The Kandy Esala Perahera is a massive annual Buddhist celebration in Sri Lanka, which is held in July or August, to honour the Sacred Tooth Relic of Lord Buddha. Visitors can witness amazing processions, decorated elephants, along with traditional Kandyan dancers and energetic drummers, all moving through the streets. Set in Kandy, the UNESCO World…
The nighttime street processions end on the Nikini Full Moon Poya day in August. Right after that, there is a final daytime parade the next morning. After the huge Maha Randoli Perahera on the full moon night, the festival is officially over the following morning. The priests do the Diya Kepeema ritual, which is water…
The Esala Perahera (an ancient Hindu rain ritual) and the Dalada Perahera (a Buddhist procession honouring the Tooth Relic) ended up permanently merged into one singular festival in 1775, which is what people remember. This strategic merger, carried out by King Kirti Sri Rajasinha, helped integrate the island’s Buddhist majority with its Hindu minority. Nowadays,…
The best viewing spots are basically along Dalada Veediya, Yatinuwara Veediya, and also from the elevated balconies of heritage properties like the Queen’s Hotel. On Dalada Veediya, you get the most iconic view as the procession does its initial, powerful exit from the Temple of the Tooth. If you can book a balcony on the…
‘Pe-venawa’ is a strict spiritual purifying ritual where all artists, as well as temple officials, keep away from meat, alcohol, and worldly distractions in the days that come before the festival. Because the Perahera is deeply sacred, like a real act of honouring the Buddha’s relic and the divine protectors, each participant has to stay…
The Perahera shows off elite Kandyan classical dance forms, and it really puts the spotlight on that acrobatic Ves dance plus Pantheru (tambourine), Udekki (hourglass drum), and Naiyandi routines. You know the Ves dancers right away because they are the most recognisable and prestigious performers; they wear elaborate silver headgear, and they do those powerful…
Whip crackers walk right at the forefront, to audibly announce the arrival of the procession, clear the streets of onlookers, and symbolically frighten off evil spirits. The sharp, thunderous crack of the heavy, handmade whips acts like a traditional sound herald. In ancient times, this helped make sure that citizens knew the King and the…
You will see a procession that includes roughly between 50 and 100 magnificently decorated elephants, and the largest number of elephants parade on the last Maha Randoli night. Each elephant is wrapped in brilliantly illuminated jewel-encrusted silk clothing, with a very polished look. The count of elephants involved keeps rising, night after night, in a…
The modern unified format of the Esala Perahera began in 1775 under a decree made by the Kandyan King Kirti Sri Rajasinha, and it feels like the whole festival had to pivot around that moment. Before 1775, the event was kept strictly as a Hindu celebration; it honoured the deities for rain, and it reached…
Sure, you can watch the Perahera from the sidewalks for free, but buying tickets for reserved seating on those elevated balconies is really recommended, for safety and also for better visibility. Getting a free spot is a bit more demanding; you might need to get there as much as eight hours early, then sit on…
