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What should have been a sacred and historic event has instead ended in tragedy. After 16 years, the public exposition of the revered Tooth Relic in Kandy drew hundreds of thousands of pilgrims to the hill capital. But as crowds surged in overwhelming numbers, poor planning and inadequate anticipation by authorities transformed a spiritual gathering into a humanitarian disaster.
Four lives have already been lost, with many more affected by exhaustion, dehydration, and unsanitary conditions—an appalling outcome for what was meant to be a blessing.
Observers are now questioning the real intent behind the sudden decision to hold the exposition. With local government elections just weeks away, there is growing belief that the government orchestrated the event to curry favour with Buddhist voters from rural areas. The timing, critics say, was no coincidence—it was an election gimmick disguised in religious devotion.
But the plan has spectacularly backfired.
Kandy’s streets are littered with garbage, its pavements turned into makeshift sleeping areas for devotees who queued for three to four days straight. With no proper food, water, or sanitation provided, people remained in line fearing they’d miss their once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to worship the relic.
Public outrage has been fierce. The media has condemned the organizers for failing to manage the crowds. Residents of Kandy and surrounding areas have voiced anger at the chaos that overtook their city. Many blame the Diyawadana Nilame, the Governor of the Central Province, and the Mayor of Kandy for these deadly oversights.
But perhaps the most insidious aspect of the event lies in what unfolded behind the scenes: candidates contesting the local elections allegedly sponsored fleets of buses to ferry devotees into Kandy—directly defying orders issued by the Election Commission. The intention was clear: stack the crowds, secure the votes.
This blatant misuse of religious events for political gain demands urgent scrutiny. The Election Commission must investigate these claims and, if substantiated, take firm action—up to and including disqualifying candidates who breached the rules.
Meanwhile, violence has further marred the already tense atmosphere. Videos now circulating on social media show altercations between devotees, and even more alarmingly, a physical clash between members of the Sri Lanka Police and the Sri Lanka Army—a shocking image of disorder at what should have been a moment of national unity.
In a country where religion and politics are too often entwined, the tragic fallout from the Kandy Tooth Relic exposition is a grim reminder of the consequences when sacred traditions are manipulated for electoral gain. The deaths, the suffering, and the shame could have been avoided—if only integrity, not opportunism, had guided those in power.
