What to know before you go.
Researched by Sarisara, with sources.
Kataragama, in southern Sri Lanka, is a shrine complex venerated by Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims and the island’s indigenous Vedda people together — all honouring, in their own way, the deity known as Kataragama deviyo, identified with the Hindu war god Skanda-Murugan. Its annual Esala festival, held in July and August, is one of the few places in Sri Lanka where all these communities take part side by side.
Preparation starts about 45 days before the festival, when priests go into the forest to find two forked branches of a sacred tree, which are then immersed in the local river and kept at the shrines. During the festival itself, the Yantra — a spiritual representation of the deity — is paraded through the streets on top of an elephant and carried to the Valli shrine. Hundreds of devotees take part in fire-walking, arranged by a ritual master, and many perform Kavadi, an ecstatic dance in which dancers carry decorated wooden frames, sometimes while undergoing body piercing as an act of devotion; some pilgrims are described as showing signs of being possessed during these rituals.
Since the 1950s, the atmosphere during the festival has been likened to a carnival, with the usually quiet shrine town filling with pilgrims, stalls and performers for the duration.
July – August All faiths
Held in July-August (the Esala period); preparation begins about 45 days beforehand; exact dates change every year with the lunar calendar
The exact dates follow the moon and are confirmed each year closer to the time.
Any seat or stand fees are paid locally and are not included in Sarisara prices.
Seat prices, where seats are sold, are not confirmed.
Not confirmed by this research.
Kataragama is a shrine sacred to multiple faiths, so dress modestly as you would for any of Sri Lanka's religious sites.
Not dressed right? Not confirmed by this research.
Dates move every year with the lunar calendar.
Kataragama shrine custodians (multi-faith shrine complex) Official website
Kataragama, Sri Lanka
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Fire dancers light the road before the elephants of the Esala Perahera.
