Kandy Perahera - Wall hanger

Another wall hanger I did a long time ago!! Really! I just forgot to post bout it in here!! Hehe… As a matter of fact, this is the very first wall hanger I did, few years ago! 

The design portraits the Traditional Kandy Perahera, Ok now let me explain about it briefly.

It’s the grandest Buddhist procession in Sri Lanka, which displays the sacred Tooth relic of Buddha. IT’s a grand and elegant festival which is held in August in Kandy. The festival consists of various cultural dancers, drummers, fire throwers and very elegantly decorated elephants. It’s also called “Esala perahera(procession), Dalada Perahera”.  The Dalada perahera is believed to have begun when the Sacred tooth relic of Buddha was brought to Sri Lanka from India during the 4^th century BC.  According to tradition the Tooth Relic was taken in procession to Sri Lanka by Princess Hemamala and & Prince Dhantha. This is a very old traditional procession which started centuries ago and still continues today.  The Tooth Relic is usually kept inside the most venerated Buddhist temple in Sri Lanka, The Temple of the Tooth (Dalada Maligawa) in Kandy. Over the centuries, various kings protected the sacred Tooth relic with utmost dignity and having the possession of it considered to be the symbol of the right to rule the country! 

Ok, enough with the history lesson now! Let’s get back to the perahera (procession). I used various shapes to do my design and glitter to enhance the characters.

  So the perahera actually consists of many types of dancers and unique characters, I have only shown few important ones in my design. At the forefront of the procession, are the Whip Crackers. They signify the approach of the procession. Then comes the Flag Bearers carrying the flags of different provinces and temples in single file. Next is the drummers playing an array of traditional drums and blowing traditional flutes. With the hoard of drummers the traditional kandyan dancers appears with elegant costumes.

There’s also a number elephants nicely decorated with beautiful garments also appear in the procession with Nilames. 

Well, however my design of perahera actually doesn’t include the most important and the center of attraction of the procession, the Maligawa Tusker!!! Now I wonder why!

 Anyway, the Maligawa Tusker is not just another elephant; it is treated with the utmost respect here in Sri Lanka. The Tusker of temple is robed very elegantly and steps in with the supreme grace and great pride carrying a golden casket called “Ransivige” which contains the Sacred Tooth Relic. Tusker walks on a white cloth called ‘Pavada’ and a canopy is held high over the tusker. All the spectators stand while the Maligawa tusker carrying the Sacred Tooth Relic passes them.  Then comes, the custodian of the Temple of the Tooth called, ‘diyawadana nilame’, dressed in traditional regalia of the high officials of the kings who reigned at the medieval kingdom of Kandy. 

So if anyone is interested in learning more of the history and the procession, do try this link HERE.

Kandyan Dancer

Whip-crackers