An estimated 5,000 devotees from the North and the East are expected to participate in the Paada Yathra (Foot Pilgimage) to Kataragama for the Esala Mangalya after a lapse of three years.
The pilgrims will trek through the Yala National Park before reaching the Ruhunu Maha Kataragama Temple for the festival that began on July 29.
The Civil Service Department has given permission for the devotees to visit the Kumana and Yala National Parks while the organizers have made arrangements to provide the pilgrims with the facilties. The devotees are from Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Trincomalee, Batticaloa, Ampara, Pothuvil and Panama.
The pilgrimage was suspended for the past three years owing to the Covid-19 pandemic.
This year, the Kataragama Esala Festival that started on July 29, will end on August 11.