Sometimes the procession halts. The drummers form a circle, the horn blowers play to the crowd and the dancers move faster. The elephants adjust quickly to the pace. The procession continues. And so do the elephants, unperturbed by the heat, the flames, the shrill sounds of the horns and the spirited movements of the dancers.
Several men run behind scooping elephant droppings into a sack.
The Perahera concludes. The next day final rituals are performed, including ceremonies at the Ganesh Kovil, the shrine of the elephant headed god. At the Vishnu Devale a dance is performed in front of the elephant dress to offset any wrong doing which may have occurred during the festivities. There they report that according to tradition the rites of the Esala Mangalle , have been enacted and completed. For the next few days the roads from Kandy carry the elephants returning to their villages and their work.