The Kandy Esala Perahera

This post isn’t sufficient to give you a good picture of what this Perahera is really like. I have tried my hardest to describe it to you as best I can, but it will never compare to witnessing this majestic event first hand. A ‘Perahera’ is a religious procession and the Kandy Esala Perahera is the biggest and most popular one in Sri Lanka. It is held in July and August. This year, I was lucky enough to join a group of my clients to view the Perahera from the Lake view balcony at the Queens Hotel. This is the best spot to view this colourful procession as you have an unobstructed view of the procession leaving the gates of the ‘Dalada Maligawa’ [the Temple of the Tooth Relic] in Kandy.

It is not just the procession that you will find fascinating; it is the crowd as well. Thousands of people come as early as they can and find the best possible spot on the pavement on the route of the Perahera and sit there until it’s over. In his book ‘Ceylon History in Stone’ when talking about the Kandy Perahera, R. Raven-Hart wrote: “for me, the most wonderful part of it is the crowd. I have never seen such a happy and considerate crowd, passing women and children to the front, waiting for hours in contented patience”.

The crowd awaiting the Perahera

Although now it is predominantly a Buddhist procession, at the beginning it was a Hindu festival that celebrated the Dewala Gods. The festival lasts for 15 days. The Dewala Peraheras are held on the first five nights. They take place inside the four Dewalas; Natha, Vishnu, Katharagama and Pattini. The next five nights consist of the Kumbal Perahera which is then followed by five nights of the Randoli Perahera which is bigger. The festival ends with the ‘Diya Kapeema’ or water cutting ceremony and the Day-Perahera. If you’re planning to watch this magnificent parade (and you should definitely add it to your bucket list), I suggest you try and make it for one of the Kumbal or Randoli Peraheras.

A loud cannon is shot to inform the city of Kandy of the start of the procession. From this point, the roads are closed and the path is cleared (and washed) for the procession and the crowd settles and eagerly awaits the parade in silence. It is led by whip crackers who can be heard from miles away. This is done to clear the path and to inform spectators that the procession is nearing. A surge of excitement ran down my spine when I first heard the niyanda-fibre whips being sounded. They finally came into view about fifteen minutes from the first time I heard them. They were followed by fire dancers and Buddhist flag bearers.

The whip crackers in action

The Fire dancers

Fire stunts

Flag Bearers

The first elephant then follows, ridden by the ‘Peramuna Rala’, the front official, dressed in traditional attire and carrying an Ola Book in his hands. It used to be a royal warrant for the procession, but now, it is a list of the Temple lands and service tenures.

The Front Official behind the sword bearers.

He was followed by several groups of Kandian drummers and dancers, elephants of all sizes dressed in colourful, lit up and heavily embellished cloaks and other dancers and flag bearers.

Kandian Drummers

Decorated Elephants

Balancing spinning disks on sticks

Ancient martial arts fighter dancers

Then, the Maligawa Tusker carrying the Sacred Tooth Relic on its back rounded the corner and was followed by the ‘Diyawadana Nilame’, the lay custodian in charge of the relic and the whole procession. This ends the ‘Maligawa’ part of the Perahera.

The Maligawa Tusker and the Sacred Tooth Relic

 

The Diyawadana Nilame

The next four parts of the Perahera were for the four dewalas; Natha, Vishnu, Katharagama and Pattini, each with its own collection of drummers, dancers, elephants, relics and ‘Basnayake Nilames’ (lay custodians for the Dewalas).

The Perahera begins at an auspicious time between 6 PM and 8 PM and ends at around 10.30 PM. Another interesting feature of it is that people of all ages take part. You can see small kids, around 7 or 8 years old dancing with fire batons as well as old men taking part in the very active and fast Kandian Dance routines. Another unique feature of the Kandy Esala Perahera is that only men are a part of the procession except for the Pattini Dewala part which has women, because the Hindu Deity, ‘Pattini Amma’ was a woman.

Kawadi Dancers in the Dewala portion of the Perahera

The youngest firedancer

Like I mentioned before, I have not done justice to this event as the parade and the feelings you experience while watching it such as the build-up and the anticipation as well as the marvel, can’t be put in to words. It is something that is indescribable. This post in essence is a teaser that aims to make you want to experience it for yourself!

