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D.
C. Ranatunga reflects on the origin and evolution of the Esala perahera “Like the former kings of Lanka, he desired to show to the divers classes of his subjects the rejoicings that were held in honour of Natha, Vishnu, and other gods, which were regarded by all the people as conducive to prosperity. And to that end he caused preparations to be made throughout the whole city, so that it looked like the city of gods. And he assembled together all the inhabitants of Sri Lanka in that city, dividing the people according to their districts and offices, and placing them in divers parts of the city - the people of each district having a flag to distinguish them, raised (in their several encampments). And he caused the emblems of the gods, that were in the temples, to be (taken out and) placed on the back of elephants, and commanded that they should take in procession, accompanied before and behind by elephants and horses; by men in the dress of Brahmas, arrayed gorgeously in divers garments; by persons holding divers kinds of umbrellas and chowries; by numbers of divers classes of women and officers of State; By numerous sword-bearers and spearmen and men armed with divers kinds of weapons; by persons carrying divers cloths and flags; by people of strange countries, and men skilled in divers languages; by numerous artificers and handicraftsmen, and by many such people. And then the king followed in royal state, like the king of the gods, and after that he had gone round the whole city with the procession, returned (with it), and entered the palace at the conclusion thereof.” What began as a Hindu Saivite ceremony in the name of the four dieties - Natha, Vishnu, Skanda and Pattini - whose devales were in the city, turned into a predominantly Buddhist festival when Upali Maha Thera from Siam, who was here to restore the 'upasampada' (higher ordination), prevailed upon the king to change its format and take the Sacred Tooth Relic in the procession. Thereafter the Dalada Perahera took precedence over the devale processions and until this day remains so. Reference to the Dalada Perahera is made in the Mahavamsa: “And while our great king thus celebrated the Asalhi (July-August) rejoicing yearly he thought it proper, as his faith and wisdom increased that they should be preceded by a procession in honour of Buddha. So he caused a golden howdah of exquisite workmanship to be fixed on the back of the State elephant and adorned this elephant with ornaments. And this one was surrounded by elephants ridden by men who carried silver umbrellas and chowries and flowers, and canopies with flowers hanging from them, and manifold other things that were meet for offerings; by divers flags and banners; by men who disguised themselves in manifold dress; by royal ministers; and by divers strangers. And when everything was thus made ready, the ruler of men reverently placed the splendid golden casket containing the relics of the body of Buddha on the howdah, and caused the flower strewers to strew flowers thereon, thick as rain. Then there was great rejoicing, with cries of 'Sadhu', and with the sound of conchs and cymbals and the noise of divers drums. And the good people, who were struck with wonder and amazement, unceasingly worshipped the relics with their hands raised to their foreheads and the ruler of men arranged that the procession should be preceded by men carrying torches and by men wearing the festive garments and by a variety of festive shows. And he commanded that the relic of the Conqueror, which had obtained the first place among the things that were to be adored by gods and demigods and men, should be carried foremost: and the rest, such as the emblems of gods, and men and others, should follow behind it. And he himself, surrounded with all the magnificence of royalty, amidst shouts of victory and applause, with the majesty of a king, and with great rejoicings, went forth, as if displaying before men the manner in which the chief of the gods celebrated the feast of the relic in heaven.” Dr. Ananda K Coomaraswamy in his 'Mediaeval Sinhalese Art' describes the different officials who went in the Perahera, in their order and the flags carried.
The two Adigars brought up the rear. They were the two most powerful chieftains of the kingdom. The origins of the Dalada Perahera date back to the time the Tooth Relic was brought to Sri Lanka in the 4th century. It was during the reign of King Sirimeghavanna (303-3331 CE) or Kit Siri Mevan who ruled in Anuradhapura that Princess Hemamala brought the Relic from Kalinga in India. The Mahavamsa records that the king lodged it in the edifice called Dhammacakka built by Devanampiya Tissa and having held a 'Danthadatu' festival, decreed that a similar festival should be annually celebrated, transferring the Relic in procession to the Abhayagiri Vihara. Civil war saw the Tooth Relics being taken away from Raja Rata to Ruhuna during the time of King Vikramabahu (1111-1132 CE). There is mention of a great festival of rejoicing and adoration of the Tooth Relic being celebrated in the city of Polonnaruwa by King Parakramabahu I. The Relic was exhibited to the people in a specially constructed 'mandapa' and was later deposited in the Temple of the Tooth. C. W. Nicholas and S. Paranavitana state in 'A Concise History of Ceylon' that the belief that the possession of the Tooth Relic conferred on a prince the legitimate right to the sovereignty appears to have become established during the Polonnaruwa period. With incessant wars, security for the Tooth Relic became a concern for the kings. Vijayabahu III (1357-1374), who ruled from Dambadeniya, built a costly shrine on the summit of the inaccessible rock of Beligala and made provision for its security, setting up a military guard equal to that at the royal palace. His son, Parakramabahu II, transferred the Relic to a shrine built in his palace and conducted grand celebrations in its honour. The shifting of the capital saw the Relic being moved from place to place. Shrines were built in Yapahuva and Kurunegala to house the Relic. Parakramabahu IV (1302-1326) who ruled from Kurunegala ordered the daily ritual and worship at the temple as well as an annual procession round the city. When the kingdom was shifted to Kotte, the Relic was housed in a magnificent shrine close to the palace and festivals were held with grandeur. It was when King Vimaladharmasuriya I (1591-1604) ascended the throne in Kandy that the Tooth Relic was brought to Kandy. He built a two-storeyed temple to keep it. King Vimaladharmasuriya II (1687-1707) erected a three-storeyed Temple of the Tooth which had fallen into decay and a two-storeyed temple had been built by King Narendrasinha (1707-1739). The imposing 'pattirippuwa' (octagon) was added by the last king of Kandy, Sri Vickrama Rajasinha (1798-1815). |
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The
Esala Perahera in Kandy begins on Tuesday, July 29 with the 'kap
situveema' at each of the four devales - Natha, Vishnu, Skandha
and Pattini. After the Perahera is conducted within the devale premises
for four nights, the Kumbal Perahera begins on Saturday, August
2 and the Dalada Perahera, along with the devale processions will
parade the streets of Kandy until Thursday, August 7 when the Randoli
Perahera will start. This year's Perahera ends with the Day Perahera
on Tuesday, August 12.
