Esala Perahera - origin and history

The Esala Perahera in Kandy is the most famous and the grandest pageant in Sri Lanka. I doubt whether there is an annual pageant to rival it in any country, in South or South-East Asia. This perahera has a history of at least 400 years.

The only perahera that has a longer history than the Kandy Perahera, is the Devinuwara Devala Perahera, which was started by King Parakramabahu II in the 13th century.

Robert Knox, the Englishman who recorded what he saw and heard in the 20 years (1660-1679) he spent in the Kingdom of Kandy as a prisoner of Rajasinghe II has mentioned that "a solemn feast was celebrated in the city of Cande, yearly, in the months of June, July." This feast or perahera would have been held for years before Robert Knox saw it.

The perahera was the finale of the Esala Mangalla, one of the four great festivals in the kingdom of Kandy, the other three being the Avurudu or New Year festival, the Karthika Mangalla in October and the Aluth Sahal Mangalla or Harvest festival.

The Esala Mangalla is a festival in honour of a god or gods, and the festival is centered round a devala or kovil. The Kataragama Esala festival is, for instance, in honour of God Kataragama, the Devinuwara festival in honour of God Vishnu and at Munneswaram it is in honour of God Ishvara.

The Esala Mangalla of Maha Nuwara, the last capital of the Sinhala Kings, was in honour of the four gods, Naatha, Vishnu, Kataragama and Pattini, and their respective devalas were the venues of the festival. The festival culminated with the perahera when the bows and arrows of the gods were taken in procession through the main streets of the capital. This perahera was called the "Satara Devala Perahera" - the four devala perahera.

The 'Maligawa Perahera', carrying the Dalada or Sacred Tooth Relic, was added to the 'Satara Devala Perahera' in the year 1752 or 1753, on the suggestion of Upali Thera, who had come from Siam (now Thailand) to confer Upasampada or higher ordination on the Sinhala bhikkhus. Since then, the Maligawa Perahera leads the perahera with the Naatha, Vishnu, Kataragama and Pattini Devala peraheras, following in the order.

Dr. John Davy, who saw the perahera in the last years of the Sinhala kings wrote a detailed description of the perahera. I quote from his account: 'The King regularly joined the evening procession in his golden chariot drawn by eight horses... This part of the Perahera was extremely magnificent, the chiefs vying with each other, in splendour of dress and in the multitudes of their attendants, and every party concerned, and the King in particular, using the utmost exertion to make the spectacle as brilliant, and as imposing, as possible."

Then, ladies of the court and the young wives and daughters of the chiefs, also joined the perahera. According to Dr. Davy, it was only on the night of the full-moon that the Dalada, the Sacred Tooth Relic was taken in procession.

Over the years, the composition and order of the perahera has changed. The chiefs of the provinces - the Korala and Rata - no longer join the procession with their attendants and flags.

Now, we see rows of young men, and teenagers dressed in white, carrying Buddhist flags, and some folk dances, like the winnowing fan (kulu) dance have been introduced.

Until about 30 years ago, there were only the ves dancers (Kandyan dancers with their ornate silver-coloured head-dresses) and drummers, the puntheru (tambourine) and udekki dancers. An udekki is an hour-glass like little hand-drum on which the singers keep time as they sing and dance.

Although the composition of the perahera has changed, the rituals haven't. They are observed with the greatest care. The first ritual is the ceremonial planting of the kap. On an auspicious day before the new moon, the Basnayaka Nilames - the chief lay officials of the devala - assembled under a young jak tree that had borne no fruits, and its trunk had to be of a certain girth.

It was fumigated with burning resin (dummala) and smeared with a preparation of sandalwood, and offerings of nine lamps, nine betel leaves, and nine flowers made at its foot. After this consecration, the tree was felled by a wood-cutter dressed in white, who had purified himself by sprinkling lime-juice on his body. He divided the trunk into four parts.

Each part was carried to the devala accompanied by the beating of tom-toms. On the day of the new moon, this piece of consecrated wood was planted in the devala grounds, protected by a roof, and covered and ornamented with palm leaves, flowers and fruits.

This year, the ceremonial planting of the kap took place at the auspicious time of 5.45 a.m. on Wednesday, July 26. From July 26 to 30, the perahera was held in the devala grounds. On the 31st night, the first Kumbal Perahera paraded the streets and continued until August 4. Last night (August 5) the grand Randoli perahera commenced. It will culminate with the Maha Perahera on the night of the Full-Moon Poya, on August 9.

With the water-cutting, diya kepeema, at dawn the next day, the annual Esala perahera will come to a close. This is a ritual as important as the kap planting before the commencement of the perahera. After the Maha Perahera has paraded the streets and entered the Maligawa, and the other processions, their respective devalas, the procession will form again and set out after midnight, heading for the Asgiriya Vihara, which is a few streets away from the Maligawa.

The Dalada (Tooth Relic) will be ceremonially placed in the Vihara and the Maligawa perahera will remain there, while the other four devala processions will proceed to the Getambe ferry, where a boat awaits their arrival mid-stream in the Mahaveli.

The Kapuralas, or priests of the four devala, each with an attendant, gets into the boat and rows up the river bearing swords and golden pitchers.

At the first blush of dawn the Kapuralas strike the water with their golden swords, and as they strike, the attendants empty the pitchers of last year's water and fill them with fresh water that the swords have touched.

This is the water-cutting ceremony performed at the conclusion of every perahera.

The procession returns to the Asgiri Vihara. Later the Dalada perahera joins the devala peraheras and returns to the Maligawa and their respective devalas. With this day perahera, the Esala Mangalla, and Esala perahera come to a close.

Sumana Saparamadu