A Buddhist monk blesses an elephant by sprinkling pure water on it at the Gangaramaya Buddhist temple. The ritual precedes the temple’s annual Nawam Perahera street parade in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on February 11, 2025.(Photo by Thilina Kaluthotage/Reuters)
A mahout lights a beedi cigarette after bathing an elephant near Colombo, Sri Lanka, on February 11, 2025. (Photo by Akila Jayawardena/NurPhoto/Rex Features/Shutterstock)
A man in traditional costume rides a decorated elephant during the Navam Maha Perahera festival in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on February 11, 2025. The annual procession, hosted by the Gangaramaya Buddhist Temple, features traditional dancers, drummers, and elephants, and is a major display of cultural and spiritual devotion.(Photo by Buddhika Weerasinghe/Getty Images)
An elephant returns to the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage after its daily bath in a river in Pinnawala, Sri Lanka, on February 16, 2025. The orphanage celebrated its 50th anniversary that day with a fruit feast for its 68 elephants, having been established as the world’s first care home for destitute pachyderms.(Photo by Ishara S. Kodikara/AFP Photo)
Visitors feed fruit to elephants at the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage in Pinnawala, Sri Lanka, on February 16, 2025.(Photo by Ishara S. Kodikara/AFP Photo)
Tourists take pictures as an elephant returns to the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage after its daily bath in a river on February 16, 2025.(Photo by Ishara S. Kodikara/AFP Photo)
Elephants walk back to the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage after their daily bath in a river on February 16, 2025.(Photo by Ishara S. Kodikara/AFP Photo)
Tourists photograph elephants returning to the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage after their daily bath on February 16, 2025.(Photo by Ishara S. Kodikara/AFP Photo)
Elephants stroll through the grounds of the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage in Pinnawala, Sri Lanka, on February 16, 2025. The orphanage marked its 50th anniversary that day.(Photo by Ishara S. Kodikara/AFP Photo)
A vendor arranges watermelons for sale at a market in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on February 17, 2025.(Photo by Ishara S. Kodikara/AFP Photo)
A snake charmer holds a python at the Galle Face Green promenade in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on February 21, 2025.(Photo by Ishara S. Kodikara/AFP Photo)
Sri Lankan Tamil Hindu devotees light oil lamps during the Maha Shivratri festival at a temple in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on February 26, 2025. The festival celebrates the birthday of Lord Shiva, the Hindu god of creation and destruction.(Photo by Chamila Karunarathne/EPA)
Sri Lankan Muslims pose for photos after Eid al-Fitr prayers at the Galle Face Green seafront in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on March 31, 2025. The festival marks the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan.(Photo by Chamila Karunarathne/EPA/EFE)
Sri Lankan sculptor Upali Dias adds final touches to a clay bust of former U.S. President Donald Trump at his residence near Colombo on April 10, 2025.(Photo by Ishara S. Kodikara/AFP Photo)
Sri Lankan Catholic nuns carry portraits of victims of the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks during a commemoration ceremony for the sixth anniversary of the attacks in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on April 21, 2025.(Photo by Eranga Jayawardena/AP Photo)
A balloon seller waits for customers in the main Vesak festival zone in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on May 12, 2025. The holiday commemorates the birth, enlightenment, and death of Buddha.(Photo by Thilina Kaluthotage/Reuters)
Band members of the Sri Lanka Navy perform on a decorated boat on Beira Lake during Vesak Day celebrations in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on May 12, 2025.(Photo by Thilina Kaluthotage/Reuters)
A Buddhist devotee cleans flowers with a water spray before offering them in worship on Vesak Day at the Kelaniya Temple in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on May 12, 2025.(Photo by Thilina Kaluthotage/Reuters)
Buddhist devotees walk past Buddha statues placed for worship inside the Kelaniya Temple on Vesak Day in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on May 12, 2025.(Photo by Thilina Kaluthotage/Reuters)
A man carrying an umbrella walks along a street during rainfall in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on May 18, 2025.(Photo by Ishara S. Kodikara/AFP Photo)
