A special traffic plan is in force in the Kaduwela area today for the annual “Diya Kapima” of the Sri Rankadu Paththini Devalaya, police said.
The perahera is scheduled to proceed along the roads from 6.00 a.m. to 2.00 p.m.
The route
The procession begins near the devalaya and travels along the 143 Avissawella–Colombo bus route, crossing the Kaduwela Rajasinghe Bridge towards Bandarawatta and the Biyagama area. After the water-cutting ritual is completed, it returns to the devalaya along the same route via Kaduwela Junction.
Police have asked motorists and members of the public travelling through the area to use alternative routes for the duration of the procession to reduce congestion.
Diversion
Where traffic is restricted on the 143 Avissawella–Colombo bus route, motorists can take the 697 bus route, join the 177 Kaduwela–Kollupitiya bus route, and continue along Rajasinghe Mawatha towards Malabe before rejoining the 143 route.
The two newsrooms differ on two details of the diversion. Ada Derana places the restriction near Wele Junction and gives the 697 leg as running via Pattiyawatta Road; Hiru News places the restriction near Kaduwela Junction and describes the 697 leg as the Kaduwela–Korathota road. The start and end points of the diversion are the same in both accounts.
Context
“Diya Kapima”, or water cutting, is the ritual that traditionally closes a perahera season, performed at a river or other body of water. Sri Lanka’s largest such procession, the Kandy Esala Perahera, drew its own security and traffic plan earlier this month.
