Dates of the Kandy Perahera 2009:

From 27th July 2009 to 6th August 2009

27th - 31st July 2009 - Kumbal Perahera

1st - 5th August 2009 - Randoli Perahera

5th August 2009 - Maha Perahera

6th August 2009 - Day Perahera & Water-Cutting

The Significance of Esala Poya

Esala Poya commemorates several important events in the history of Buddhism

Prominent events associated with Esala

Buddha's preaching of his First Sermon, the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta, to the five ascetics took place at the ‘Deer Park’, near Benares, on an Esala poya day thereby inaugurating his public ministry. The other noteworthy events connected with this day include the conception of the Bodhisatta in the womb of Queen Maya, his Great Renunciation, the performance of the Twin Miracle (yamaka-patihariya), and his preaching the Abhidhamma for the first time in the Tavatimsa heaven. An additional factor that enhances the value of this poya to Sri Lanka is the first local ordination of a Sri Lankan, when Prince Arittha, the nephew of the king, entered the Order at Anuradhapura, under Arahant Mahinda, following the introduction of Buddhism. On this day there also took place the laying of the foundation for the celebrated dagoba, the Mahastupa or the Ruwanvelisaya and also its enshrinement of relics by King Dutugemunu. It is owing to the combination of all these events that the Sinhala Buddhists fittingly observe this day ceremonially by holding Esala festivals throughout the island, giving pride of place to the internationally famous Kandy Esala Perahera.

The Esala pageant

The term perahera, primarily meaning 'procession', signifies a popular Buddhist ceremony replete with many rituals, commencing and culminating respectively with the kap-planting and the water-cutting ceremonies. These two ceremonies are respectively the introductory and the concluding rites of the annual Esala festivals, held in July and August in various parts of the island. They are essentially connected with deities, either to invoke their blessings or to give thanks to them for favours received. During this period every year, such religious festivals are held in almost all the religious centres of Sri Lanka where there are abodes dedicated to various deities. However, the festival par excellence of this category is the Kandy Esala Perahera, which is connected with the Temple of the Tooth and the abodes (devalayas) of the four Hindu deities, Vishnu, Kataragama, Natha, and the Goddess Pattini. The main feature of all these festivals held during this period is the elaborate procession held on the lines of the Kandy Esala Perahera.
Both the kap-planting and water-cutting ceremonies are performed by the lay officials (kapuralas) of the devalaya concerned, who are traditionally the experts regarding the details of their performances. These details are generally regarded as secret and are not divulged to the public.

The preliminary rite of kap-planting consists of planting a shaft, usually fashioned from a felled young jak tree, which must have borne no fruit. When cut, this tree exudes a white sap which is regarded as a symbol of prosperity. Even felling the tree is done with several attendant rituals at an auspicious time. The trunk is divided into four, one for each of the devalayas, where it is carried with drums in attendance. On the day of the new moon, at an auspicious hour (nakata), the "kaps" thus prepared are set up in the ground in a special place decorated with leaves, flowers, and fruits. For five nights small processions are conducted within the devalaya precincts around the consecrated kaps. Sometimes benedictory stanzas are chanted by monks. This rite of kap is a kind of vow that the Esala festival, consisting mainly of the perahera, will be held successfully. It is also an invitation to the deities to be present during the festival, providing the necessary protection for its successful performance. In this sense it is this ritual that inaugurates the festival.

The water-cutting ceremony (diya-kapum-mangalyaya), which is the concluding ritual of the Esala festival, is performed in the early hours of the day following the final perahera. The Kapurala proceeds on a caparisoned elephant to a selected place along a river bank. He would either go to a selected spot in the river by boat or wade through the water to a particular spot and after drawing a magic circle on the water with the sword he carries, "cuts" the water and fills the vessel he carried there with water from that spot. Before doing so he empties the water that he took in this same manner the previous year. He then returns to the devalaya, and the vessel of water is kept there until the following year’s water cutting ritual which is performed in an identical manner. This is believed to be a rain-making ceremony of sympathetic magic, which type of ritual is quite common in agrarian societies the world over. The Buddhists seem to have adopted this to suit their purposes.

