The Savannah morning news., 1901-09-25
SACRED ELEPHANT PROCESSION.
Weird Spectacle Got Up for the Eng
Iish Royal Party.


Ceylon Correspondence London Stand
ard.
OF all the spectacles presented to the
eyes of the Duke and Duchess of Corn
wall and York the strangest and weird
est was the perahara, or procession of
elephants. These exhibitions are part
of the Buddhist ritual, and Ceylon is
noted for it's elephants. sacred stud
of forty is kept for festivals, the chiefs
in the neighborhood acting as guard
ians. 1t was dark when the performers
began to assemble at the entrance to
the pavilion grounds long line of
men and animals in fantastic dress.
The air famed with torches and reeked
with cocoanut oil, and thousands of
natives filled the lanes with a medley
of color. Their royal highnesses, hav-
ing dined came out upon the balcony
of the white house with the massive
white pillars. The gardens were
shrouded in blackness and silence. Sud
denly, from the distance, came the
sound of the tom tom and the shrill
note of the Chettey pipe. There is a
subtle sameness in all Eastern music.
The tom tom and the pipe of the devil
dancer were in my ears as the echo of
the Dervish drum and omobeiha sound,
ing the charge at Omdurman. The
head of the procession appeared. 1t
was a white elephant on a cart drawn
by a patient bullock and attended by
a headman in fat round cap. One was
naturally curious to learn why this
very obvious property animal should
have the place of honor, seeing that so
many magnificent beasts were behind.
Because ii is beautiful" said the head
man, hiding under an air of grave
courtesy his surprise that any should
doubt its claim to be leader.
Noisily and slowly the procession I'M
folded itself, in waves of yellow light
from hundreds of long torches held by
brownskinned Cingalese. The order of
their coming was after this fashion.
First walked a company of men in
loose robes of white and red, or clad
only in eamboy or waistcloth. the light
bleaming on their shining bodies. Be
hind them marched three elephants, in
rich trappings, the middle and largest
having a crimson gold-embroidered
cloth drawn over his head, leaving only
eyes and ears uncovered. On their heels
whirled the devil dancers-lithe figures,
stripped to the waist, the sweat
streaming from their dark bodies as
they leaped and turned and chanted a
strange, monotonous chant to the beat
ing of drum and the shrieking of pipe.
Some were children, others whitehead
ed, of a solemn coutenance that was
grotesquely out of harmony with their
strange antics. No chief of any pride
and dignity would deign to appear in
these professions without his devil
dancers. / do not know whether rank
is measured by the number or by the
energy of the dancers. 1t was none
the less manifest that distinctions exist
even in devil worshipers, for the num-
Der, the dress and the noise seemed in
proportion to the gravity and magnifl-
cence of the chieftains who followed
these cyclones of color and sound.
A.. The Kandyan chief may be hand
some and even an imposing man. He
has the dignified solemnity of the Turk
and the beard of the prophet. His
dress, too, is splendid. In the days
of the kings it was simple white, but,
since they can no longer be courtiers
at home, the chiefs have put on the
dress of their kings. Around the waist
are wound nearly sixty yards of white
silk, embroidered with crimson and
gold. The many folds are gathered at
the waist into a great bulk, and end
in gold fringes that fall over white
linen trousers with broad frilled edges.
The feet are bare, but on the head Is
a hat in shape not unlike a shrine, and
in wealth of gold and gems not I'M
worthy the altar OF some saint. The
upper part of the body is clothed in a
zouave jacket, richly embroidered in
red and gold, and worn over a white
frilled shirt. Each chief has on the
second finger of the right hand a ring
of enormous size, resembling in shape
the apostolic ring OF the Pope. The
chiefs walked in lines of six or seven.
having between the lines elephants and
devil dancers and torchbearers. When
they drew near to the balcony there
was short halt, and the procession,
turning to the left reformed in front
of the pavilion. The elephants ranged
themselves in line on the green lawn,
that shone a strangely vivid green In
the light of the torches. The devil
dancers gathered together in the GEN.
ter, and gave themselves up to fren-
zied dance Not the dancing Der
wishes of Damascus. not the dancing
Dervishes of Berber, could excel them
in antics and noise as they sweated
and turned and threw themselves into
the air with an energy and an abandon
that had at least the semblance of
religious frenzy. Their exertions were
rewarded by few words of thanks
from the duke, who declared himself
greatly pleased and interested.