Annual festival at historic Kataragama temple beigns

In Sri Lanka, the annual festival at historic Kataragama temple has begun recently that attracted devotees from all faiths. The fortnight long festival is joined by people all over Sri Lanka and abroad. The festival will end next week on full moon night with a water cutting ceremony, its touch said to invoke good luck. Thousand of devotees from all over Sri Lanka flock to the holy shrine of Katargama in south during this month for the annual festival. The place finds mention in Skanda purana and is popular for centuries-old Hindu temple of Lord Kartika, known locally as Katargama Deviyo. Kataragma is a multi religious city as it contains a mosque within the temple complex and a Buddhist temple nearby. It is considered to be one of the 16 main places of Buddhist pilgrimage in Sri Lanka. The small town hosts a fortnight-long festival or Esala Perahera, one of the most cultural and spiritual significant events in Sri Lanka. The perahera sees a grandly decorated elephant carrying the Kataragama Deviyo, flanked by dancers and drummers.