9 January 2012 04:50 am
An elephant sprays itself water from a fountain ahead of the annual Perahera festival of the historic Kelaniya Buddhist Temple in Kelaniya on January 8, 2012. Hundreds of devotees and onlookers gathered for the annual elephant pageant, held on the night before the full moon day in January, to commemorate the visit of Lord Buddha to the temple. Dozens of colourful traditional dancers, drummers, whip crackers, fire eaters, musicians and devotees take part in the pageant that parades through the main streets of Kelaniya. AFP