This year’s Kandy Esala Perahera, one of Sri Lanka’s grandest and most revered cultural and religious pageants, will begin on August 18, NewsFirst reported.
Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake said the government would provide maximum support and the necessary inter-agency coordination to ensure the festival is conducted smoothly. Preparations typically involve the police, health services, local authorities and transport agencies working alongside the Sri Dalada Maligawa (Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic) and the associated devalayas.
The Esala Perahera is held annually in Kandy to honour the Sacred Tooth Relic of the Buddha and features a procession of caparisoned elephants, traditional dancers, drummers, whip-crackers and torch-bearers over successive nights. The pageant draws tens of thousands of local devotees and foreign visitors to the hill capital.
Authorities are expected to finalise arrangements for crowd management, traffic diversions, sanitation and security in the coming weeks as the start date approaches. The perahera concludes with the day Perahera and the traditional water-cutting ceremony.
The festival is also a significant draw for Sri Lanka’s tourism sector, with hotels and guesthouses in and around Kandy reporting heavy demand during the perahera season.
