•  How hidden power networks attempt to influence cultural spaces of youth masculinity
• The Kavadi tradition and the young participants should not be equated with criminal activities

The recent controversy surrounding the Kavadi dance segment of the Devinuwara Esala Maha Perahera has opened a significant public discussion about the relationship between cultural traditions, youth participation, public security, and the possible influence of hidden power networks within sacred cultural spaces. The temporary intervention by the Police, reportedly based on security concerns and possible tensions involving individuals allegedly connected to organised criminal networks, has generated questions extending beyond the immediate incident. At its deeper level, the issue invites reflection on how traditional cultural practices become contested spaces where religion, youth identity, masculinity, digital visibility, social power, and politics intersect.

However, any serious analysis must make an essential distinction: the Kavadi tradition itself and young people who participate in it should not be equated with criminal activities. Cultural performances are expressions of identity, faith, and community belonging. The presence of large groups of young men in such spaces does not automatically indicate social risk. Rather, the important sociological question is how highly visible cultural spaces that provide collective identity, recognition, and belonging may become attractive locations for competing forms of influence.

The Devinuwara incident therefore provides an opportunity to examine a broader question facing contemporary Sri Lanka: how do traditional rituals, youth cultures, masculine identities, and new forms of social power interact in a rapidly changing society?

Kavadi: Beyond dance, a sacred embodied communication

Kavadi Attam, commonly known as the Kavadi dance, is a significant ritual performance tradition associated with the worship of lord Murugan (Skanda) within South Indian and Sri Lankan Hindu religious practices. The origins of Kavadi are connected with devotional traditions in which worshippers carry the Kavadi, a symbolic structure placed on the shoulders, as an expression of sacrifice, devotion, spiritual discipline, and the fulfilment of religious vows. The legend of Idumban, who carried two mountains on his shoulders, is widely regarded as an important mythological foundation of this tradition.

In Sri Lanka, Kavadi performances are particularly visible in religious festivals associated with sacred places such as Kataragama, Devinuwara, and Nallur. Over generations, Kavadi has developed beyond an individual act of worship into a collective cultural performance combining religious devotion, music, rhythm, bodily discipline, and community participation.

Anthropologists of dance have emphasised that dance should not be understood merely as physical movement. Dance is a cultural language through which societies communicate beliefs, emotions, memories, histories, and identities. The human body becomes a medium through which cultural meanings are expressed and transmitted. Therefore, Kavadi is not simply a form of entertainment; it represents an embodied form of religious and cultural communication.

The body becomes a sacred medium when dancing the Kavadi. The performer does not merely dance before an audience; rather, the body becomes a vehicle through which devotion is expressed. The repetitive movements, intense rhythms, physical endurance, and collective energy transform the performance into a powerful ritual experience. The dancer’s body carries religious meaning, social identity, and cultural memory simultaneously.

The male body and the performance of masculinity

One of the most visible characteristics of Kavadi performances in Sri Lanka is the participation of young men. Many male performers dance wearing traditional garments such as the sarong while keeping their upper bodies uncovered. Their physical strength, rhythmic movements, endurance, and bodily discipline become important elements of the ritual performance.

From the perspective of critical masculinity studies, masculinity is not simply a biological condition but a social and cultural identity that is continuously constructed and performed within particular social contexts. The male body becomes a symbolic space where societies produce meanings about strength, courage, discipline, responsibility, and recognition.

Australian sociologist Raewyn William Connell’s concept of hegemonic masculinity explains how societies often construct dominant ideals of manhood around qualities such as physical strength, authority, independence, and control. However, Kavadi provides a more complex example because the masculine body represented through the ritual is not only associated with power and dominance. It is also connected with humility, devotion, sacrifice, discipline, and service to a religious tradition.

The male Kavadi performer therefore represents multiple identities simultaneously. He is a devotee expressing religious commitment and spiritual dedication; a young man demonstrating physical discipline, endurance, and control over the body; a representative of his community’s cultural identity; and an active participant in a public ritual that brings together religion, tradition, music, and collective belonging.

Therefore, the uncovered male body in Kavadi should not be interpreted merely as a display of physical strength or masculine power. Instead, it should be understood as a culturally meaningful body that communicates devotion, identity, social belonging, and collective memory. Through the practice of Kavadi, the male body becomes a form of embodied communication, where physical strength, masculinity, spirituality, discipline, and cultural responsibility are expressed simultaneously through movement and ritual performance.

