Kelaniya Duruthu Perahera: Sasanka designs first elephant dress for main tusker

Sasanka Alwis Edirisuriya (left) and Chandimal Jayasinghe with the main tusker clad in the colourful dress

We included copper snakes in certain places to indicate Maniakkitha, the Naga King of Kelaniya and semi-precious stones for the ‘neththimale’. This time we included a big mirror work and used glass stones and semi-precious stones to indicate the relics casket believed to be deposited inside the Kelaniya Chaitya”

The main tusker of the recently concluded Kelaniya Duruthu Perahera (Pageant) was clad in a spectacular dress, designed for the first time by Sasanka Alwis Edirisuriya. Having contributed her time and effort to stitch dresses for elephants parading the streets during the Kandy Randoli Perahera, this was quite a new experience for her. But her never-say-no attitude pushed her to create another masterpiece for a main tusker parading in one of the most iconic peraheras that is held annually to commemorate the arrival of Buddha in Sri Lanka.

“My client was renowned fashion designer Chandimal Jayasinghe,” she said in an interview with the Daily Mirror. “He wanted to offer a dress to the main tusker of the Kelaniya Duruthu Perahera and requested me to do the needful. He only wanted a perfectly completed dress and didn’t influence me when it came to making choices. The Chief Incumbent of the Temple and Chandimal decided on the colours to be used for the dress and in fact the Chief Incumbent was pleased with the final outcome,” said Edirisuriya. 

Having added value for money, Edirisuriya had experimented on a new design; drawing inspiration from elephant dresses made in Thailand for instance. The dress was made in red velvet and in three pieces including traditional designs such as ‘liyawal’ and ‘hansaputtu’ (decorative motif of twin swans). “We included copper snakes in certain places to indicate Maniakkitha, the Naga King of Kelaniya and semi-precious stones for the ‘neththimale’. This time we included a big mirror work and used glass stones and semi-precious stones to indicate the relics casket believed to be deposited inside the Kelaniya Chaitya. We also included a lot of lights and all designs were done using cords. As such we put in an extra effort to complete the dress to perfection,” she said. 

For Edirisuriya, it has been her passion to place her hands on creative and exciting projects. “I don’t take up just any order. But if it is something unique and creative, I would definitely be the first person to take up the challenge. I like to thank my husband and two sons and my crew for their continuous support. I sometimes don’t have time to attend to household chores when I accept large projects of this nature, but my husband and two sons make sure that everything is in order. I’m ever so grateful to them,” she reflected.