A Buddhist monk sprinkles pure water on an elephant as part of blessings at the Gangaramaya Buddhist temple ahead of the temple's annual Nawam Perahera or street parade where dozens of decorated elephants are escorted by hundreds of traditional drummers and dancers during the parade, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on February 11, 2025. (Photo by Thilina Kaluthotage/Reuters)





A mahout lights a cigarette (Beedi) after finishing washing an elephant near Colombo, Sri Lanka, on February 11, 2025. (Photo by Akila Jayawardena/NurPhoto/Rex Features/Shutterstock)





Sri Lankan man dressed in traditional costumes rides on a decorated elephant during the Navam Maha Perahera on February 11, 2025 in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The Navam Maha Perahera of the Gangaramaya Buddhist Temple is an annual Buddhist festival renowned for its vibrant traditional dancers, rhythmic drummers, and majestic elephants. This grand procession will take place on the nights of February 11th and 12th, 2025, parading through the streets of the capital in a spectacular display of cultural and spiritual devotion (Photo by Buddhika Weerasinghe/Getty Images)





An elephant returns to the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage after taking his daily bath in a river in Pinnawala on February 16, 2025. Sri Lanka's main elephant orphanage marked its 50th anniversary on February 16, with a fruit feast for the 68 jumbos at the showpiece centre, reputedly the world's first care home for destitute pachyderms. (Photo by Ishara S. Kodikara/AFP Photo)





Visitors feed fruits to elephants at the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage in Pinnawala on February 16, 2025. (Photo by Ishara S. Kodikara/AFP Photo)





Tourists click pictures as an elephant returns to the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage after taking his daily bath in a river in Pinnawala on February 16, 2025. (Photo by Ishara S. Kodikara/AFP Photo)





Elephants return to the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage after taking their daily bath in a river in Pinnawala on February 16, 2025. (Photo by Ishara S. Kodikara/AFP Photo)





Tourists click pictures as elephants return to the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage after taking their daily bath in a river in Pinnawala on February 16, 2025. (Photo by Ishara S. Kodikara/AFP Photo)





Elephants stroll across the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage in Pinnawala on February 16, 2025. Sri Lanka's main elephant orphanage marked its 50th anniversary on February 16, with a fruit feast for the 68 jumbos at the showpiece centre, reputedly the world's first care home for destitute pachyderms. (Photo by Ishara S. Kodikara/AFP Photo)





A vendor gestures as he arranges watermelons for sale at a market in Colombo on February 17, 2025. (Photo by Ishara S. Kodikara/AFP Photo)





A snake charmer holds a python at the Galle Face promenade in Colombo on February 21, 2025. (Photo by Ishara S. Kodikara/AFP Photo)





Sri Lankan ethnic Tamil Hindu devotees light oil lamps during the Maha Shivratri festival at a Hindu temple in Colombo, Sri Lanka, 26 February 2025. Hindus around the world celebrate the birthday of Lord Shiva, the Hindu god of creation and destruction, during the Maha Shivratri festival. (Photo by Chamila Karunarathne/EPA)





Sri Lankan Muslims pose for photos following Eid al-Fitr prayers at the Galle Face seafront in Colombo, Sri Lanka, 31 March 2025. Muslims around the world celebrate Eid al-Fitr, a two- to three-day festival marking the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan. (Photo by Chamila Karunarathne/EPA/EFE)





Upali Dias, a Sri Lankan sculptor, adds the final touches to a clay bust of US President Donald Trump at his residence near Colombo on April 10, 2025. US President Donald Trump abruptly paused tariffs on most countries, sparking euphoria on global markets Thursday, but upped the ante on a brutal trade war with superpower rival China. (Photo by Ishara S. Kodikara/AFP Photo)





Sri Lankan Catholics nuns carry portraits of the victims of the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks during its sixth anniversary commemoration in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Monday, April 21, 2025. (Photo by Eranga Jayawardena/AP Photo)





A balloon seller waits for customers at the main Vesak festival zone, on Vesak Day to commemorate the birth, enlightenment and death of Buddha, in Colombo, Sri Lanka on May 12, 2025. (Photo by Thilina Kaluthotage/Reuters)





Band members of Sri Lanka Navy perform on a decorated boat in the waters of Beira Lake, on Vesak Day to commemorate the birth, enlightenment and death of Buddha, in Colombo, Sri Lanka on May 12, 2025. (Photo by Thilina Kaluthotage/Reuters)





A Buddhist devotee cleans flowers using a water spray before worshipping on Vesak Day, an annual celebration of Buddha's birth, enlightenment, and death, at the Kelaniya temple in Colombo, Sri Lanka on May 12, 2025. (Photo by Thilina Kaluthotage/Reuters)





Buddhist devotees worship while walking through the inside of a temple, where Buddha statues have been placed for worship, on Vesak Day, an annual celebration of Buddha's birth, enlightenment and death at the Kelaniya temple in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on May 12, 2025. (Photo by Thilina Kaluthotage/Reuters)





A man carrying an umbrella walks along a street amid rainfall in Colombo on May 18, 2025. (Photo by Ishara S. Kodikara/AFP Photo)