Ritual, rhythm, and the collective energy of street performance

Kavadi is inseparable from rhythm, music, and collective movement. The sounds of traditional drums, musical instruments, devotional songs, and repeated bodily movements create an intense sensory environment where individual performers and communities become connected through shared experience.

Music functions as more than entertainment. American ethnomusicologist Alan Parkhurst Merriam’s The Anthropology of Music argues that music operates as a cultural system through which societies express values, beliefs, emotions, and collective identities. Similarly, American academic and theatre director Richard Schechner Performance Studies: An Introduction explains that performance is not only an artistic activity but also a social process through which communities create and negotiate meaning.

The street-based nature of Kavadi is particularly important. Unlike formal theatre performances where performers and audiences remain separate, ritual performances in public spaces reduce the distance between the performer and the spectator. The community itself becomes part of the performance.

British cultural anthropologist Victor Turner’s theory of ritual explains that during such collective performances, individuals may temporarily move beyond ordinary social boundaries and experience a shared sense of belonging known as communitas. Through Kavadi, young men, families, musicians, religious communities, and spectators participate in a shared cultural experience that strengthens collective identity. Thus, Kavadi represents not only individual devotion but also a social process through which communities reproduce cultural memory and belonging.

The Devinuwara controversy: Cultural space and hidden power

The recent discussion surrounding the Devinuwara Kavadi performance should therefore be understood within this wider cultural context. The reported Police intervention was not a rejection of Kavadi itself but was connected to concerns regarding security, public order, and possible conflicts surrounding the organisation of the event.

This situation raises an important sociological question: Why do cultural spaces become important locations for struggles over influence and power?

French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu’s Forms of Capital explains that power operates not only through economic resources or political authority but also through symbolic capital, the ability to gain recognition, legitimacy, visibility, and social influence. Religious festivals, cultural performances, and public rituals possess significant symbolic value because they represent community identity and collective emotions.

For this reason, cultural spaces may become attractive to different actors seeking recognition or influence. However, this does not mean that cultural participants themselves are responsible for such struggles. The critical issue is how external forces may attempt to use meaningful cultural spaces for purposes unrelated to their original social and religious meanings.

Young men participating in Kavadi should therefore not be viewed through a criminal lens. Instead, society must examine broader conditions that can create vulnerability among youth, including economic insecurity, limited opportunities, social exclusion, and the human desire for recognition and belonging.

Drugs, youth culture, and contemporary masculinity

Sri Lanka, like many societies, faces challenges related to drug networks, organised crime, and youth vulnerability. Contemporary criminal networks often operate not only through illegal economic activities but also through social relationships, digital networks, and symbolic forms of influence. Young people, particularly young men, may become vulnerable when they seek economic security, social recognition, protection, and a sense of belonging amid unemployment, economic uncertainty, or limited opportunities.

Critical masculinity theory helps explain how some young men may be attracted to cultures associated with power, respect, and authority. Connell argues that masculinity is socially constructed and continuously shaped through cultural expectations and social experiences. When masculinity becomes associated with wealth, strength, control, and public recognition, some young men may seek alternative spaces where these identities appear achievable.

However, it is essential to distinguish between cultural participation and criminal exploitation. Kavadi should not be understood as a form of criminal masculinity; it represents religious devotion, cultural identity, community participation, and embodied ritual expression. The concern is not the tradition itself but the possibility that external actors may attempt to exploit culturally meaningful spaces for unrelated purposes.

Therefore, the relationship between youth culture, masculinity, and organised crime must be examined through wider social, economic, and political conditions. Young Kavadi performers should be recognised as cultural subjects whose identities are shaped by religion, family, community, education, employment, and digital environments. The challenge is not to distance young people from cultural traditions but to strengthen these spaces through dignity, awareness, social support, and community empowerment.

Digital screens and the transformation of the Kavadi culture

One of the major transformations of the Kavadi culture in contemporary Sri Lanka is its relationship with digital media. Traditionally performed within sacred spaces such as temples, pilgrimage routes, and community festivals, Kavadi is now widely circulated through smartphones, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, and other digital platforms. A local ritual performance can now reach national and global audiences, becoming part of a broader digital cultural landscape.

