appealed to, interdicted the annual Esala Procession from 

 passing the Coast Moor Mosque with music. Upon this 

 the procession was not held. About 1913, the Temple 

 authorities instituted an action in the District Court of 

 Kandy against the Crown for a declaration of this right. 

 Judgment was given for the Temple, but on appeal the 

 Supreme Court dismissed the action, one of the grounds 

 being that local legislation had modified religious privi- 

 leges guaranteed to the Kandyan Sinhalese by the British 

 under the Kandyan Convention at the cession of the king- 

 dom in 1815. An appeal to the Privy Council has been 

 filed against the decision of Messrs. Shaw and Sampayo, 

 Justices, and it is now pending. The Judgment apparently 

 encouraged the Coast Moors to prevent Buddhist Perahera 

 Processions from passing their Mosque at Kandy. 



2. The origin of the riots was as follows : 

 On the night of May 28th (Buddha's birthday) 1 a Buddhist 

 Procession, accompanied by music, with a police permit autho- 

 rising them to, was proceeding along Castle Hill Street, in 

 Kandy, when it was opposed by Coast Moormen. They objected 

 to the Perahera Procession passing their Mosque. 2 Upon this, 

 Mr. F. T. Coore, a Sinhalese Inspector of Police, directed the 

 procession to turn back. The order was obeyed, though the 

 Buddhists had the police licence, and Buddhist Perahera pro- 

 cessions since Kandy was founded had freely traversed its 

 streets. 3 The hooting and derision of the Coast Moors, when 

 the members of the procession retired, ptovoked the Buddhists 

 to return, and a fight ensued about midnight. The crowd entered 

 the Mosque and did some damage. Some Moors and Sinhalese 

 were injured, as well as the Inspector of Police, Mr. Coore. 4 

 Several were arrested, including Sinhalese and Coast Moormen. 



1. Wesak day (May full moon) the festival of Buddha's birth was declared a 

 Public Holiday about 1884, when Lord Derby, then Secretary of State for 

 the Colonies, confirmed to the Buddhist Sinhalese the guarantees of religious 

 protection and neutrality contained in the Kandyan Convention of 1815, and 

 other Proclamations. This declaration followed the Buddhist-Catholic riots 

 of 1883. 



2. The Judgment of the Supreme Court in the Gampola Perahera Case has 

 encouraged the Coast Moors to attempt to silence the music of Peraheras 

 before their Mosque, even in Kandy. 



3. Kandy was founded circ. 1542, and contains the Dalada Maligawa, the 

 "Temple of the Sacred Tooth" of Buddha. It is worshipped by Buddhists 

 from all parts of the world as their holiest relic. Numbers flock to Kandy 

 on Wesak day, and the feast is celebrated throughout the Island. 



4. Ceylonese Newspapers. 3oth June 



