Colombo, Jul 28 (PTI) A key ritual that was cancelled over an underworld threat returned to Sri Lanka’s centuries-old annual religious pageant at an ancient Hindu temple in the coastal town of Devinuwara on Tuesday amid an unprecedented security deployment, police said.
Around 1,500 personnel, including members of the elite Special Task Force (STF), were deployed to secure the Kavadi ritual in the Esala perahera (pageant) at the Uthpalawanna Sri Vishnu temple.
The traditional dance ritual was reinstated after being called off on Sunday following intelligence inputs of a possible armed or drone attack on the pageant linked to the ongoing rivalry between fugitive drug kingpins Shehan Sathsara and Kanjipani Imran, both believed to be operating from overseas.
Police said they carried out security checks on participants in the Kavadi ritual on Tuesday and seized crystal methamphetamine, locally known as “ice”, and cannabis from some individuals.
According to police sources, followers of Sathsara had been awarded this year’s contract to perform the Kavadi ritual instead of those linked to Imran, intensifying tensions between the two rival groups.
According to sources, people believed to be followers of Sathsara were awarded this year’s contract to perform the Kavadi ritual instead of those linked to Imran, intensifying tensions between the two groups.
In March 2025, two suspected members of Imran’s gang were shot dead opposite the temple in an attack allegedly carried out by the rival faction.
Last week, unidentified gunmen opened fire at a house near the temple in what police believe was another incident linked to the continuing underworld feud in Devinuwara.
The Devinuwara Esala pageant, which dates back to the 13th century, is one of Sri Lanka’s oldest and most significant religious and cultural festivals held in honour of Lord Vishnu, regarded as one of the guardian deities of the island.
The festival reflects the long-standing coexistence of Buddhist and Hindu devotional traditions in Sri Lanka.
Kavadi is a devotional ritual performed by devotees as an act of thanksgiving, in which participants carry elaborately decorated wooden structures on their shoulders while dancing to the accompaniment of drums and devotional music. PTI CORR SCY SCY SCY
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