Kandy Esala Perahera, Sri Lanka

The Esala Perahera(Randholi Perahera) - is the grand festival of Esala held in Sri Lanka. It is very grand with elegant costumes. Happening in July or August in Kandy, it has become a unique symbol of Sri Lanka. It is a Buddhist festival consisting of dances and richly-decorated elephants. There are fire-dances, whip-dances, Kandian dances and various other cultural dances. The elephants are usually adorned with lavish garments.The festival ends with the traditional 'diya-kepeema'.

The significance of this great event is to invoke blessings of the gods to give the farmers rain to cultivate their crops. This ritual is performed by carrying the sacred tooth relic of the Buddha through the city streets which is done with great ceremony.

The tooth relic was brought to Ceylon (Sri Lanka) in the year 310 AD and the first Perahera was performed in Anuradhapura the first capital where the sacred relic was housed. Even as the capitals were shifted for security reasons due to invasions, the tooth relic went with it too and were much revered and always in the custody of the king.

Finally finding a permanent resting place in the hill capital of the last Sinhalese kingdom Kandy, It lies in the “Dalada Maligawa” (Palace of the Tooth Relic) which was built by king Wimaladharma Suriya in the 16th century. This three-storey building erected solely for the purpose of housing. The Sacred Relic still stands and is the most visited and important temple of Sri Lanka.