When did the Esala Perahera begin?

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 back to times as early as the 3rd century BCE. Later, influenced by Buddhist monks, King Kirti Sri Rajasinha instructed that the procession carrying the Sacred Tooth Relic lead the Hindu shrines, and this choice permanently blended Buddhist devotion with Hindu traditions, so that the kingdom could be unified across its different communities.