Sri Dalada Perahera (Kandy Esala Perahera)

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Esala Perahara, 2010 Kandy Sri Lanka
licenced under CC BY 2.0 by Richard Shaw

There are four major ceremonies held at the Sri Dalada Maligawa (Temple of Tooth Relic) in Kandy every year. They are;

Aluth Sahal Mangailaya;
Avurudu Mangallaya;
Esala Mangallaya; and
Karthika Mangallaya.

Of these, the most important is the Esala Mangallaya for which the Dalada Perahera is one of the most colourful and vibrant cultural celebrations in Sri Lanka. Esala, according to the Sinhalese Calendar, is the month of July/August This is the month in which Kandy gets into a festive mood. Shopkeepers and hoteliers pile up their stock to cater to the massive crowds that throng the city. Maligawa and its premises are gaily decorated and are illuminated with strings of lights, including the esplanade.

Kandy Esala Perahera 2024 Dates.

The Kandy Easala Perahera (Sri Dalada Perahera) will be held on 10th August to 20th August 2024. There are 11 perahera processions during these days. The most vibrant perahera is the Final Randoli Perehera procession on 19th August 2024.

The festival dates for 2024 is as follows;

EVENT	DATE
1^st Kumbal Perahera	10^th August
2^nd Kumbal Perahera	11^th August
03^rd Kumbal Perahera	12^th August
04^th Kumbal Perahera	13^th August
05^th Kumbal Perahera	14^th August
01^stRandoli Perahera	15^th August
02^nd Randoli Perahera	16^th August
03^rd Randoli Perahera	17^th August
04^th Randoli Perahera	18^th August
Final Randoli Perahera (The Grand Randoli Procession)	19^th August
Diya Kapeema (The Water Cutting Ceremony)	20^th August
Dahawal Perahera (The Day Procession)	20^th August

source : kandyesalaperahera.com

These lights burn throughout the night. A few days before the Esala Perahera, A Kapa, a sapling from a tree that sheds milky juice is erected in each of the four Devales. On the 5th day, The Kumbal Perahera begins and goes on for 10 consecutive nights when the sacred relic casket is taken around the streets of Kandy accompanied by exotically costumed dancers and drummers.

These dance forms vary. The most popular dance forms are the Ves, Udekki, Pantheru, Naiyandi, Hewisi, Savang, and Leekeli and the dancers with years of experience reveal their dexterity in the performance of their respective dances.

The most colorful Perahera is the last Randoli Perahera which falls on the Esala Full Moon Poya day. On this day, at the auspicious time, the Perahera starts. The Diyawadana Nilame in full traditional Kandyan dress will enter the inner chamber to receive the Perahera Karanduwa containing the Buddha Relics.

The Mahanayake Thero will place the relics casket on the velvet cloth clonintricately embroidered with gold and silver, held by both hands by the Nilame. As he steps out of the chamber bearing the relics casket, the crowd with one heart and one voice starts chanting sadhu, sadhu, sadhu, and the chorus will go on while the Esala Perahera begins.

A red and yellow floor spread (pavada) embroidered with appliques of different hues is laid before him, and two Temple functionaries will start strewing jasmine flowers on it while the Diyawadana Nilame, carrying the casket, will slowly tread over the pavada. In front of him, two hand torches are held by bearers while the kavikara maduwa sing songs in praise of the Dalada. The Nilame walks past the Udamale and begins to descend the wooden staircase goes past the digge and ambarawa and finally arrives at the place where the tusker is waiting to carry the casket.

The casket containing the Buddha Relics is always carried by a tusker decorated with a is magnificent dress embedded with colored bulbs and generally looks more colorful than the other caparisoned elephants numbering over 75 who take part in the Esala Perahera. The decorated ransivige is placed on the back of this tusker and the relic casket is placed inside it on, a velvet cushion, by the Nilame. After the Nilame and the Mahanayake Thero strew jasmine flowers on the casket the tusker arrives at the wahalkada followed by the Nilame.

The Esala Perahera proper begins as the cannon booms. Leading the Perahera is the band of whip crackers who crack their whips in a rhythmic pattern announcing it that the Esala Perahera is on. Immediately following are two o flag bearers carrying the two flags of the Sathara Korale (known as Ira Kodiya) embossed with the symbols of the sun and the moon indicating the wish that this Perahera be held until the sun and the moon last. Next comes the Peramunerala, attired in the traditional white dress and riding a caparisoned elephant and carrying the sannasa, the royal charter to hold the Perahera. Following him is the Gajanayake, the Maligawa official in charge of the elephants, elegantly dressed in traditional Kandyan dress carrying the ankusaya the instrument by which elephants are controlled.

Kandy Esala Perahera
licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 by chris frape

The crowd is impatiently waiting to get a glimpse of the tusker carrying the relics casket. It’s a wonderful sight to see the tusker dressed in a decorated costume and brilliantly illuminated bearing the ransivige in which the Perahera Karandawa rests on a velvet cushion, with garlands of jasmine flowers hanging dangling above it and strings of lights flickering all the time, tread over the pavada in assured steps under the canopy held over the ransivie by 16 able-bodied men with poles and strings. As the karanduwa passes by, the crowd, stands up and with their hands clasped together chant sadhu, sadhu, sadhu thereby paying their homage to the Sacred Tooth Relic.

The focus of the crowd then moves towards the Diyawadana Nilame who, attired in his traditional Kandyan costume, slowly walks by under a large e embroidered umbrella held by a Vidane of the Maligawa and flanked by two troupes of Ves dancers whose performance is a lovely sight to see.

Over 75 caparisoned elephants, 1000s of dancers and drummers, hundreds of flag bearers, and torchbearers take part in each of the Peraheras. The Maligawa Perahera is followed by the Devala Peraheras in the order of Natha, Vishnu, Kataragama, and Pattini under the direction of the respective Basnayake Nilames, who in their traditional Kandy costumes, take part in the Esala Perahera.

After the day of the Esala Perahera, it is customary for the Diyawadana Nilame and the Basnayake Nilames of the four devalas to report to Her Excellency the President that the Esala Perahera was satisfactorily conducted.

As the Esala Perahera draws to an end, the onlooker is apt to conclude that it is nothing but the sheer ingenuity of the Buddhists from ancient times to have organized the country’s talents in arts and g crafts including drumming and dancing into a cultural pageant of such magnitude and offer it to ‘” the Sacred Tooth Relic of Lord Buddha as a form of veneration.

Extracted from a article by Neranjan Wijeyeratne (Diyawadana Nilame)

Traveling Directions to Kandy

Kandy can be reached from Colombo on the old Colombo – Kandy road (option 1) which is scenic but heavy in traffic, especially on Fridays and Sundays. However, the new Central Expressway (option 2) has opened up a new route which is longer but less cumbersome.

Route 1 from Colombo to Kandy	Route 2 from Colombo to Kandy
Through : Katunayake Expressway – Central Expressway – Kurunegala Distance :150 km Travel time: 3.20 hours Driving Directions : see on Google map	Through : Katunayake Expressway – Central Expressway – Kurunegala Distance :150 km Travel Time: 3.20 hours Driving Directions : see on Google map
Route From Nuwara Eliya to Kandy
Through : Walapane – Raja Mawatha Distance :100 km Travel Time : 3.0 hours Driving Directions : see on Google map