The most vibrant & colourful religious pageant of Asia
"Perpetual fire-laughing motion among the slow shuffle of elephants"- D. H. Lawrence (1885-1930)
"All the senses have been constantly assailed throughout the long night's drama & the impact of this marvelous event is never forgotten. All who have witness this marvel have visited another world. It's unique & should not be missed" David Leask "There can be few festivals in the world to match the Kandy Esala Perahera pageant of Sri Lanka for passion & splendour." Evelina Rioukhina, UNECE
"All the senses have been constantly assailed throughout the long night's drama & the impact of this marvelous event is never forgotten. All who have witness this marvel have visited another world. It's unique & should not be missed" David Leask "There can be few festivals in the world to match the Kandy Esala Perahera pageant of Sri Lanka for passion & splendour." Evelina Rioukhina, UNECE
Periodicity: once a year
Period of the year: July/August (lunar month of Esala-of Sinhalese calendar)
Duration: 10 days
Time of the day: 8.30-11.30 pm
Nature of the pageant: historical, cultural, aesthetic & religious. A medieval pageant with no spectator participation. Players only.
Build up of the pageant: each night the pageant grows larger & larger until the final night (full moon) to about 5000 dancers, drummers etc & 100 elephants.
Designated circuit: along the pre-determined streets in the city of Kandy, Sri Lanka
Occasion: celebration of the arrival of Sacred Relic of Tooth to Sri Lanka during the reign of King Kirti Sri Meghawanna (304-331 AD), 500 years after the arrival of Buddhism to Sri Lanka during the reign of King Devanam PiyaTissa (307-266 BC), the famous "Deer Hunter".
Significance of the great event: to give thanks to the gods in song, dance & pageantry for the harvest & invoke blessings of the gods for the rain in good time.
The ritual: performed by carrying the Sacred Tooth Relic of Buddha (protected in a golden casket in the inner sanctum of the The Holy Temple of the Tooth in Kandy in a great pageant through the streets of the Royal City of Kandy.
The players of the pageant: officials & chieftains of the Temple of the Tooth at Kandy, dancers, drummers, musicians, flag bearers, whip crackers.
The center of the attraction: The Sacred Tooth Relic of Buddha, the symbol of the sovereignty of the whole island & Buddhist heritage of the island.
Starting point of the pageant: Sri Dalada Maligawa (The Sacred Temple of the Tooth, Kandy, Sri Lanka) built by King Wimaladharmasuriya the 1st (1592-1603)
Viewing the procession: the procession starts from the Holy Temple of the Tooth, by the side of the man-made Kandy Lake & go round the streets & return to the temple at another entrance. As the last of the elephants leave by the lake side entrance, we can see, the front of the procession approaching again up in an adjacent street, meaning the rear of the procession reaches the temple only at about 2.30 am.
Period of the year: July/August (lunar month of Esala-of Sinhalese calendar)
Duration: 10 days
Time of the day: 8.30-11.30 pm
Nature of the pageant: historical, cultural, aesthetic & religious. A medieval pageant with no spectator participation. Players only.
Build up of the pageant: each night the pageant grows larger & larger until the final night (full moon) to about 5000 dancers, drummers etc & 100 elephants.
Designated circuit: along the pre-determined streets in the city of Kandy, Sri Lanka
Occasion: celebration of the arrival of Sacred Relic of Tooth to Sri Lanka during the reign of King Kirti Sri Meghawanna (304-331 AD), 500 years after the arrival of Buddhism to Sri Lanka during the reign of King Devanam PiyaTissa (307-266 BC), the famous "Deer Hunter".
Significance of the great event: to give thanks to the gods in song, dance & pageantry for the harvest & invoke blessings of the gods for the rain in good time.
The ritual: performed by carrying the Sacred Tooth Relic of Buddha (protected in a golden casket in the inner sanctum of the The Holy Temple of the Tooth in Kandy in a great pageant through the streets of the Royal City of Kandy.
The players of the pageant: officials & chieftains of the Temple of the Tooth at Kandy, dancers, drummers, musicians, flag bearers, whip crackers.
The center of the attraction: The Sacred Tooth Relic of Buddha, the symbol of the sovereignty of the whole island & Buddhist heritage of the island.
Starting point of the pageant: Sri Dalada Maligawa (The Sacred Temple of the Tooth, Kandy, Sri Lanka) built by King Wimaladharmasuriya the 1st (1592-1603)
Viewing the procession: the procession starts from the Holy Temple of the Tooth, by the side of the man-made Kandy Lake & go round the streets & return to the temple at another entrance. As the last of the elephants leave by the lake side entrance, we can see, the front of the procession approaching again up in an adjacent street, meaning the rear of the procession reaches the temple only at about 2.30 am.
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