The annual Esala Perahera in Kandy, is the most colourful traditional procession in the country. It is the prototype of the other peraheras held elsewhere in the island in such places as Kataragama, Aluthnuwara, Lankatilaka, Bellanwila, Devinuwara, etc. The Kandy Perahera has been held with state patronage from the time the Tooth Relic was brought to Sri Lanka from India in the 4th century AD. Although periodically there have been intermittent breaks due to unsettled political conditions, the festival was never neglected intentionally. This had been so even during colonial times. Respected as the palladium of Sinhala royalty, the Relic had been accommodated in different parts of the country, depending on the change of the capital city. Ultimately it came to stay in Kandy, which was the last royal seat of the Sinhala people.

‘Vas’ and Esala

Esala poya assumes prominence for yet another ritual of the Sri Lankan Buddhists. This is the annual rains retreat of the monks, “Vas”, which commences on the day following the Esala full moon. On the next poya day, Nikini (August), those monks who failed to commence the normal Vas on the day following Esala Poya, are allowed to enter the "late Vas."

Esala Perahara rituals and their significance

The annual Esala Pageant popularly known as the Esala Perahara, held in the month of Esala (July - August) in Kandy needs no introduction to the Buddhist world. Originating from Indo-Aryan traditions, Esala festivities signify the victories of the mythical Hindu God Indra over the demon Vritra who prevented the burst of rain clouds. In fact Esala Perahara was originally a ritual invoking the blessings of the Gods to cause rainfall in the dry month. Later the Sinahla kings who possessed the sacred Tooth Relic coupled that event with the procession in honour of the sacred Tooth Relic, maintaining some of the ancient rituals of yore.
The sacred Tooth Relic was brought to Anuradhapura, the ancient capital of Sri Lanka, from Kalinga during the reign of the King Kitsiri Mevan (A.D. 303 - 331). That was about 500 years since the arrival of Theri Sanghamitta and the planting of the sacred Bodhi Tree.

The Chinese Buddhist traveller Fa Hien given an account of the rituals associated with the sacred Relic when it was taken to Abhayagiri vihara for the annual festival during the month of Esala. The fourteenth century Sinhala text "Dalada Sirita" gives a vivid description of these rituals. There was a strong conviction particularly among Sinhala Buddhists that the legitimate claim for the Sinhala Throne could be made by the possessor of the sacred Tooth Relic. The belief that the sacred Tooth Relic was a harbinger of rain never diminished even after the British occupation of Kandy. When the perahara was suspended by the British rulers in 1815 a severe drought and a crop failure followed. Due to public protest the perahara was allowed. It was reported that torrential rains followed the initiation of perhara rituals. The author of "Dalada Sirita" gives a vivid description of that event.

The perahara rituals begin with the planting of kap poles (about 60 cm in length cut from a lactiferous tree) within the premises of each dewale at an auspicious hour. Kapa symbolises god Indra and it is cut from a lactiferous tree to signify fertility and prosperity. When the kap-poles are brought to each Dewale they are placed on a clean mat where fresh mango and margosa leaves are spread. That ritual is associated with the Pattini cult.Goddess Pattini, according to mythical literature, was born out of a mango and her husband was killed under a margosa tree. When the kap poles are installed in each dewale premises the officiating priest (kapurala) circumambulates the kap pole on three consecutive days carrying the insignia of the respective deity.

At the beginning for five days the procession is confined to the dewala premises. The second stage of the perahara is the Kumbal Perahara. Here the relic casket along with such regalia traditionally associated with the ancient royalty of Kandy are taken out. The Relic Casket is taken out amidst the blowing of conch shells. A gaily decorated elephant carries the casket. A gun is fired when the Diyawadana Nilame takes his place in the procession.

The Diyawadana Nilame, according to historical traditions was the minister who supplied water to the King. The title "Nilame" was given to a Minister of the royal court. However a contrary view was held by some writers with regard to the duties of the Diyawadana Nilame. He was required to do everything within his capacity to ensure rain at the correct seasons. This conclusion was arrived at because there was another official in the royal palace with the title Ulpange Rala who made bathing facilities for the king.

The third stage of the perahara is the "Randoli" symbolizing the participation of the royalty in the procession. Randoli was the name of a special palanquin in which the Queen was taken. The perahara parades with full splendour at this stage.

The "water-cutting ceremony" marks the final stage of the perahara rituals. Only a section of the overnight procession accompanied by the kapuralas in charge of the four shrines of Natha, Vishnu, Kataragama and Pattini proceed to the ferry at Getambe and await the first light of the day for the performance of the ritual. When the first rays of sun fall they draw a circle in water with a sword. the water within that circle is taken to fill the pitchers.

