Esala Perahara festival

 Esala Perahara festival 

The Esala is believed to be a fusion of two separate but interconnected   '  peraheras' (procession) - The Esala and Dalada . The Esala Perahera , which is tought to date back to the 3rd century BC , was a ritual enacted to request the gods for rainfull . The Dalada Perahara is believed to have begun when the Sacred Tooth Relic of the Buddha was brought to Sri Lanka from India during the 4th century CE , eight hundred years after the passing away of Buddha .

According to tradition , the Tooth Relic was  taken in procession to Sri Lanka by Princess Hemamala and Prince Dantha .


It was also trough the efforts of Upali Thera that the Kandy Esala Perahera came in to being . 




This procession was originally focused honor to Hindu deities , particularly those incorporated into Sri Lankan Buddhism . Upali Thera believed thise to be inappropriate in a buddhist nation , and his influence led to the king declaring that "Henceforth gods and men are to follow the Buddha ".


Danaji Panawala 🖋️

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