Where to Park: Guide for Devotees Attending Siri Dalada Wandanawa

COLOMBO (News 1st); The Siri Dalada Wandanawa, or the Sacred Veneration of the Tooth Relic of Lord Buddha, will take place from April 18th to April 27th.

The relic exposition will open at 3:30 PM on 18th April, and will close for the day at 5:30 PM.

Thereafter, from 19th to the 27th of April, the relic exposition will open at 12 noon daily, and close for the day at 5:30 PM.

Sri Lanka Police have announced that the event is expected to attract around 2 million devotees.

To ensure the security of the Sacred Tooth Relic, the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, and the devotees, a special security plan has been implemented.

This plan includes body searches of devotees, traffic control, and the deployment of roadblocks.

Over 10,000 police officers will be deployed for this purpose.

Sri Lanka Police said that vehicles will be restricted from entering the Kandy City from Thursday (17).

Devotees can park their vehicles at designated locations and use dedicated public transport to proceed to the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic.

Parking Locations:

1. Vehicles from Gampola and Colombo should stop at the Getambe Junction and can be parked at the Getambe Grounds and along the Gannoruwa Road.

2. Vehicles from the Kurunegala-Katugastota Road should stop at the 4th mile post.

3. Vehicles from the Madawala Road should stop at the Polgolla Mahinda Rajapaksa Theatre premises.

4. Vehicles from Matale should stop at the Ra-Kade Junction, with parking available at Dharmasoka Mawatha, while light vehicles can park at the P. T. Ranjan Grounds.

5. Vehicles from Mahiyanganaya using the 18 Bend Road should park at the Pallekele Bandaranaike School Grounds.

6. Vehicles from Badulla should park in Gurudeniya.

Sri Lanka Police have stated that long-distance buses operating via Kandy, as well as bus services originating from Kandy, will operate as usual.

These buses will be permitted to stop at the Raja Pihilla Bus Stand and opposite the Bogambara Grounds.

Short-distance buses will not be permitted to stop and park within Kandy City.

Additionally, Sri Lanka Police have introduced alternative routes for vehicles passing through Kandy during the period of the relic exposition:

1. Vehicles from Kurunegala and Matale heading to Colombo and Nuwara Eliya via Kandy can proceed to the Gohagoda Road from the Katugastota Bridge, head to Peradeniya, and then proceed to Colombo and Kandy.

2. Vehicles from the Colombo-Kandy Road and from Nuwara Eliya heading towards Kurunegala, Matale, and Mahiyanganaya can use the Peradeniya-Gohagoda Road.

3. Vehicles heading to Badulla can enter Dharmashoka Mawatha from the Mahaiyyawa Tunnel and proceed to Thennekumbura.

Private vehicles will not be allowed to park in Kandy City.

Car Parking Available at:

- Car Park next to the Vevalpitiya Grounds (Light Vehicles)

- Sahas Uyana Car Park (Light Vehicles)

- Getambe Mahanama Ground (Light Vehicles)

- Opposite Mahaiyyawa Cemetery (Buses)

- Dharmashoka Bend to Japan-Kade Junction (Buses)

- KMC Car Park (Light Vehicles)

- Rajapihilla Bus Parking (Buses)

- Karaliya Car Park (Light Vehicles)

- Bogambara Prison (Buses)

- Bogambara Grounds (Buses)

- Thennekumbura Junction to Haragama Road (Buses)

- SWRD Bandaranaike Mawatha (Buses)

Sri Lanka Police request devotees to dress in white and refrain from carrying large bags, cameras, video equipment, and other electronics to the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic.

In addition to Sri Lanka Police, personnel from the Police Special Task Force, Police K9 Division, Sri Lanka Army, Sri Lanka Navy, and Sri Lanka Air Force have also been deployed.