Esala, when Kandy dazzles

Story and pictures by Mahil Wijesinghe

Kandy is always an exciting place, bustling with activity and exuding a spiritual mien. It is more so during the Esala season. Tourist brochures, travel magazines, even ordinary articles feature Kandy as a top heritage tourist spot for visitors and the most widely photographed place in Sri Lanka.

Every day, from dawn to dusk, the chanting in the Temple of the Sacred Tooth can be heard, even as devoted pilgrims and visitors reverently make their way in, with lotus flowers in their hands, to pay homage to the Sacred Tooth Relic.

Kandy is my regular destination for pilgrimage and photographic expeditions. Each time I visit Kandy, my first priority is to pay homage to the sacred Tooth Relic of the Buddha, guarded at the temple for centuries.

Each year, during the month of Esala (July/August), everyone's attention is on Kandy, because of the annual Esala Perahera, one of the most spectacular and awe inspiring pageants that attract visitors like a giant magnet. During this time, the already crowded Kandy too overflows with local and foreign tourists alike, all eager to witness the grand spectacle.

Reputation

But this grand city is not only about the Sacred Tooth Relic. Kandy, which earned the reputation of being the last Sinhala Kingdom that kept the foreign invaders at bay for nearly 500 years, also has its historic appeal. The Kings of Kandy ensured the safety and sovereignty of the hill capital and its great culture, until the city was finally captured by the British in 1815.

Kandy was originally known as Senkadagala, named after a hermit Senkanda, who lived there. To many, it is known as Maha Nuwara. But the name Kandy was derived from the word 'Kanda', which means mountain, an ideal name for a city 500 metres above sea level, surrounded by the Knuckles, Dolosbage and Kotmale mountain ranges, and accessible only by a series of steep roads and the railway.

The Dalada Maligawa or the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, one of the most striking features of Kandy, is located in the heart of the adjoining a beautiful Kandy lake. It is undoubtedly the most venerated Buddhist shrine in the world and is one of Sri Lanka's seven UNESCO World Heritage sites.

History records that the Sacred Tooth Relic of the Buddha, which was preserved in Kalinga in India after the passing away of the Buddha, was brought to Sri Lanka during the period of King Kirthi Sri Meghavanna (301-328).

According to historical accounts, when Kalinga was deemed not safe for the Relic, Prince Dantha and Princess Hemamala, two Kalinga royals had arrived in to Sri Lanka with the Relic cleverly concealed in Princess Hemamala's hair. They had landed in Lankapatana near Trincomalee, proceeded to Anuradhapura and handed over the Relic to King Meghavanna. It was originally deposited with high veneration at the present Isurumuniya temple and was later moved to a special site built in the centre of Anuradhapura city.

Ever since, the protection of the Sacred Tooth Relic was considered the prime responsibility of the rulers and was symbolic of authority to rule the country. However, it travelled with Kings from Anuradhapura to Polonnaruwa, Dambadeniya, Yapahuwa and to Kurunegala, and was accommodated always in a special shrine built close to the royal palace. During the Gampola rule (1341-1412) it was kept at a temple called Niyangampaya and later moved to Jayewardenepura Kotte, when the capital moved there.

Due to invasions, the Sacred Tooth Relic, which was once hidden inside a maize grinding stone in an ancient temple called Delgamu Vihare at Kuruwita, Ratnapura, was brought to Kandy by King Wimaladharmasuriya I, second dynasty of Kings of Kandy (1592-1604). The Relic was deposited in a special two storeyed temple erected in close proximity to the royal palace.

Guardian monks

The original Kandy Dalada Maligawa, which was destroyed by the Portuguese who invaded Kandy in 1603, was built in 1592 during the reign of King Wimaladharmasuriya I. When the temple was destroyed, the guardian monks fled with the Relic to Medamahanuwara in Dumbara. Later King Rajasinghe II (1629-1687) re-constructed the Temple of the Tooth. King Wimaladharmasuriya II (1687-1707) constructed the three storeyed temple as a shrine to accommodate the Sacred Relic.

King Sri Vira Prakrama Narendrasinha (1707-1739) had also constructed a two storeyed building for the same purpose. The imposing octagonal Pattirippuwa, adjoining the Dalada Maligawa was added by the King Sri Wickrema Rajasinha (1798-1815), the last King of Sri Lanka.

The painted ceilings, wood carvings, silver and ivory doors are the architectural highlights of the Maligawa. The two-storeyed temple with carved timber column beams and rafters, and the roof is covered with cool clay tiles and motifs of Bo-leaf eaves.

The Tooth Relic has remained in the inner chamber of the temple. Devotees are allowed to worship during a limited period in the mornings and evenings. The rituals, which are known as 'Thevava' are conducted daily following traditions since the Relic was brought to Sri Lanka. The Malwatte and Asgiriya monasteries located elsewhere in Kandy take turns in conducting the rituals in the Maligawa.

Moreover, a 'Hevisi Thevava' is performed daily in Hevisi Mandapaya at the Dalada Maligawa. Foreigners visiting the Maligawa when the Hevisi Thevava is being performed, are fortunate enough to witness the drum beatings and rituals.

During the terrorist attack on the Dalada Maligawa in 1998, the outer structure was severely damaged. It was restored to its original condition soon after the attack.

The original stone carvings at the entrance to the Maligawa, which were damaged by the blast, have been restored and now located near the Royal Palace.

Most visitors to the Dalada Maligawa make it a point to pay homage to Maligawa Raja who died in 1988 at the age of 75.

His treated remains lie in a special museum in the temple premises. Raja has participated as the chief tusker at the annual Esala Perahera in Kandy for around 50 years and was the sacred casket bearer of the final Randoli Perahera for 37 years. Raja has been named as a national treasure in recognition of his valuable services to religion and culture.

The grand cultural pageant of the annual Esala Perahera, initiated to pay homage to the Sacred Tooth Relic, is thought to have originated in 1775 under the reign of King Kirthi Sri Rajasinha. Today, it is the best among of the country's peraheras.

Taking place every year in July/August, the perahera wends its way along the streets of Kandy every day for ten days, creating a living tapestry of magic.

Dozens of richly caparisoned elephants; grandly attired Nilames, custodians of the Maligawa and Devales), hundreds of ornamented Kandyan dancers; and hundreds of drummers beating stomach-wrenching throbs create a spectacle that draws thousands from all parts of the world every year.