Buddhist Ceremonies and Rituals of Sri Lanka

propitiated. Accordingly, they are invited to come and take away their prey, promising
not to harm the participants thereafter. A dancer impersonates the gará-yaká by wearing
the appropriate mask just referred to and in the dialogue that takes place between him
and another dancer, he promises to comply with the request if certain things are given to
him. These include drinks, food, sweets, and money. These items are given and he
departs in peace. The ceremony is held annually at the Vishnu Deválaya in Kandy after
the annual Esala Perahera. It goes on for one week from the last day of the Perahera and
is referred to as vali-yak-näþuma.
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Worship of Devas
1. Deva Worship
Besides the ceremonies and rituals like pirit, saòghika-dána, kaþhina, etc., that can be traced
in their origin to the time of the Buddha himself, there is another popular practice
resorted to by the average Sri Lankan Buddhist which cannot be traced to early
Buddhism so easily. This is deva-worship, the worship of deities, in what are popularly
called deválayas or abodes dedicated to these deities. This practice cannot be described as
totally un-Buddhistic, yet at the same time it does not fall into the category of folk
religious practices like bali and tovil adopted by popular Buddhism.
The word deva, meaning “god” or “deity” in this context, signifies various classes of
superhuman beings who in some respects are superior to ordinary human beings
through their birth in a higher plane. As such, they are capable of helping human beings
in times of difficulty. There is also another class of such superior beings who were
originally extraordinary human beings. After their death, they have been raised to the
level of gods and are worshipped and supplicated as capable of helping in times of need.
These are the gods by convention (sammuti-deva) or glorified human heroes like the
Minneriya Deviyo, who was glorified in this manner in recognition of his construction of
the great Minneriya Tank at Polonnaruwa, or God Vibhìshaóa, one of the four guardian
deities of Sri Lanka. Both these categories of deities are, however, subject to the saísáric
laws pertaining to birth and death. Thus it is seen that deva-worship is based on the
theory that a superior being can help an inferior being when the latter needs such help.
In addition to their role as helpers in need, an additional duty ascribed to the devas is the
safeguarding of the Buddha-sásana, i.e. the Buddhist religion. This also has its origin in
the story of the Buddha himself when the four divine regents of the universe mounted
guard over him and helped on various occasions of the Bodhisatta’s life from his
conception onwards. The benevolence of the deities is also extended to the protection of
the faithful followers of the Buddha’s teachings as exemplified by Sakka, the good
Samaritan in many Buddhist stories.
In Sri Lanka there are four deities regarded as the guardians of the Buddha-sásana in the
island: Vishnu, Saman, Katarágama, and Vibhìshaóa. Although Vishnu is originally a
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