Stars of the Esala Perahera have no place to bathe

The lack of a proper bathing space for the elephants that take part in the Kandy Esala Perahera still remains a shortcoming.Since the famous Katugastota elephant bathing place went into disuse after the flooding of Polgolla Dam under the Mahaweli project, no proper bathing place for elephants has been made available.

This is the unfortunate plight of the animals during the time of this annual historic event. The bureaucracy seems to have forgotten one of the principal tenets of Buddhism is to show kindness to all living beings. Some elephants are taken to Lewella, but when the river is in spate on rainy days, as it is these days; the elephants cannot be allowed into the water, scrubbed and brought back for the Perahera.

Some of the elephants are bathed with the water of the ” Coffee Fountain ” close to Pathini Devale adjoining the Maligawa. Our photograph shows an elephant being hosed down close to the coffee fountain. Pix and story by L.B. Senaratne

(Courtesy: The Sunday Times)