The historic Kandy Esala Perahera festival reached its ceremonial conclusion with the traditional water-cutting ritual at the Mahaweli River, followed by a final daytime procession through the city.
The Kandy Esala Perahera, one of Sri Lanka's most significant cultural events, formally concluded with a series of traditional rituals on 28 August. The ceremonial water-cutting ceremony, known as Diya Kepeema, was performed at the Mahaweli River in Gatambe on the morning of the 28th, marking the ritualistic end of the festival following the final night procession held the previous evening.
The last Randoli Perahera procession took place on the night of 27 August, after which the sacred processions from the four principal Devalayas—Natha, Vishnu, Kataragama, and Pattini—returned to their respective shrines to conduct traditional religious observances. From there, the processions moved toward the Gatambe area where the water-cutting ceremony took place before proceeding to the Kandy Ganadevi Kovil and eventually to the Asgiri Gedige Raja Maha Viharaya.
The festival's closing celebrations included a daytime procession scheduled to depart from the Asgiri Gedige Raja Maha Viharaya at 2:18 p.m., proceeding through multiple streets including D.S. Senanayake Street, Pansala Road, and Deva Street. The procession circled the Sri Dalada Maligawa Square three times before the Sacred Relics were ceremonially placed within the temple at 4:01 p.m.
Following the completion of the procession, senior temple officials were scheduled to present a formal scroll to the President confirming the successful conclusion of the festival. The celebration formally concluded after awards were presented to performers who displayed outstanding skill throughout the pageant.
