August 19, 2013

Never say never.  After saying that I wasn't going anywhere near the Perahera, I went last night.  Amal is a member of the Crystal Circle which is a special high roller section of the Hatton National Bank.  Their main Kandy branch is right downtown and right outside the gates to the Maligawa.  So we had plush seats on the balcony, with a snack thrown in.  We had expected a buffet dinner with wine, so we were a bit disappointed by that, but the vantage point was great.

I also learned that the Perahera actually goes on for 10 days, with the parade every night.  Last night was beginning of the long parade.  There are 5 temples involved.  It is lead off by the Maligawa, The Temple of the Tooth in Kandy. The second procession is from the Natha Devale, which faces the Sri Dalada Maligawa and is said to be the oldest building in Kandy, dating back to the 14th Century.
The third is from the Vishnu Devale (Vishnu being a Hindu god), also known as the Maha Devale. It is situated in front of the main gate of the Natha Devale.  The fourth procession is from the Katharagama Devale (dedicated to the God of Katharagama, identified with the warrior god Skanda) which is on Kottugodalle Vidiya (a street in Kandy). This procession includes Kavadi, the peacock dance, in which the pilgrim-dancers carry semicircular wooden contraptions studded with peacock feathers on their shoulders.  The fifth and final procession is from the Pattini Devale (Pattini being a goddess associated with the cure of infectious diseases and called upon in times of drought and famine), which is situated to the West of the Natha Devale. This is the only procession that has women dances.  So here are some pics:

The crowd assembles.  This is about 6PM.  Some people stake out their places from the morning.

The VIP balcony at the Queen's Hotel.  This is from where I saw the Perahera the first time I saw it.

I need a proper camera.  The procession is led by whip crackers after a loud bang like a cannon going off announces the start.  The buildings are decorated with strings of lights.

Then come the fire jugglers.  They are amazing.  Throwing their flaming circular torches in the air.  All in bare feet.

As you can see, I was fascinated by these fire people.  These guys are doing it on stilts.

The first of 78 elephants.  Always the best part.  They are all lit.  The Maligawa goes first, has the most elephants, 43, and they are all lit in white lights.

Between the elephants are troupes of drummers and dancers from all over the country.  Many of the elephants were dancing with the drum beat.

3 babies

Each section ends with a relic from the temple being carried in an ornate structure on the back of a huge tusker.  The tusks are polished and caped with ornate silver caps.  This is the Maligawa.

The Natha Devale elephants wear yellow lights.

The Vishnu Devale uses blue lights.

This is the Vishnu Devala relic.  The blue is quite spectacular.

These are the peacock dancers from the Kataragama Devala.

Kataragama Devala uses red lights.

These guys were dressed up like a glitzy group from the disco era.

All in all a great experience, but not as good as the one 25 years ago.  Everything in Sri Lanka is going down hill.