They assume the appropriate angle while still grasping the vestiges of lunch, usually some juicy kitul palm. They arrive at the high wall on the western side of the Tooth Temple near the entrance. Here they form a line, as if continuing the elephant statues which grace the Temple entrance. The area is transformed to a giant elephant change room. Each elephant places its food in front and slowly munches as the dressing proceeds.
Dresses seem to arrive from nowhere.
The elephants stand patiently as mahouts clamber over them draping and attaching the dress that will cover the main body, the ears and the trunk. Only the eyes will peak through. One elephant extends its trunk to another as if in reassurance. A curious trunk may reach over, up and under a colleague's dress and is deterred only by a sharp word from the mahout. Fully cloaked in sequined velvet of rich deep blues, exotic ambers and vibrant reds, the elephants become a cascade of colour against the Temple wall.