Esala Perahera (Kandy Perahera)

When the Esala moon beckons in the late July or early August, the city of old lives again as the festival most beloved of the sinhala Buddhist,  the perahara, one of the most magnificient torch-light spectacles anywhere in the world, takes to thr street of Kandy. The town of Kandy itself puts on a bewitching face as the floodlit Maligawa & the twinkling lights of homes on the hil slopes are reflected on the waters of the laka against the sombre, mystical darkness of the surronding hills. The hushed expectancy of the massed thousands of ordinary people on the procession route, as the boom of the ancient Maligawa cannon signals the start of procession, weds the people once again to the faith, pageantry and devotion of a baygone age.

The perahara festival has actually begon days earlier when on the day after the new moon in the month of July, an " Ehala" tree is cut and kap planted in each devala as a vow that the perahara in honour of the four deities, Natha, guardian of the city, vishnu, protector of the land, kataragama, God of victory and Pattini, Goddes of purity, will be held. According to the " Mahavamsa" these gods were regarded by all the people as the fountain of prospertity. Procession are conducted with in the " davale" premises with the devala kapruka carrying the Ran Ayudha, the weapons of the deities, for five days around the kap prepared on the ground and decorated with leaves, flowers and fruits.

On the sixth night the peraharas of the four devales form in the Deva sanhinda, hallowed by the devas, and go round the outer court of the four devales for five days in what is called the Kumbal perahara. After these ceremonies the " Maha" or Randoli perahara parades the streets of kandy for five days in magnificient splendour bringing divine protection to the people and the land. Randoli, meaning the queens' palanquins, were carried along side the elephants till the year 1775 when king Kirti Sri brought in the Maligawa perahara into the procession & decreed that the palanquins should come at the end of the perahara as females could not ride alongside the sacred relic. The palanquins are now a symbol of the consorts of the deities though there is reason to believe that roya queens actually rode in them during the perahara.

On the last night of the Randoli, the perahara, after returning to the Dalada Maligawa, goes back to the "adhahana maluwa", after which the devale procession return to the respective devales. In the early hours of the morning they go out again to thr river at Getambe for the " Diyakapum Mangalliya". At sunrise each devale kapurala pluges in a golden goblet to receive the water of the river as they cleave the water with the golden swords of thr deities in an act of purification. The goblets of water are then taken back to the respective devales in solemn procession to remain there till the Esala moon beckons the kapuralas once again
On the return form the river there is a brief pause at the Gana Devi Kovila. The chettys of the Gana Devi Kovila had the traditional duty of supplying the lights for the perahara. 

The festival is brought to a close on the following day when the Maligawa perahera, bringing back the golden casket from the Adhana maluwa, is joined by the devala peraharas for a last parade on the streets after which it goes three times around the Dalanda Maligawa square. The Maligawa elephant with stately dignity & aware of the solemnity of, the occassion mounts of the Maligawa steps where the Diyawadana Nilame & the Basnayake Nilames of the devales await him. The relic casket is returned to the hands of the Diyawadana Nilame in all solemnity. If not for the tired temple nilames, at least for this stately animal it is a moment of sadness. He partakes of a little kiri-bath fed to him by a Maligawa retainer & prostrates himself in worship, before the shrine. Some say they have seen the tears in his eyes as he withdraws. He weeps not only for the end of tge great festival but also, perahara on this solemn occassion for the inevitable doom that faces the stately living emblem of this land.

It was practice at the close of the festival for the chief to be received by the king, to whom after paying due obeisance, they report the completion of the festival according to the ancient rituals & the prescribed ceremonial. This custom continued during the british period. As.a farewell benediction, pirit is chanted in the devales and merit offered to the gods whilst, at thr Vishnu devale, a walli Yakum is performed to ward off the evil eye.

The " Mahavamsa" relates that people of strange countries and men skilled in divers tongues, and numerous artificers and handicraftsmen also took part in the procession. Robert Knox described perahara time thus.

The street also all made clean, and on both sides along the street poles stuck up with flags and pennons hanging at the tops of them, and adorned with boughts and branches of the coker nut trees hanging like fringes, and lighted lamps all along on both sides of the streets, both by day and night.

Next after the God and their attendance go some thousands of ladies and gentlewomen such as are of the best sort of the inhabitants of the land, arrayed in the bravest manner that their ability can afford, and so go hand in hand, three in a row: at which time all the beauties of zelone in their bravey do go to attend upon their gods in their progress about the city.