Perahera Re-examined, p1

Elephants and men... I suppose these are the main attractions for many Perahera watchers. The elephants are elegantly adorned in robes and sparkling lights. The men are bare-chested and festooned with a variety of waist and head wraps and dangling jewelry.


Dalada Maligawa temple, home to Buddhism's tooth relic.
It is all of religious significance we are told. The Esala Perhera originated from Indo-Aryan traditions and in the early days was a ritual invoking the gods’ blessings for rainfall during drought.
The Magic of the Esala Perahera

Indeed, it is as magical as this scintillating account describes...


Smooth, bare-chested dancer               

As the Perahera begins in the deepening twilight, muscular, bare-chested men in white sarongs lead the procession, their bodies flexing as they whirl whips on the ground in a deafening crack. Next, upright and with pomp, the bearers of the region's flags parade. Behind them the first elephant, huge and regal, in thick, heavy, gaily decorated and intricately illuminated gown, moves slowly forward. This first elephant carries the Peramune Rala, the dignitary with the Temple's tennant and property records, attired in traditional aristocratic gear.

If you are able to close your eyes and visualize these words then you'll have a close to accurate image of this magical fest. Even if the writer, Rajika Jayatilake, embellishes a bit--the bare-chested whip whirlers are not often very muscular and not even bare-chested--but the imagery remains true to the overall form of the event.
Throughout the procession one is rewarded for the hours required to wait until show start, with an endless procession of torch bearers, fire acrobats, drummers, horn blowers and traditional dancers, most of whom are brown-skinned, bare-chested with handsome, trim physiques.

The so called Esala Perahera is in fact a series of peraheras,

...the perahera is conducted on five consecutive days within the premises of the Maligawa and devalas.

It is for the most part a spectacular night-time pageant running 10 consecutive nights.

Five Kumbal Peraheras are held outside the temples. All these peraheras take place in the night.

This is followed by the five 'randoli' (golden palanquin) peraheras, which are the most spectacular.

Part of the magic of perahera are the repetitive sounds of drums and horns which after a while become hypnotic.

The drummers, in their white sarongs, red cummerbunds and turban-like head gear, shiny ornaments jangling headwear, vibrate the air with thunderous rhythmic beating of their drums...
while gaily clad dancers bedecked with jangling silver jewellery, bracelets and anklets, move gracefully to the rhythms of the drums and the haunting tunes played by the horn blowers.

The magic of the night is truly captivating. Fire torches carried aloft by coolies light the pathway on the often narrow, people-thronged streets.

The smell of kerosene is so strong that it almost intoxicates as the torch bearers pass. Burning embers flint across their sweat-drenched backs as the heat strikes the faces of spectators like a furnace.

I find these men quite astonishing as they unceremoniously carry out a rather menial yet risk-fraught task. They are at once the most visible and intimate feature of the procession as they pass within inches of sometimes startled spectators.

Their task is performed without words or recognition, but without them the night-time perahera would not really be a perahera. Indeed, much of the magic is absent from the final ritual procession--the daytime perahera.


Drummers and dancers were traditionally all male, of varying ages.



The dancers, particularly those known as Kandiyan dancers, are often the highlight of the procession--excluding of course the elephants and their regal accompaniment. These dancers are the most elaborately bedecked with intricately ruffled skirts, richly ornamented breastplates, head pieces and dangling arm, wrist and ankle bands that flutter with sound like tambourines.

I can't help but admire all the performers for their skill, dexterity and attractiveness. The most skillful and dexterous of all are the fire acrobats. These young men and boys spin and toss flaming batons and fire wheels in the most spectacular fashion.

On the first few nights of the procession they number a half dozen or so. By the grand procession on the final night, these incredible performers number in the dozens with tricks ever more daring.

Dressed in white trousers and t-shirts, some roll along the pavement, which would have been doused by trucks with water several times before procession start. On their backs with sparks flying wildly above their faces, they spin the fire wheel rapidly while at the same time rolling along the street.

Another has a single torch tied to a lock of hair and he too rolls on the ground while rotating the flame about himself. At the other extreme, standing on three and four meter high stilts other fire wheel acrobats spin and toss their charges high into the air.

Images from the Daytime Perahera





The daytime perahera ends the series of rituals. In 2007, when these photos were snapped, that final day was overcast and rainy, thus dampening the mood.

Alas, the Perahera had served its function in ushering the rain. The preceding nights all went without incident--without rain, that is.

There was one potentially disastrous moment when kerosene accidentally spilt out and ran along a curb erupting into a fiery stream of fire.

Amazingly, no one panicked as flames rose and spread at the feet of spectators. Was this the steely resolve of a Sri Lankan public accustomed to the risk of more threatening attacks?

Elephants and men... So ended another magical Perahera. 2008 would have certainly brought another fine spectacle, which I unfortunately could not witness. But there was so much more to 2007--more images and commentary are to come to complete the 2007 Esala Perahera narrative.

All images taken by this author; all images clickable for larger views. Enjoy and comment.

Perahera Links:

• In Preparation of Perahera 2007
• Why is Perahera So Much Fun?

Other Sri Lankan Male Culture Links:

• Heritage
• Modern Sri Lankan Dancers
• Beautiful Flag
• Art in Photography

All photos appearing in this SLM post are original SLM blogsite images. I place no restrictions on the use of these images but only ask a courtesy link or reference to the Sri Lankan Male blogsite when posting or publishing the images elsewhere.

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