The Diyawadana Nilame with Tooth Relic casket

The lay custodian of the Sacred Tooth in Kandy today is known as the Diya Vadana Nilame, literally, the 'Water-increasing-official'. He is, in other words, the Water-increaser or Rain-producer.

Thus the Diyavadana Nilame was the minister who was responsible to see that the people had rain in due season to sow their fields and cultivate their crops, and that was the reason why this particular minister was entrusted with the custodianship of the instrument of rain making of the Buddhist kings of Ceylon.

Elephants, acrobats enliven ancient Sri Lankan Buddhist festival

Nearly 100 caparisoned elephants, dancers and torchbearers walked down the streets of this central city decorated with colourful lights and flags as the annual Buddhist festival of Kandy Perahera (pageant) was celebrated with great enthusiasm.

The colourful parade began Saturday night from the sacred Buddhist shrine of Dalada Maligawa, showcasing the temple custodians known as Nilames, who were dressed up like ancient kings. The festivities also included traditional Kandyan dancers, fire-juggling acrobats, palanquins, musicians and torchbearers, who followed the elephants through the streets.

Kandy Perahera is celebrated annually ever since the sacred tooth relic of Buddha was brought to Sri Lanka during the reign of King Kirthi Sri Meghavanna during 300 A.D.

Similar festivals take place in other parts of the country, including capital Colombo, but on a smaller scale.

The grand finale of the 10-day celebrations in Kandy, known as Randoli Perahera, began at an auspicious time at 8 p.m. Saturday. Thousands of Sri Lankans and hundreds of foreigners, including the Colombo-based diplomatic corps, attended the night of pageantry.

According to organisers, over 3,000 police personnel and hundreds of military personnel, were on guard to ensure that the event remained trouble-free.

Dalada Maligawa was also hit by the decades-long ethnic war when a suicide cadre of the Tamil Tiger rebels blew up an explosive-laden truck right in front of the temple, causing damage to the shrine in April 1998.

But the temple faced the first attack during the insurrection of the radical Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) in the 1980’s.

The highlight of Saturday’s parade was the brightly festooned Maligawa Tusker called Raja, the biggest elephant in the procession, proudly carrying the Perahera Karanduwa, the replica of the casket in which the sacred tooth relic of Lord Buddha is kept.

The actual relic is kept inside seven caskets in the inner sanctum of the Dalada Maligawa.

On the directions of the mahouts, Raja and other elephants walked in measured steps and seemed as though they were moving to the beats of the traditional drummers.

In Sri Lanka, the lives of elephants are interwoven with those of humans. They are a part of the history, culture, religion and tradition of the island nation, which has 20 million people and nearly 4,000 elephants.

The procession was flanked by torch-bearers, who steadfastly carried long, flaming wooden poles.

Although the country has been suffering from one of the bloodiest ethnic conflicts, this colourful pageant in Kandy symbolises the religious harmony and ethnic unity among the two main communities - the Sinhala-Buddhist and the Tamil Hindus.

Anuradha Seneviratne, a professor of the Peradeniya University, said that apart from its religious significance, the event provides a platform to traditional folk artistes to exhibit their reverence and devotion to the enlightened one - the Buddha - and to gods and goddesses such as Natha, Vishnu, Kataragama (lord Muruga) and Pattini.

In one of his books on the Kandy Perahera, Seneviratne writes says that the characteristic of the annual Kandy pageant has gone through a transformation over the years.

‘The Perahera of yesteryears reflected the spirit, the socio-cultural milieu and the political and administrative structure of the times (feudal and monarch elements). (But) The Peraheras today, though portraying semblance of its past grandeur, has transformed into a mere folk pageant,’ he writes.

Courtesy: Barefoot SriLanka

The Sacred Tooth Relic as Rain-Maker

If the sacred bodhi tree could cause rain because it has been once in contact with the Buddha himself, then, relics of his own body certainly have more power than the bodhi tree to produce rain. The most important of the corporeal relics of the Buddha that serves this function even today is the Dalada, the sacred Tooth, which is enshrined in a golden casket at the Dalada Maligava, The Palace of the Sacred Tooth at Kandy.

The left eye-tooth relic of the Buddha was brought from Kalinga in India to the island in the fourth century AD, about six centuries after the arrival of the bodhi tree. The king who ruled the island at that time was Sri Megha varna (303-351 AD) His name denotes, rather coincidentally, ‘the Resplendent one whose complexion is that of the Rain-cloud’.

