Sri Lanka's premier Buddhist procession, the historic Esala Perahera in the hill capital of Kandy got off to a start today with the first Kumbal Perahera parading the streets.The Kumbal Perahara would parade the streets for the first five days from August 16th and the Randoli Perahera will begin after that on August 21st. The last Randoli Perahera will parade streets on the 25th.

The Esala festival will be concluded at the traditional water cutting rituals to be held in the Mahaweli River at the Gatambay Thotupola on the August 26th morning.The historic Esala Festival, a tradition being carried from the eras of Kings, attracts thousands of devotees, pilgrims and foreign visitors to the hill capital of Kandy and it is a major tourist attraction.

The Perahera, consisting of traditional dances and magnificently decorated elephants, is the biggest Buddhist festival in Sri Lanka.It is held annually in honor of the Sacred Tooth Relic of the Buddha enshrined at the Temple of Tooth in Kandy.