Kandy

kandy

Kandy is the second city of Sri Lanka and home to the Buddha's Tooth, the most important Relic in the Buddhist world. It was the seat of government for the Kandy Kingdom and the last region to fall to the colonial powers. The Esala perahera, when the tooth relic is taken from the temple in its golden casket and paraded around the town on the back of a splendidly attired elephant, is one of the largest religious festivals in Asia. Taking place over eleven days in August each night the parade is bigger and more splendid as more temples and devotees join in. On the final night there may be more than 130 elephants from temples all over the country, interspersed with jugglers, stilt walkers, drummers and Kandy dancers, young men spinning wheels of fire and, most surprising of all, men with ropes attached to their backs with hooks teamed side by side and 'driven' by another man with the end of the ropes gathered together in his hand.