The king and the people were aware of the rain-making power of this relic. It is recorded that the prince and the princess who brought this relic to the island first took shelter at the Megha Vihara (Temple of the Rain-cloud) where Parjanya, the Rain god, was propitiated. In the course of time the Tooth relic began to acquire prominence over the bodhi tree at Anuradhapura because unlike the tree the tooth relic could be removed from its original site when necessary.

The rain-making power of the sacred Tooth soon made it the national palladium of Sinhalese kingship. For the belief had taken root among the royalty and the people that whoever possesses the sacred Tooth had the legitimate right to rule the land. It was noted earlier that the ideal king is one who has the power to cause rain in due season and thereby bring prosperity to his kingdom. The possession of the Tooth relic thus gave the king the power that he needed to remain the legitimate sovereign. The king who was in possession of the Tooth relic thus had a better claim than others to rule this land. So the story of the Tooth relic in Sri Lanka is, in fact, the story of innumerable kings and princes, local and foreign, and of innumerable monks and men who struggled to keep possession of this treasure and keep it from falling into hostile hands.
“The overarching of Sinhala state and religion” writes Amunugama, “was typified by the king’s possession of the Tooth relic. He who had the relic was King. In the last days of the Sinhala monarchy there were many pretenders to the throne. Their first act, to secure legitimacy, was to attempt to capture the Tooth relic”

Today the Tooth relic is housed in Kandy because it was the last seat of the Sinhalese kingdom. “Till the fall of the Kandyan kingdom in 1815 the Dalada remained as strong a symbol of sovereign; is ever. Safeguarding the Dalada against European powers was of prime importance. In 1611 when the Portuguese approached Kandy, the King (Senarath) quickly hid the Dalada in a safe place not too far from Kandy, and brought it back to Kandy when they retreated. The Europeans themselves were quick to realise the political importance of the Dalada, and its capture became a prime objective of theirs. When in the rebellion of 1818 the British captured the Dalada, the people gave up resistance, acceding that since they have the Dalada they are indeed the masters of the country”

This also explains why the Sacred Tooth is housed in a maligava, (royal palace) rather than in a temple (viha.ra,) Even the British governor was referred to as the ‘king’ and his residence, the raja-gedara, the King’s House.

The lay custodian of the Sacred Tooth in Kandy today is known as the Diya Vadana Nilame, literally, the Water-increasing-official. He is, in other words, the Water-increaser or Rain-producer. “Thus the Diyavadana Nilame was the minister who was responsible to see that the people had rain in due season to sow their fields and cultivate their crops, and that was the reason why this particular minister was entrusted with the custodianship of the instrument of rain making of the Buddhist kings of Ceylon.”

History records many festivals in honour of the sacred Tooth. One of the earliest references was that of the Chinese pilgrim, Fa Hien, who visited this land in the fifth century AD. According to the eye-witness account of Fa Hien this relic was brought forth in the middle of the third month and was carried in procession along the roads to Abhayagiri vihara in Anuradhapura. Godakumbura explains the significance of this timing thus “If the Buddhist year began with Wesak (May-June), the third month would have been Aesala (July August) in the dry season at Anuradhapura. The sacred Tooth was taken to the Abhayagiri vihara to a hall of the Buddha there. The festival of the Tooth relic was also instituted for the purpose of obtaining rains”

The Sinhala chronicle ‘Dalada Sirita, (Rituals of the Sacred Tooth) written in the fourteenth century, enumerates the rules and regulations pertaining to the maintenance of the sacred relic, and according to it. Tooth relic festivals should be performed annually to obtain rain.

Hieun Tsiang, another Chinese traveler who visited the island in the seventh century provides us with information that has specific relevance to its magic. “The king three times a day washes the Tooth of the Buddha with perfumed powdered water, sometimes with perfumes. Whether washing or burning, the whole ceremony is attended with a service of the most precious jewels”
The annual procession in Kandy held today may be viewed as an amalgamation of two separate but interrelated processions the Dalada perahaera and the Aesala perahaera.

Thus the procession at Kandy is sometimes called the Aesala Perahaera, and sometimes the Dalada perahaera, and is considered the most colourful of the Buddhist festivals in Sri Lanka. ‘The Asala festival is not only the largest festival of the Temple; it is also the largest festival in Buddhist Ceylon, and is perhaps one of the largest ever held in the Buddhist world. Each year about 200,000 people participate as observers. The people who perform functions in it and directly related to it number over one thousand. It is also a large festival in terms of duration it now lasts twenty-one days and in Kandyan times it lasted longer”