Historic Kandy Esala perahera:

A pageant like no other

By Sureshni Pilapitiya

Sri Lanka has a proud history and a culture going back to over 2500 years. It has a rich tradition, heritage,values and ethics which perhaps no other nation has inherited. All Sri Lankans should be proud of it.

The canopy over the elephant carrying the Sacred Tooth Relic is usually placed above on the final day of the Esala perahera and coincidentallly tonight is the final night of the perahera

Kandyan dancers in action enthralling the audience

These were gifted to us by our ancestors, leaving traces and proud memories of sacrifices they had made to bring Sri Lanka to what it is today.

The Portuguese, the Dutch and the British who invaded our country paid scant respect to what we had treasured while their only aim was to spread their religion and maintain their dominance. Our ancestors bequeathed indigenous traditions from one generation to another. Sri Lanka has become one of the world’s favourite tourist destinations, since tourists are keen to learn our culture and heritage and want to learn more about them. Therefore, they visit numerous archaeological sites and places of historical value.

August is special for Sri Lankans and to those domiciled overseas to visit Sri Lanka. In general, it can be called a religious month.It is also referred to as the ‘Esala’ month during which the historic Kandy Esala Perahera dedicated to the Sacred Tooth Relic begins. It is said that each time the Esala perahera ends the country is blessed with rains.

The Esala perahera began parading the streets on Wednesday and will conclude today, with the final Randoli perahera.

The Esala Perahera, a Buddhist festival, consisting of dances and gaily caparisoned elephants.

There are various forms of dances such as fire dances, whip dances, Kandyan dances and other cultural dances. The elephants are usually adorned with lavish garments. The festival ends with the traditional “Diya kapuma” ritual, the water cutting ceremony which is held at the Mahaweli river, in Gatambe, Kandy.

The Esala is believed to be a fusion of two separate but interconnected ‘peraheras’ - Esala and Dalada. It is important to note that there are two separate peraheras. The Esala perahera which is believed to date back to the 3rd century BC, was a ritual to propitiate the gods for rain.

The Dalada perahera is believed to have begun when the Sacred Tooth Relic of the Buddha was brought to Sri Lanka from India during the 4th century CE, 800 years after the passing away of the Buddha.

The tooth relic was taken in procession to Sri Lanka by Princess Hemamala and Prince Dantha.

The present Perahera dates back to the reign of the Kandyan King, Kirthi Sri Rajasinghe (1747–1781). During this time, the Tooth Relic was considered private property of the King and the public never got a chance to worship it.

However, King Rajasinghe decreed that the Relic be taken in procession for the masses to venerate. In ancient times, when ‘Solee’ invaded the island.

The Tooth Relic was taken to a safe place by the Bhikkus, where nobody could find it.

After the Kandyan Kingdom fell to British in 1815, the custody of the sacred tooth Relic was handed over to the Maha Sangha (the Buddhist Clergy).

In the absence of the king, a lay custodian called the “Diyawadana Nilame” was appointed to handle routine administrative matters.

This particular tradition has been going on for generations, and the Diyawadane Nilame, along with the Mahanayaka Theras of the Malwathu and Asgiriya Chapters,are the guardians of the Sacred Tooth Relic. There have been a number of Diyawadane Nilames upto now and the present incumbent is Nilanga Dela Bandara.

The Kandy Esala Perahera begins with the Kap planting ceremony or Kappa, in which a sanctified young jak fruit tree is planted in the premises of each of the four devales dedicated to the four guardian gods Natha, Vishnu, Kataragama and goddess Pattini.

Traditionally it was meant to shower blessings on the King and the people. Even today, it continues to bestow its blessings.

To watch the perahera parading the streets in the night is such a gorgeous and captivating sight.

The Kumbal perahera

For the next five nights, the ‘Devale peraheras’ is conducted within the premises of the four devales with the priest of each devale taking a staff every evening, accompanied by music and drumming, flag and canopy bearers, spearman and the Ran Ayudha, the sacred insignia of the Gods.