Religions in Sri Lanka: Part 1 - Buddhism

I’m starting this blog with a confession. I’m ashamed to admit that I, a self-proclaimed travel buff, have not been on an adventure in the past month. This left me with the problem of not having anything to blog about. So I thought I’d go ahead with something I already have some solid insight to: Religions in Sri Lanka.

My mom’s a Christian and my dad’s a Buddhist, so I consider myself to be half and half and I’ve been going to temples, churches and Kovils all my life! Sri Lanka is a multicultural nation with four main religions; Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and Christianity. Each of them stem from various stages throughout Sri Lanka’s rich history and have heavily influenced our culture and traditions.

A little over 70% of the country’s population is Buddhist. Buddhism was brought to Sri Lanka from India in 246 BC by a Buddhist Monk named Mihindu [or Mahinda] who was the son of the Mauryan Emperor, Ashoka. He was said to have been standing atop Mihintale Rock and to have called out to King Devanampiya Tissa as he was about to hunt a deer in the jungle. He then converted the King into Buddhism. His sister Arahath Sanghamitra later arrived in Sri Lanka carrying a sapling of the Bodhi Tree on which Lord Buddha had attained Enlightenment. The Jaya Sri Maha Bodhiya was planted by King Devanampiya Tissa in Anuradhapura. From then on Buddhism was carried down through generations spreading across the country to become the official religion of Sri Lanka in 200 BC.

Arahath Mahinda calling out to King Devanampiya Tissa

Arahath Sangamithra bringing the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhiya

After the death of Lord Buddha, his Sacred Tooth Relic was brought to Sri Lanka in the 4^th Century by Prince Dantha and Princess Hemamala. They were said to have been disguised as Brahmins to avoid recognition and the Sacred Tooth Relic was hidden in the Princess’s hair. The Relic has played a huge role in Sri Lanka’s history as the people believed that whoever possessed the tooth was the ruler of the land and as a result many wars were waged to gain ownership of this relic. Currently it is housed at the Temple of the Tooth Relic which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Kandy.

Bringing the Sacred Tooth Relic to Sri Lanka

There are many Temples that are places of interest to travellers like the Temple of the Tooth Relic in Kandy mentioned above and the Gangarama Temple in Colombo. I personally prefer my small and quiet neighbourhood temple that is a short walk away from my home. I insist that you visit a local temple that is not well known while you are in Sri Lanka instead of just visiting the more popular ones because you would get a better idea of the religion and its calm and simple nature.

The Temple of the Tooth Relic in Kandy

The Gangarama Temple in Colombo

Buddhists in Sri Lanka follow the Theravada teachings where Lord Buddha is seen as a man who achieved Enlightenment and taught monks to follow and spread his teachings. It is more of a philosophy and a way of life than it is a religion. People do not officially worship Lord Buddha but instead show reverence to his memory unlike the Mahayana teachings where the Buddha is seen as a superhuman being.

One of the best things about living in Sri Lanka is that we get a holiday on the full moon day every month. These are called Poya days and they were declared a holiday so that the Buddhists in Sri Lanka can spend the day worshipping in the temple. The most significant day in Buddhism’s calendar is Vesak Poya which falls on the full moon day in May to commemorate the birth, enlightenment and death of Lord Buddha. It is celebrated by decorating houses and streets with Vesak Lanterns in different shapes, sizes and colours. There are also large pandols lit up with hundreds of bulbs showing different stories from Lord Buddha’s life. People usually walk around the streets enjoying these decorations in the night time. Another unique feature of Vesak Poya is that there are several stalls along the streets called ‘dansal’ that give out free food, drink and desserts to any and all passers-by. This is one of my favourite things about living in Sri Lanka!

Colourful Vesak Lanterns

A Vesak Pandol

A stall handing out free ice cream to passers by

Temples also organise big parades called peraheras that vary in size depending on the temple. The most popular perahera takes place in Kandy, where the Sacred Tooth Relic is taken on the back of a tusker behind several dancers, fire dancers, decorated elephants and drummers etc. It is definitely something you should try and check out if you plan to be in Sri Lanka during that time.

Fire dancers in a Perahera

The Kataragama Festival

One of the Solosmastana [16 places visit by Lord Buddha in Sri Lanka], Kataragama is a popular religious pilgrimage site in the country that is frequented by Hindus, Buddhists, Veddas  [an indigenous people of Sri Lanka ] and Muslims alike. The complex that is on the banks of the Menik Ganga [river of gems] holds the Kataragama Devalaya [a Hindu shrine dedicated to God Kataragama, also known as Skanda-Murukan], the Kiri Vehera [an ancient Buddhist Stupa], a Mosque and several other smaller temples and shrines.

