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SEPTEMBER, 1874.]
THE PERAHERA FESTIVAL IN CEYLON.
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panied the ceremony to the river meet it on the suprbly caparisoned, his head and back covered road, when returning, at a place called Kuma. over with crimson cloth embroidered with gold, re Kapua, and accompany it to the Asgri and his tusks cased in gold; he was supported on Wihara, from whence the shrine being taken, each side by two elephants richly adorned with the whole procession moves to the place from brocade housings, their riders on their necks, and which it started at first, viz. the Malua. From other attendants on their backs, bearing silver the Malua each party returns to its respective fans and umbrellas. The great elephant in the déwala, the shrine is carried back to the Maliga- centre carried nothing but the canopy or gilt open wa, and the ceremony is at an end.
pavilion covering the Ranhiligay, which contained During the five days that the Randoli cere- the rolic. The second Adigar, as Diwene Nileme, mony is performing, the Kapur & As of the marched after the relic, preceded by his whips and four dêwâlas, the evening procession being con- followed by a vast crowd of attendants, a party of cluded, come to the Magulma ndua, and recite whom was armed with spears; five elephants of the Mangala-ashta, a hymn of thanks and praise to the NAta dê wale next followed, the one in the the gods, and they offer up prayers that the middle carrying the bow and arrows of the reigning king may be blessed and prosper. Then god, which were succeeded by a long procession they return to their dêw&las with garlands of consisting of elephants belonging to the different flowers from the Magulmandua, with which dêwAlas, bearing the symbols of their gods, Disâveg they adore the images of the gods.
with numerous attendants, standard-bearers, tomSince the English goverament has been estab- tom-beaters, pipers, &c. This part of the proces. lished, the Mangala-ashta has been repeated at the sion was interspersed with groups of dancers and Nâta dê wala
huge figures intended to represent demons. These During seven days after the ceremony of beating were followed by the whip-bearers of the first the water, the Wali ya kun is danced in the Adigar, who marched attended by three chiefs on four dêwalas by people belonging to the caste of his left and followed by a great body of guards and tom-tom-beaters. The dancers are masked, and retinue. Then came the close palanquins supposed they dance to the sound of tom-toms.
to contain the goddesses of the dêwalas, esch This dance being finished, the people of the attended by a number of well-dressed females Balibat caste dance during seven days more with their heads tastefully ornamented with round heaps of boiled rice, vegetables, curries, flowers. cakes, fruits, &c., which they eat after the dance; The day was fine, and the rays of a brilliant sun at the end of fourteen days, the dancing being were reflected from the silver fans and umbrellas, over, the kips fixed in the dêwâlas, as already from the brocaded clothing of the elephants, and described, are taken up, carried to the river, with from the gold pavilions covering the relic of tom-toms and flags, and thrown into the water; on Buddha and symbols of the gods, altogether formthe day the water is struck with swords four ing a spectacle no less interesting than novel to an bundles of fine cloth, with gold and silver coins, European. and pieces of sandalwood, are given by the Trea- Daily, for an hour or more before the procession sury to the dêwâlas.
commenced, thn tight-rope dancers and other Under the former government, when the king performers of different descriptions assembled in accompanied the Perahera, the ceremonies were the great street between the Maha Vishnu and performed with unusual splendour, and the proces- Nata dê walas, immediately under the windows sions were far more magnificent than they are of that part of the palace from which the king of here described. In case of any impurity appear. Kandy was accustomed to view such ceremonies. ing near the dêwalas, the performance of the These handsome apartments were now occupied by ceremonies was intermitted during the space of the Second Commissioner of the Residency, James three days.
Gay, Esq., in whose spacious hall His Excellency The whole of this festival was ended on the 31st, the Governor and Lady Brownrigg, and most of at 11 o'clock in the morning. The commencement the ladies and gentlemen of Kandy, frequently met
the concluding procession was announced by to witness the various performances. the firing of jingalls, a loud noise of tom-toms and The rope-dancers were two females, who, con Kandyan pipes, accompanied by the cracking of sidering that they did not use the balancing pole, the Adigars' whips; eight fine elephants first ap- moved with no small degree of ease and grace, peared one after the other, then came the relic of 1 and one of them, rather a well-turned figure, Buddha, which was carried under a small gold showed her activity by springing from the rope vessel called Ranhiligay, covered by an elegant many times in rapid succession to a height not gilt canopy on the back of a noble elephant most less than six or eight feet. A group of young men