On the sixth night, the Kumbal perahera begins and continues for five days. Initially, the Devale peraheras start from the front of the Temple of the Tooth Relic, with its insignias on the ransivige accompanied by the Basnayake Nilames. Each devale has a custodian to take care of its religious duties and administration.

The relic casket, which is a substitute for the Tooth Relic, is placed in the Ransivige on the Maligawa Elephant and the Maligawa perahera joins the awaiting devale peraheras and leads the procession. Whip-crackers and fireball acrobats clear the path, followed by the Buddhist flag-bearers Then, riding on the first elephant, is the official called Peramune Rala.

He is followed by Kandyan drummers and dancers who enthrall the crowd, and are followed by elephants and other musicians, dancers and flag bearers. A group of singers clad in white herald the arrival of the Maligawa Tusker carrying the Sacred Tooth Relic. The Diyawadana Nilame walks in traditional Kandyan attire after the tusker.

The second procession is from the Natha devale, which faces the Sri Dalada Maligawa and is the oldest building in Kandy, dating back to the 14th Century.

The third is from the Vishnu devale also known as the Maha devale. It is in front of the main gate of the Natha devale.

The fourth procession from the Kataragama Devale wends its way along Kotugodella Veediya. This procession includes Kavadi, the peacock dance, in which the pilgrim-dancers carry semicircular wooden contraptions studded with peacock feathers on their shoulders.

The fifth and final procession is from the Pattini Devale which is on to the West of the Natha Devale. This is the only procession that has women dancers. The Randoli Perahera

The Randoli perahera begins after five nights of the Kumbal perahera. Randoli refers to palanquins on which the queens of the ruling Kings were traditionally taken.

Water cutting and Day perahera

After five nights of the Randoli perahera, the pageant concludes with the Water Cutting ceremony at the Mahaweli River, Getambe. The Day perahera is held to mark the conclusion of the ceremony.

The rituals connected with the Sacred Tooth Relic are conducted by Bhikkus of the Malwatte and Asgiriya Chapters. It is the duty of the Diyawadana Nilame to organise the perahera and thus he summons officials of the Temple of the Tooth and entrusts them with various ceremonial duties connected with the perahera. He first gets the auspicious time from the Nekath Mohottala, the advisor on astrological matters. The task of organising the different types of drummers is handed over to the four officials known as the Panikka Mura Baarakaruwo.

The Maligawa officials also meet the owners of the elephants who take part in the perahera. When the perahera concludes, the Basnayake Nilames along with the Diyawadene Nilame presents a Sandesha to the Head of State informing him that the perahera has successfully concluded. The Kandy Esala perahera gives the opportunity to showcase the talents of upcountry artistes who take part in the ceremony. They pay homage to the Sacred Tooth Relic. At the end of the perahera they are presented with awards in appreciation of their talent and performance.

The Sunday Observer had the opportunity to talk to the secretary to the Diyawadana Nilame, Sunil Rambukpotha amidst his busy schedule.

According to him, apart from the 'Rajakariya' they hold interviews for the dancers.

He said that each year, the perahera starts at different auspicious times.

This year around 40-45 elephants will take part. Including the devala elephants as well. The elephants, attired in colourful clothes are a major attraction in the perahera, The devotees and spectators have been provided with all facilities.

Another interesting part of this historical event is the homage of the Veddahs to the Sacred Tooth Relic according to their customs and traditions. They pay their respect offering bee's honey herbs and flowers and also perform a dance. This is called a "pooja" or a "yaga" to pay homage to the Sacred Tooth Relic and also to receive blessings.

The traditional attire of the Nilames, or the high officials and custodians of the devales, is called 'Mul Aduma'.

The history of the 'Mul Aduma' dates back to many centuries. Earlier it was the official attire of the high officials of the court, who served the king.

In that era,members of the aristocratic class wore the "Mul Aduma" while the women wore the traditional Kandyan saree, better known as the 'Osariya'. The 'Mul Aduma' consists of several items, such as the 'Thuppottiya'.

Traditional dressmakers who have been sewing the particular dress for generations claim that today most people wear the "Mul Aduma" without knowing its true value and meaning.