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Sri Lanka
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Central Province
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Kandy
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Tours & Activities
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Viewing of Kandy Esala Perahara
4 h
About this activity
Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, Sri Dalada Veediya, Kandy 20000 Sri Lanka
The Esala Perahera in Kandy is celebrated to honour the Sacred Tooth Relic and the four ‘guardian’ Gods Natha, Vishnu, Kataragama and Goddess Pattini. The Kandy Maligawa Perahera is followed in order by those of the Natha, Vishnu, Kataragama and Pattini ‘Devales’ (Temples dedicated to these Gods) which are situated in the vicinity of the Kandy Maligawa (Temple of the Tooth).
After the Kandyan Kingdom fell to the British in 1815, the custody of the Tooth Relic was handed over to the Buddhist Clergy. In the absence of the King, a lay custodian called the Diyawadana Nilame was appointed to handle routine administrative matters. The purpose of the Kandy Esala Perahera Procession is to beseech blessings of the gods to obtain rain for the cultivation of crops and to enrich the lands of the kingdom.
This ritual is performed by carrying the sacred tooth relic of the Buddha through the streets of the Kandy city which is done with exceptional panache. This is considered as one of the most beautiful festivals in Asia.
The parade is split in 2. The Kumbal Perahera and the Randoli Perahera.
The Kumbal Perahera takes place during the first 5 days of the festival. This gorgeous parade starts here exactly at the auspisious time set for that day. Legend has it that the first Kumbal Perahera is shown to infants to drive away any evil spells or spirits. In tradition the Kumbal Perahera does not expect a presence of the Nilame and the Tooth Relic (custodian of the Sacred tooth Relic), however the drummers and tuskers take part without any ceremonial costumes.
The Randoli Perahera takes place during the last 5 days of the event. The Sacred Tooth Relic can be seen kept on an elephant back protected by the custodian during all 5 days of the parade. There are 4 main events dedicated to 4 hindu gods that takes part in the parade. This cannot be seen during the Kumbal Perahera. All the elephants are colorfully dressed and all the events take place through the night on the designated route around the Kandy City.
Duration: 2 hours
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This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, Sri Dalada Veediya, Kandy 20000 Sri Lanka
The Esala Perahera in Kandy is celebrated to honour the Sacred Tooth Relic and the four ‘guardian’ Gods Natha, Vishnu, Kataragama and Goddess Pattini. The Kandy Maligawa Perahera is followed in order by those of the Natha, Vishnu, Kataragama and Pattini ‘Devales’ (Temples dedicated to these Gods) which are situated in the vicinity of the Kandy Maligawa (Temple of the Tooth).
After the Kandyan Kingdom fell to the British in 1815, the custody of the Tooth Relic was handed over to the Buddhist Clergy. In the absence of the King, a lay custodian called the Diyawadana Nilame was appointed to handle routine administrative matters. The purpose of the Kandy Esala Perahera Procession is to beseech blessings of the gods to obtain rain for the cultivation of crops and to enrich the lands of the kingdom.
This ritual is performed by carrying the sacred tooth relic of the Buddha through the streets of the Kandy city which is done with exceptional panache. This is considered as one of the most beautiful festivals in Asia.
The parade is split in 2. The Kumbal Perahera and the Randoli Perahera.
The Kumbal Perahera takes place during the first 5 days of the festival. This gorgeous parade starts here exactly at the auspisious time set for that day. Legend has it that the first Kumbal Perahera is shown to infants to drive away any evil spells or spirits. In tradition the Kumbal Perahera does not expect a presence of the Nilame and the Tooth Relic (custodian of the Sacred tooth Relic), however the drummers and tuskers take part without any ceremonial costumes.
The Randoli Perahera takes place during the last 5 days of the event. The Sacred Tooth Relic can be seen kept on an elephant back protected by the custodian during all 5 days of the parade. There are 4 main events dedicated to 4 hindu gods that takes part in the parade. This cannot be seen during the Kumbal Perahera. All the elephants are colorfully dressed and all the events take place through the night on the designated route around the Kandy City.
Duration: 2 hours
Included
- Seats for viewing of Esala Perahera
Not included
- Food and drinks
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Tour Guide (Not Required)
Additional
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking, unless booked within 7 days of travel. In this case confirmation will be received within 48 hours, subject to availability
- Seats in the viewing gallery will be allocated based on availability on the time of the booking
- Your seating location will be advised at the time of confirmation
- In the event of change of the viewing gallery, you will be provided sufficient notice
- The starting time of the Perahera depends on their auspicious time of the Sri Dalada Maligawa,
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
- Most travelers can participate
Features
Tourism
80%
Cultural
40%
Sport
35%
Original
30%
Reviews
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This event would have been a 5-star rating except for two reasons. The tour company neglected to tell us that there was a total military lockdown and we were not even allowed to go on the street to seek a restroom. We had to crawl through a window into the basement of the Queens Hotel Corrider. The legroom was very skimpy, not even equivalent to the legroom on an Airbus A330-900 economy seat. Other than those items it was a good event. Lasted four hours, but considering it was probably a once in a lifetime event I would probably do it again. My wife wanted to go home around 9pm, but we had to crawl through a window into the basement of the Queens Hotel to get out. Because they were not allowing anyone to leave, even to get a Tuk-Tuk she went in a wheelchair from the hotel, to a first aid station, then got on a stretcher in order to be taken to the ambulance. Yes, that was the only way she was allowed to leave. We walked several hundred yards, eventually went through part of the parade and she was put in the back of an ambulance. We were taken through a back route, East of the Sacred Temple of the Holy Tooth and eventually dropped at the head of the road to our pension. One redeeming fact, we didn't have to pay for this ride!!!
This event would have been a 5-star rating except for two reasons. The tour company neglected to tell us that there was a total military lockdown and we were not even allowed to go on the street to seek a restroom. We had to crawl through a window into the basement of the Queens Hotel Corrider. The legroom was very skimpy, not even equivalent to the legroom on an Airbus A330-900 economy seat. Other than those items it was a good event. Lasted four hours, but considering it was probably a once in a lifetime event I would probably do it again. Grandkids enjoyed it.