Digital media does not simply record Kavadi; it reshapes how the ritual is represented and understood. The digital screen becomes a new cultural space where bodies, movements, music, and ritual meanings are negotiated.

Digital platforms provide opportunities for cultural preservation, youth engagement, and global recognition by documenting and sharing intangible cultural heritage. However, digital visibility also creates challenges, as ritual performances may become influenced by online popularity, entertainment values, and visual competition. From a critical masculinity perspective, digital media may intensify the public display of masculine identity through representations of strength, endurance, and physical appearance.

Therefore, the Kavadi body exists simultaneously as a sacred body expressing devotion, a cultural body representing community identity, and a digital body participating in the contemporary visual culture. The digital screen has become another space where the Kavadi culture, youth identity, and masculinity are negotiated, creating both opportunities for preservation and new forms of symbolic performance.

Nāchchi performers, gender performance, and complex masculine identities

Another important dimension of Sri Lankan folk performance culture is the existence of male performers who adopt feminine expressions, movements, costumes, or characters within particular artistic and ritual contexts. The Nāchchi tradition represents an important example of how gender performance operates within South Asian cultural practices.

Such performances demonstrate that cultural expressions of masculinity and femininity are not always fixed or separated. Traditional performance spaces often provide opportunities for exploring different forms of identity, embodiment, and expression that may not always be available within everyday social life.

However, it is academically important not to automatically equate gender performance with sexual identity. A male performer adopting feminine movements, costumes, or characteristics within a cultural performance does not necessarily indicate a particular sexual orientation or identity.

Therefore, Kavadi dancers, Nāchchi performers, and other folk artists reveal the complexity of the human body as a cultural space. The body can simultaneously communicate devotion, masculinity, femininity, spirituality, creativity, and social identity.

These traditions challenge simplistic understandings of gender and demonstrate that Sri Lankan cultural practices contain diverse forms of bodily expression. Rather than viewing such performances through narrow categories, they should be understood as important examples of how societies negotiate identity through ritual and performance.

Protecting cultural heritage while addressing social risks

The challenge facing Sri Lanka today is not whether traditional cultural practices such as Kavadi should continue, but how they can be protected while addressing genuine social concerns surrounding cultural spaces. Cultural traditions are living social practices that preserve historical memories, religious meanings, community relationships, and collective identities. Therefore, responses based on restriction or suspicion alone may weaken cultural continuity and reduce young people’s connection with heritage.

A balanced approach requires protecting cultural traditions while ensuring safety, accountability, and community ownership through meaningful participation, youth empowerment, cultural education, responsible security measures, and protection from external exploitation. Communities remain the primary custodians of cultural practices because traditions survive through collective participation and transmission across generations.

From a sociological perspective, the concern is not the cultural practice itself but how symbolic spaces of identity and belonging may become influenced by competing forms of power. As Bourdieu explains, cultural spaces possess symbolic value because they generate recognition, legitimacy, and social influence. Religious festivals and public performances therefore become important spaces where communities express identity while also becoming potential sites of social negotiation.

Conclusion: Kavadi as a space of identity, body, and power

The Devinuwara Kavadi controversy reveals much more than a debate about a traditional dance performance. It exposes the complex relationship between tradition and modernity, religion and politics, youth culture and social vulnerability, physical bodies and digital visibility.

Kavadi represents devotion, cultural memory, collective identity, and embodied communication. At the same time, because it involves young men, public performance, and symbolic visibility, it exists within wider social struggles over masculinity, recognition, and influence.

Understanding Kavadi requires moving beyond simplistic interpretations. It is neither merely a religious ritual nor merely a dance performance. It is a living cultural space where bodies, beliefs, communities, technologies, and power relations meet.

The future of the Kavadi culture in Sri Lanka depends not on restricting traditional expressions but on strengthening their social foundations. The task is to preserve cultural meaning while addressing contemporary challenges; to protect young people without criminalising them; and to ensure that sacred cultural spaces remain places of dignity, belonging, and collective identity.

Ultimately, Kavadi reminds us that culture is never static. It continuously changes through interactions between tradition, society, technology, and power. The responsibility of contemporary Sri Lanka is to ensure that these transformations strengthen cultural heritage rather than weaken it.

The writer is a Senior Lecturer at and the Head of the Kelaniya University’s Mass Communication Department

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The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect those of this publication