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No advertising, announcements along the route of the Kandy Esala Perahera
View(s):Text and pix by L.B. Senaratne
There will be no advertising along the route of the Kandy Esala Perahera this year, said Diyawadana Nilame Pradeep Nilanga Dela while addressing the first meeting in regard to the perahera.
He said this will apply to the announcements going over the route of the perahera as well.
This year’s Kandy Esala Perahera will begin on August 21 and the planting of the kap will be on August 17.
The Diyawadana Nilame also said there would be no paid seating along the perahera route, adding that this is a ritual of the highest order and everyone should adhere to the observations of a ritual.
Diyawadana Nilame Pradeep Nilanga Dela addressing invitees and other representatives. Asgiri Anunayake Ven. Anamaduwe Dhammadassi Thera is also present.
Even at the maha maluwa there would no seating arrangements, he said.
He also said the former prison grounds could be used as a car park to ease off the inevitable congestion during the perahera season.
Moreover, representatives of various departments involved in the perahera for the benefit of the devotees, spoke of the services they would offer.
The Police department said around 6000-7000 personnel would be involved, but accommodation would be a problem as schools were in session, and usually school buildings were used to house Police personnel.
An Education Department Representative said they were in negotiations with the Ministry to allow schools within the Kandy Municipal area to be temporarily closed during the perahera season so Police personnel could be accommodated in the school buildings. Moreover, Asgiri Anunayake Ven. Anamaduwe Dhammadassi thera said perahera devotees would be happy to view many elephants, however currently there was a dearth of domesticated elephants for the perahera. He said some devalayas did not have a single elephant and they had to borrow them from others.
Creating a fuss when an elephant was taken away would not solve the problem and some people did not want elephants to be used in the perahera, the thera said.
However, elephants have been used since ancient times, he added.
The Diyawadana Nilame said there would be a few more meetings in regard to the perahera.
A notable absentee at this meeting was a Ceylon Transport Board (CTB) Representative, which is a necessary institution for the movement of devotees. Private bus and the railway operators were present.
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