The diplomatic community in New Delhi will have a special opportunity this week to experience one of Sri Lanka’s most iconic living traditions, as diplomats from Embassies and High Commissions based in New Delhi travel to Kandy to witness the Kandy Esala Perahera from 26 to 28 August 2026.
The visit brings together members of the diplomatic community based in New Delhi who also represent their respective countries in Sri Lanka, highlighting the important role of New Delhi as a hub of Sri Lanka’s diplomatic engagement with the wider international community.
There are currently ninety-nine (99) Ambassadors and High Commissioners based in New Delhi who, in addition to representing their countries in India, also represent their countries in Sri Lanka.
Six (06) newly designated Heads of Mission among them will present their Letters of Credence to the President of Sri Lanka, Anura Kumara Disanayaka, in Colombo on 25 August. They are the High Commissioner-designate of Guyana, Dharamkumar Seeraj; the High Commissioner-designate of Ghana, Professor Kwasi Obiri-Danso; the Ambassador-designate of the Republic of Sudan, Dr. Mohammed Abdalla Ali Eltom; the Ambassador-designate of the Dominican Republic, Francisco Manuel Compress Hernandez; the Ambassador-designate of Austria, Robert Zischg; and the High Commissioner-designate of Brunei Darussalam, Siti Arnyfariza Binti Mohd Jaini.
The presentation of credentials by these six New Delhi-based Heads of Mission further reflects the important role played by New Delhi in Sri Lanka’s engagement with the international community.
On 26 August, a delegation of nineteen (19) diplomats and accompanying family members from Embassies and High Commissions based in New Delhi will travel to Kandy for a specially arranged three-day programme centred on the Esala Perahera and Sri Lanka’s cultural and religious heritage.
The delegation includes Ambassadors and High Commissioners, as well as senior diplomatic representatives from Guyana, Ghana, Iceland, Papua New Guinea, Ireland, Tanzania, Zambia, the Dominican Republic, Austria and Latvia.
The programme has been designed to allow the visiting diplomats to experience Sri Lanka beyond formal diplomatic engagements through its living heritage, religious traditions, cultural performances, cuisine and hospitality.
The delegation will visit the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, witness the Thewawa ceremony, and visit the International Buddhist Museum and other sites of historical and cultural significance.
A major highlight will be witnessing the Randoli Perahera on the evening of 27 August, providing the visiting diplomats with an opportunity to experience first-hand one of Sri Lanka’s most spectacular expressions of its cultural and religious heritage.
The programme also includes a traditional Kandyan dinner hosted by the Chief Custodian of the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic and a traditional lunch at Ehelepola Walawwa, allowing the guests to experience Sri Lanka’s distinctive culinary traditions and hospitality.
The visit will conclude with visits to the Royal Botanic Gardens in Peradeniya, a gem and jewellery establishment, and the Hantana Tea Museum, offering an introduction to Sri Lanka’s natural, cultural and economic heritage.
The High Commission of Sri Lanka in New Delhi, which facilitates and coordinates Sri Lanka’s engagement with the diplomatic community based in the Indian capital, considers the visit an important opportunity to strengthen the cultural and people-to-people dimension of Sri Lanka’s diplomatic relations while providing members of the New Delhi-based diplomatic community with a deeper understanding of Sri Lanka.
High Commission of Sri Lanka
New Delhi
28 August 2026
