The water-cutting ceremony that ritually closes the Kandy Esala Perahera was performed at the Mahaweli River at Gatambe on Friday morning, ending the 2026 festival.
The Diya Kepeema followed the final Randoli Perahera, which paraded the streets of Kandy on Thursday night. Afterwards the processions of the four principal Devalayas — Natha, Vishnu, Kataragama and Pattini — returned to their shrines for traditional rituals before moving along Katukele Street towards the river, Ada Derana reported.
Once the water-cutting was completed, the procession continued to the Kandy Ganadevi Kovil and then to the Asgiri Gedige Raja Maha Viharaya.
The closing day procession
The daytime procession was scheduled to leave the Asgiri Gedige Raja Maha Viharaya at 2.18 p.m., facing north, travelling along D.S. Senanayake Street, Pansala Road and Deva Street before entering Raja Veediya and circling the Sri Dalada Maligawa square three times. The Sacred Relics were due to enter the Dalada Maligawa at 4.01 p.m., facing north.
The Diyawadana Nilame and the Basnayake Nilames of the four Devalayas then process to the President’s House in Kandy, where a formal scroll confirming the successful completion of the festival is presented to the President. Hiru News reported that ceremony was set for Friday evening. Awards are presented to performers judged to have shown exceptional skill, after which the pageant formally ends.
The President at the final Randoli
Hiru reported that President Anura Kumara Dissanayake joined Thursday night’s final Randoli Perahera. Before the procession he venerated the Sacred Tooth Relic and called on the Malwathu and Asgiri Maha Nayaka Theros to receive their blessings. The relic casket was borne by the 55-year-old Kataragama tusker Wasana.
The 2026 festival opened with the kap planting ceremony on August 13 and ran through the Kumbal and Randoli processions over the following fortnight.