It is believed that God Kataragama lived in the mountain jungles near the Menik Ganga with his Indian wife, Thevani Amma and his Sri Lankan wife Valli Amma. King Dutugemunu visited the deity Kataragama here after his victory against Elara the Chola invader to fulfil his vow by building a shrine dedicated to the deity. Kataragama Deviyo was said to have shot a golden arrow from his home at the peak of the mountain and to have told the King to build the shrine in the location where the arrow had fallen. This is where the Kataragama Devalaya is today. Devotees believe that God Kataragama is a very powerful deity and they worship him to help them overcome their personal problems or for success in business enterprises.

 

The fruits that are offered in trays to the Diety

The entrance to the Kataragama Devalaya

The facade of the Devalaya

 

The Kataragama Festival which usually starts 10 days prior to the full moon day falling in the month of July ends with a final perahera [parade] on that full moon day. This year however, it was delayed by a month for auspicious reasons. Pilgrims flock from all over the country and stand for hours to see this colourful festival take place. The ‘Pada Yatra’ [foot pilgrimage] pilgrims start walking [the entire way] from the Nallur Kovil in Jaffna about two months prior to the start of the Festival, going from one sacred site to another  making their way to the Kataragama Devalaya in the South, growing in size, chanting ‘Haro Hara’ and other ancient praises to strengthen their will.

Although I have been visiting Kataragama frequently all my life, I had never witnessed the festival take place until now. We made our way from Tissamaharama to Kataragama at dusk on Wednesday the 7^th of August dressed in white, to be a part of the first perahera of the season. The mahouts were taking the elephants that were going to be a part of the parade to the Kiri Vehera at the same time we were there. The elephants circled the stupa and then bowed down to it before exiting. We then walked alongside the elephants as they went towards the Kataragama Devalaya. They each in turn walked to the front of the shrine and bowed down.

 

A lady selling flowers on the way to the Kiri Vehera

The Tusker leaving the Kiri Vehera after worship

 

In the Perahera, the ‘Yantra’, a spiritual drawing of the Kataragama Deity’s power is taken on the back of a grand Tusker to Valli Amma’s shrine about 300 metres away. It is kept there for a quarter of an hour before it is returned on the back of the same tusker to the Kataragama Deity’s shrine. This parade occurs every night for 10 days. On the last day, it is kept overnight at Valli Amma’s Shrine to resemble their wedding night. It takes about an hour to dress the tusker in sequined clothes and to prepare the housing in which the Yantra is carried. Devotees then cover drape the Tusker in garlands of fresh flowers and spray it with scented water.

Families lighting pahanas before the perahera starts

The crowd gathered to witness the dressing of the Tusker

The Tusker being dressed

Devotees waiting to drape the flower garlands on the Tusker

  

The Perahera starts with the ‘Kasa-Karayo’ [whip-men] who make whipping sounds with their thick chord whips to signal to the onlookers that the parade is approaching. They are followed by the fire dancers who spin around various batons and loops lit on fire while dancing. Next come two sets of Hewisi Bands playing traditional beats and the swami’s of the Pada Yatra Pilgrims. They are then followed by dancers that represent different parts of the country. There were Kandian dancers, Hill Country dancers, Southern dancers, Kavadi dancers and my personal favourite the peacock dancers. The peacock is the transport and the symbol of the Kataragama Deity and this dance depicts the dance of a peacock.

The perahera pathway lit up

One of the Whip-men

The fire dancers

A drummer

One of the Hewisi Bands

The Pada Yatra Swamis

 

A peacock dancer

 

Finally, after another Kandian Hewisi band and more Kandian dancers is the chief of the Vedda Tribe. The Veddas are said to be angry with the Kataragama Deity for wanting to take Valli Amma, one of their own, away to India. Because of this, the Vedda Chief walks backwards, facing the Tusker and pointing his bow and arrow at the Yantra. But then the Veddas respected him for choosing to stay instead and because of this, the Chief worships the Yantra from time to time during the perahera. The Perahera then ends with a pooja [religious ceremony] at the Devalaya.

The Vedda Chief worshiping the Yantra

The Yantra being carried on the back of the decorated Tusker

Whether you are a religious person or not, this spectacularly colourful parade full of religion, culture and history is something you should definitely witness if you visit Sri Lanka during this time of year.