A tale of four processions of the grand Esala perahera
View(s):The origins of the Esala perahera go back to the 3rd century AD when the Sacred Tooth Relic of the Buddha was brought to the island from India by Prince Danta and Princess Hemamala, and handed over to King Kitsiri Meghavanna of Anuradhapura. The King decreed that the Sacred Relic should be paraded annually for the people to pay their respects.
The Kandy Esala Perahera also known as the Sri Dalada Perahera is a combination of two processions – the Sri Dalada Maligawa Perahera and the Devala peraheras (procession of the four deities – Natha, Vishnu, Kataragama and Pattini). Initially the Dalada perahera and the Devala perahera were two separate processions and it was the Siamese monk Upali Maha Thera who came to Sri Lanka on the invitation of King Kirti Sri Rajasinha to revive upasampada, (higher ordination of monks) who influenced the King to combine the two. The King agreed and this amalgamation is the present day grand Esala perahera in Kandy.
Natha Devale with the stupa where the Budhdha's alms bowl is enshrined
The King arranged the order of the procession saying “Gods and men should follow the Buddha”. Thus, the Dalada perahera came first followed by the Natha, Vishnu, Kataragama and Pattini devalas. This was in the 18th century (around 1775 AD).
These four Devalas (Hatara devala) play an important part in the Kandy Esala perahera. This is significant as there is a display of the fusion of Buddhist and Hindu cultural traditions.
The Esala perahera is conducted in honour of the Sacred Tooth Relic and the deities of the four Devalas whose insignia are paraded in the ‘Ransivige’ atop a caparisoned tusker. It is believed that by conducting this annual pageant with rituals performed to invoke the blessings of the Buddha and the deities, there would be rainfall at the appropriate time for agricultural purposes making the country prosperous.
Inside the entrance of the Vishnu Devale
The Natha Devalaya is said to be the oldest building in Senkadagala/Kandy built in the 14th century during the reign of King Vickramabahu III of Gampola. Situated opposite the Sri Dalada Maligawa and the old King’s palace, it is built in the Gédigé style of Indian architecture.
There are two stupas within the premises in addition to other buildings. It is said that the begging bowl of the Buddha is enshrined in one. Buddhists believe that the future Buddha Maitreya is Natha Deiyo.
This devalaya played an important part during the naming of a new king for it is here that the name was selected by conducting rituals. Oil for the Kartika festival is also distributed to all the devalas from here.
Kataragama Devale
Gold is the prominent colour seen in the Natha devalaya perahera, with dancers and drummers dressed in gold-hued clothes. Even the elephants have their ‘Eth-hetta’ in this shade.
The Vishnu Devalaya in Kandy, also known as the Maha Devalaya is to the right of the old palace, and above the moat. The original devalaya is in Aluthnuwara. The ‘Kap’ (a branch of a jak tree) that is cut and distributed to the four devalas to begin the rituals for the annual Esala perahera, is brought from the Aluth-nuwara devalaya. The main colour of this devalaya is blue.
The Kataragama Devala perahera follows the Vishnu devalaya with the dominant colour being dark red. Here the deity is Skanda, a Hindu God venerated by both Hindus and Buddhists. As his vehicle is the peacock, ‘Kavadi’ dancing and peacock dances are seen in this perahera, also a drumming method known as ‘Thappu’ which has a different sound to the normal drumming of the other three devalas.
Pattini Devale
The Pattini Devala in the centre of the city – next to the Natha Devalaya, is dedicated to the Goddess Pattini. The devalaya is visited mostly by women and children seeking blessings for their well-being as worshipping the goddess is believed to give good health. This perahera is unique as there are women participating dancing and singing. This devalaya prominently displays yellow in their dancers’ attire.
All the four devalas have a Bo tree in their premises. The most popular is the one opposite the Pattini Devalaya known as the ‘Vel Bodhiya’ where people go to make their vows.
This year the first Kumbal perahera began on July 30 and after five days, the grand Randoli perahera will be seen on the streets of Kandy for five more days, ending on August 8, with the ‘diyakepeema’ (water-cutting ceremony) in the early hours of August 9 in the Mahaweli river in Getambe. Thereafter, with the ‘daval perahera’ (day perahera), the grand Esala Perahera will be concluded.
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