😊Esala Perahera Festival ( Colombo ) [ Saturday, the nineteenth of August 2023 ]

The Esala is believed to be a fusion of two separate but interconnected "Peraheras" (Processions) - The Esala and Dalada. The Esala Perahera, which is thought to date back to the 3rd century BC, was a ritual enacted to request the gods for rainfall. The Dalada Perahera is believed to have begun when the Sacred Tooth Relic of Lord Buddha was brought to Sri Lanka from India during the 4th century CE, eight hundred years after the passing away of the Buddha.
According to tradition, the Tooth Relic was taken in procession to Sri Lanka by Princess Hemamala & Prince Dantha.
It was also through the efforts of Upali Therathat the Kandy Esala Perahera came into being. This procession was originally focused on honour Brahminical deities, particularly those incorporated into Sri Lankan Buddhism. Upali Thera believed this 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".