• Rituals and offerings conducted on behalf of and devoted to the Sacred Tooth Relic has been the foremost duty of the Rulers

 President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said yesterday that despite the challenges and obstacles the country would have to face, there are a number of national responsibilities and duties that need to be fulfilled.   The President said that rulers throughout history believed that rituals and offerings conducted on behalf of and devoted to the Sacred Tooth Relic as their foremost duty, the Presidential Media Division (PMD) said.  

The President made these remarks during the ceremony organised to mark the successful completion of the historic Dalada Perahera at the President’s House, Kandy last evening (23).  

The Esala Perahera Sandheshaya (scroll) to indicate that the Kandy Esala Perahera,  the most vibrant cultural festival of the country, had been successfully concluded in line with historical traditions was handed over to the President by Diyawadana Nilame Pradeep Nilanga Dela, the Chief Custodian of the Dalada Maligawa.  
“We preserved ancient traditions by holding this year’s Dalada Perahera festival while strictly adhering to health guidelines in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic in order to carry forward this important tradition to our future generations,” President Rajapaksa said.  

The President furthermore said that the veneration to the most Sacred Tooth Relic could be considered as a commitment.