The Ministry of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs has spent less than Rs. 1 million on the “Janaraja Perahera” which was held in Kandy yesterday (19), but the total cost of it would be much larger with the arrangements which have been made by the Temple of the Tooth (Sri Dalada Maligawa) in Kandy, the Sathara Maha Devalaya (Natha, Vishnu, Paththini and Kataragama), the Tri Forces and the Police.
When contacted by The Daily Morning yesterday, Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs Ministry Secretary, Somaratne Vidanapathirana said: "The Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs Ministry has spent less than Rs. 1 million on this Perahera. This is however held in coordination with several other institutions such as the Temple of the Tooth, the Sathara Maha Devalayas and the Army and I am not aware of the expenditures borne by them."
Commenting on the security arrangements in view of the perahera, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) in charge of Kandy Division Chamil Ratnayake yesterday told the media that a special security and traffic plan had been implemented in Kandy and its surrounding areas. He said that more than 3,000 Tri Forces and Police personnel had been deployed for security duties. When SSP Ratnayake's Office was asked about the number of Police officers deployed for security yesterday, a Police officer told The Daily Morning that a total of 2,150 Police officers had been deployed.
More than 2,000 Police officers had been deployed for the “Janaraja Perahera” in the wake of Police Media Spokesman, SSP and Attorney-at-Law Nihal Thalduwa having said during a media briefing last week that it was somewhat difficult for the Police Department to deploy its officers for the Department of Government Printing where the ballot papers for the upcoming local government (LG) election are to be printed for various reasons including the need to deploy a large number of Police officers for general duties.
Meanwhile, it was reported that the Cabinet of Ministers' meeting which is usually held at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo on Mondays, is scheduled to be held in Kandy today (20).
Multiple attempts to contact the officers of the Diyawadana Nilame (Head of the Temple of the Tooth) and the Cabinet of Ministers to query about the expenditure on the Perahera and Cabinet meeting in Kandy, proved futile.
The Temple of the Tooth in Kandy hosted a “Janaraja Perahara” after 34 years last evening. It was organised to coincide with the 75th Independence Celebration, and was inaugurated under the patronage of President Ranil Wickremesinghe.
The Perahera began from the “Magul Maduwa” premises at 6.30 p.m. yesterday, and paraded along several streets in Kandy including the Dalada Veediya, Yatinuvara Veediya, and Raja Veediya, and returned to the Temple. The Perahera included features such as cultural performances and caparisoned elephants, which made it similar to the Esala Perahara which is held in August every year. The National Emblem was carried in the Perahera yesterday, instead of the Dalada Karaduwa (Casket carrying the sacred tooth relic) which is carried on a tusker during the Dalada Perahera.
The Temple of the Tooth organises special events such as the “Janaraja Perahara” at the request of the Government on significant occasions. A “Janaraja Perahara” was first organised in 1875 to celebrate the arrival of the then Duke of Wales to Ceylon, the second in 1954 when the late Queen Elizabeth II visited the country, the third in 1981, when Queen Elizabeth II visited the country for the second time, and the fourth in 1987 at the request of then-Prime Minister Ranasinghe Premadasa.