Esala Perahera

Buddhist festival

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July 13, 2026

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The Esala Perahera is a significant Buddhist festival held annually in Kandy, Sri Lanka. This 10-day celebration is a vibrant torchlight parade featuring dancers, drummers, dignitaries, and elaborately decorated elephants. The festival commemorates the sacred tooth relic of the Buddha, housed within the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy. This relic is considered Sri Lanka's most important Buddhist shrine and is believed to grant divine right to rule. The Esala Perahera is one of Asia's most renowned festivals and may be the largest Buddhist celebration globally.12

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The Esala Perahera, the annual 10-day torchlight parade of dancers and drummers, dignitaries, and ornately decorated elephants, commemorates the sacred tooth; it is now one of the better-known festivals in Asia, and it may be the largest Buddhist celebration in the world.
Read More
The Esala Perahera, the annual 10-day torchlight parade of dancers and drummers, dignitaries, and ornately decorated elephants, commemorates the sacred tooth; it is now one of the better-known festivals in Asia, and it may be the largest Buddhist celebration in the world.
Read More