'Katina Pinkama' Perahera, Avissawella, Sri Lanka.

During the three  months of 'Vaes Kaley' - rainy season, the Theravada Buddhist monks remain in their residences. During this period the laymen supply them with all necessities. At the end of the three months, the laymen organize a Perahera to signify the end of the 'Katina' period. The word 'Katina' means difficult. A Tamil equivalent is 'Kadhinam'. I took the above photos of a 'Katina Perahera' dong the rounds of our village in Avissawella, at 4am.