Deva Worship: Besides the ceremonies and rituals like pirit,sanghika-dana,kathina,
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 devalayas 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 Vibhishana, one of the four guardian deities of Sri Lanka.
Both these categories of deities are, however, subject to the samsaric 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-sasana, i.e., the Buddhist religion...
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63(63/0) 
(Source: The Wheel
Publication No. 402/404, ISBN 955-24-0126-7, Buddhist Publication Society
P.O. Box 61, 54 Sangharaja Mawatha Kandy, Sri Lanka ) Copyright © 1995 A.G.S.
Kariyawasam 
Mahasona- Famous demon of Sri Lanka
'Angampora': A Fighting Art associated with Sinhala Kings
Hindu Gods & Worship (Puja) in Sri Lanka
UFOs Over Sri Lanka
GANESH- The elephant-headed god (God Pillaiyar or Ganadeviyo)
Elephant lore - in Myth, Legend, Religion and War
Kadupul & Nagavalli Gifts from the Celestial Nagas
