One episode in the Vessantara Jataka is probably also the clue to the overwhelming fertility symbolism during the celebrations. It is the prince’s act of giving away the white elephant, the country’s revered rain-making palladium, which enraged the people, as without the animal they feared drought and famine. No wonder, then, that the festival takes place in June or early July, at the beginning of the rainy season, when the farmers plough their paddies and plant the rice. Plenty of rain is then an absolute prerequisite for a bountiful harvest