Kandy Esala Perahera

It’s the time of the year when the little island starts to reverberate to the rhythm of the drums (bera) as the perahera season starts with the onset of the Esala month (July). All the major religious places start their perahera processions from this month onwards. Of them, the Kandy Esala Perahera is The most talked about and the glorious procession of them all!  It’s definitely a sight to behold...Here’s the history bit for you about the perahera....

Words : Lakmini Wijemanne

Buddhist literature shows that various festivals and pageants had been held in honour of Lord Buddha all throughout the years of our history.  However, initially, the perehera concept had been popular during the reign of Emperor Asoka of India. Although similar processions had been held in Sri Lanka before the Tooth Relic was brought here, it had been mainly to invoke blessings from the gods to give rainfall at the correct time to enable agriculture to prosper. However, with the arrival of the sacred tooth relic in the country, the perahera pageant would have taken a new turn for the better! It is a pageant which mainly displays traditional customs and artforms of the country. Most of the customs observed at the Dalada perahera have been taken from the statutes written down in the Dalada Siritha – a book on the customs pertaining to taking care of the Sacred Tooth Relic – written during the reign of King Parakramabahu IV (1302-1326) of Kurunegala. It comprised of 38 statutes which spells out in detail, how the perahera pageant should be conducted. 

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