Embassy of Sri Lanka in Rome

The historic Kandy Esala Perahara will held from 23^rd July to 2^nd August 2012

Dates

The Kandy Esala Perahera

by Janani Amarasekera

The glittering Esala Perahera, which is 235 years old, is one of the grandest events we have in Sri Lanka. Many locals and foreigners look forward to witness this wonderful festival every year. This is held during the Esala month, in August, honouring the sacred tooth relic. Many foreigners who have been fascinated by the Perahera have written notes about it; among them is the famous British poet and novelist, D. H. Lawrence, who describes the Perahera as a “perpetual fire-laughing motion among the slow shuffle of elephants.”

Fa-Hien, one of the famous Chinese monks who arrived in Sri Lanka on a pilgrimage in the fifth century A.D. also gives a full description about the Perahera in his book, Fa-Hien Travel Records. “By the side of the King’s Palace is the Vihara of the Buddha’s Tooth, several hundred feet high, brilliant with jewellers and ornamented with rare gems. Above the Vihara is placed an upright pole on which is fixed a great Padmaraja (ruby). The Tooth of the Buddha was always brought forth in the middle of the third month.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday recognized the work of the World Buddhist Sangha Conference during a function held at the Temple Trees.

The President presented mementoes to Buddhist monks from 30 countries who participated in the Ashirwada Pooja for universal peace and co-existence held yesterday in connection with the completion of the 2600th Sri Sambudaththwa Jayanthi.

The government has established a mechanism to provide details of the current and past detainees taken into custody by the Terrorist Investigation Division (TID).

The programme providing information relating to detainees currently under the custody of TID and those who have been already released is now in operation.

"A round-the-clock mechanism has been established to provide of the details of the detainees and those who are already released by the Terrorist Investigation Division," an official statement released by the TID said.

President MahindaRajapaksa accompanied by the visiting Deputy Prime Minister of Japan Katsuya Okada declared open the Upper Kotmale hydropower project yesterday. The President and the Japanese Deputy Prime Minister opened the sluice gate of the main dam of the power station and released water to the KotmaleOya. President Rajapaksa unveiled the plaque of the project and strewed Jasmine flowers to the reservoir. Afterwards the President also opened the 2nd and 3rd sluice gates.

(Colombo-Lankapuvath) The country had witnessed a rapid telecommunication development by 2011, statistics indicated.

The use of mobile telephones have risen by 5.4 per cent in 2011, it noted.

At the end of last year all telephone connection totaled to a 21.9 million,the statistics recorded adding that internet connection had risen by 4 per cent.

                                                                                                        Vesak 2012

President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday participated in several religious activities ahead of the Wesak festival.

The government declared the week from May 2 as the National Wesak Week, during which, various Buddhist programs will be held throughout the island.

The President last morning offered heel danaya to the thousands of Buddhist monks that attended the overnight Pirith chanting ceremony at the BMICH in Colombo.

The 2600th Sambudaththwa Jayanthi completion ceremony was also held at the Temple Trees. Anunayaka of Malwatte chapter Venerable Niyangoda Vigithasiri thero presented thea Dhamma desana at this event.

The state Wesak festival will be held on Sunday, May 6th at the Dalada Maligawa Premises in Kandy under the patronage of the President.