantastic, and they are capable of enchanting the spectators. The dancing teams of traditional Kandyan dancers create magic with their acrobatic movements. This is one of the most spectacular events with powerful leaps and whirls performed at the pageant.
A large team of traditional Kandyan dancers, dance to the music of drums. Kandyan dancers wear colorful elaborate costumes adorned with rattling anklets, jingling bangles, and funky headgear. They are highly talented and experienced in participating in the Perahera festival.
8. Elephant Parades
The beautifully decorated elephants are one of the most captivating sights in Perahera. The elephants are adorned with lavish garments and illuminated with lights. The officials related to the Temple of Tooth are riding on top of the elephants, call as Peramune Rala and Nilames.
9. Ceremonial Tusker
Certainly, the most awaited part of the procession is the arrival of the majestic ceremonial tusker. He is carrying the golden casket containing the sacred tooth relic of Lord Buddha. He wears an intricately illuminated elegant dress, while flanked by two more beautifully decorated tuskers.
The arrival of the tusker is the center of attraction: the Maligawa Tusker walks majestically in supreme grace and great pride carrying the resplendent golden casket. The golden casket contains the sacred Tooth Relic of Buddha called the ‘Karaduwa’ and it is sheltered by a canopy.
When the majestic tusker is walking, the walking path is covered with a white cloth called Pawada for him to walk on. This is the most awe-inspiring sight for Buddhists, seeing the sacred tooth relic of the Lord Buddha in front of the eyes in the golden casket atop the majestic tusker.
10. Traditional Dancers
Soon after the Maligawa tusker, two long lines of traditional Kandyan dancers can be seen. They create a vibrant dancing scene while laying the path for the Diyawadana Nilame, the custodian of the Temple of Tooth.
11. Parade of 4 Davales
Processions of four shrines of guardian gods Natha, Vishnu Kataragama, and Goddess Pattini marched after the Maligawa procession. Among the parades of each Devales, first comes the parade of Natha Devale.
Natha Devale precedes God Natha is the Buddha-to-come according to Buddhist literature. Next are the Vishnu, Kataragama, and Pattini Devale parades, with music and colorful dancers. The various music and dances of the four Devales entertain the onlookers.
After the parade from Pattini Devale, the Kandy Esala Perahera marks its end. It lasts around 4 hours and you’ll forget the feeling of time while immersing in the sight of colorful dancers, incredible music, and majestic elephant parades.
Day Perahera
The Day Perahera marks the end of this fascinating and grand festival in Sri Lanka. It starts around 2.00 pm and it can view from D. S. Senanayake Street and King Street. In case you couldn’t attend night Perahera, watching the Day Perahera is the best option. Although it is much shorter in length, really interesting to see it during the daytime.
Raja – The Great Tusker
The majestic tusker Raja or the Maligawa Raja (1913 -1988) was a Sri Lankan elephant who belonged to the Sri Dalada Maligawa. Raja considered the greatest tusker in Esala Perahera history, participated in the annual parade for around 50 years. He was the sacred casket bearer of the final Randoli Perahera for 37 years. He was world-famous for his noble behavior with calm and obedient characteristics.
In 1950, Raja took the responsibility of carrying the sacred casket. He was selected due to his great physical characteristics among other elephants. He continued his responsibilities as the chief tusker of the Esala Perahera, until passing away in July 1988. You can see Raja, the great tusker’s stuffed remains in the museum on the grounds of the Temple of the Tooth.
Esala Perahera 2023
Kandy Esala Perahera Festival 2023 will be held from 21st August to 31st August 2023. You can see the schedule of the festival on this official website. If you like to witness this great cultural festival, it is possible to reserve your seats online on this website.
Final Randoli Perahera of the Kandy Esala Perahera festival paraded the streets on August 30, 2023. The sacred casket was carried by the majestic tusker Wasana of Kataragama Devalaya, while tuskers Sinharaja and Kandula escorted the casket.
How to visit the Esala Perahera
Kandy Esala Perahera is a proud cultural heritage that has continued for centuries of years in Sri Lanka. It is the most spectacular, historical pageant definitely worthy of seeing during your visit to the country. If you are able to be in Sri Lanka in July-August, don’t miss this grand and elegant festival.
It is totally free to see the procession, but you need to reach early and secure a place within big crowds for better views. If you wish to be more comfortable, you can buy tickets for reserved seats. These reserved seats are set up in the windows and balconies overlooking the parade. Queens Hotel, Dalada Veediya, and Yatinuwara Veediya are some of the best places you can reserve to watch the Esala Perahera conveniently.
To sum up, attending the Kandy Esala Perahera will be a truly memorable experience for you. The drumbeat, music, dances, and amazing elephant parades are all captivating. The combination of fire, light, sound, and rhythm will be a delightful memory for your whole life even after the pageant. Definitely, you’ll leave with golden memories and amazing experiences you have never seen before. Welcome to watch this spectacular festival in Sri Lanka.!
Text by Magnificent Sri Lanka. Images from kandyesalaperahera.com. All copyrights reserved by original authors.
