We had two dancers and one drummer participating at this year’s Kandy Esala Perahera festival:
- Shakya Senanayake
- Uvindu Sathsara
- Dumidu Karunasena
We congratulate these three students from the National Drum and Dance troupe who had the opportunity to be a part of this historic and sacred procession.
Kandy Esela Perahera
The Esala Perahera in Kandy is the oldest and grandest of all Buddhist festivals in Sri Lanka. The festival lasts for ten days while various festivities can be witnessed right throughout. The Sinhalese term ‘perahera’ means a parade of musicians, dancers, singers, acrobats and various other performers accompanied by a large number of caparisoned tuskers and elephants parading the streets in celebration of a religious event.
The Sacred Tooth Relic
The perahera procession is held annually to pay homage to the Sacred Tooth Relic of Lord Buddha, which is kept at the Sri Dalada Maligawa in Kandy. The Dalada Perahera is believed to have begun when the tooth relic was brought to Sri Lanka from India during the 4th century CE, eight hundred years after the passing away of Lord Buddha.
