Mysterious Sri Lanka

Text by Alan Pate Photography by Mary Wickline Courtesy of Akanezumiya

A MIDNIGHT ceremony. Crowds milling, bodies slick with sweat in the tropical night. Torches lining an earthen arena. A patient is dazed with illness, propped on a low seat. The rhythmic beat of drums. The smell of smoking resin. A figure enters, back first and the rhythm of the drums changes, intensifies. The figure whirls and the patient is suddenly presented with the face of his tormentor! The yakun natima, or devil dance ritual of Sri Lanka, is nothing if not full of drama. Not just a charade or interval designed to entertain, the yakun natima is a carefully crafted ritual with a history reaching far back into Sri Lanka's pre-Buddhist past. It combines ancient Ayurvedic concepts of disease causation with deftpsychological manipulation. Lasting up to twelve hours, it mixes raucous humour with deep-rooted fears to create a healing catharsis for both patient and community.

But while the beating of the bereya drums, the torchlight, and the smoky resin contribute to the aura of the night's magic, it is the masked face of the edura, or exorcist/shaman, that personifies the power of the moment-the devil incarnate (1). It is the mask or vesmuna which localises the fears and anxieties of both patient and audience. To the Sinhalese, it is this face, carved of wood, with bulging eyes, protruding nose and gaping mouth, disfigured and fierce, which represents both cause and cure (2). For the ethnographer, the traditional belief systems and practices surrounding the yakun natima and other masked dance rituals of Sri Lanka's southern coast provide a rich and fascinating field for research. For the collector, these ritual masks represent a sophisticated folk art form; beautiful and mysterious. Carved of wood and pigmented with natural hues and resins, these masks are infused with a spirit and animation which command attention. The patination of a ritual mask, darkened by years of use, and the repairs upon repairs of cherished examples bespeak their importance within their village communities. Within the context of the dance they are hypnotising. Taken out of that context and viewed on their own they are masterpieces of a rich folk art tradition (3).

HISTORY: Horoscopes of contemporary people, Asian and non-Asian, written on ancient palm (ola) leaves have been known for decades in both Sri Lanka and in southern India, especially Tamil Nadu. They have been discussed in many issues of Indian astrological magazines, though mainly in the context of the subject of astrology but not on their history, or on why they were written or even with studies on their authenticity. One South Indian reader of these leaves who had dealt with these for over forty years in Sri Lanka told me they were originally written on goat skins, later transcribed on copper plaques, and then on ola leaves which are now claimed to be. hundreds of years old. If this is correct, the possibility of errors in transcription cannot be excluded. On why they were written, it has been surmised that they were tutorial exercises set by the ancient sages (rishis) to their pupils who were set the task of composing the horoscopes of persons yet to be born in a series of dates and times, or that the sages made these writings for the guidance of people, There were apparently seven (saptha) rishis (saptharishi) who authored these horoscopes individually or in conference of all seven (saprha-rishi vaakyam, seven -rishi stanzas). Since these writings relate to ordinary people, it does not appear that the authors were concerned only with important persons whose life histories could make vivid stories. Some clients are told that there are no leaves pertaining to them.

These leaves are claimed to have been in ancient Hindu temples in South India from where they were either stolen or bought during the British occupation of India. The British, it is said, took away the manuscripts of utilitarian value to them, such as traditional medicinal and alchemical texts. The remainder were the horoscopes. Since they apparently dealt with the lives of contemporary people, the present owners of the manuscripts have made a lucrative practice of reading them for their subjects in Asian countries. An occasional non-Asian has also found his leaf...

by W.T.A. leslie Fernando

When you pass Kegalle on the Colombo-Kandy road there is a mighty rock near Mawanella called Utuwankande, where once lived Saradiel known as the Robin Hood of Sri Lanka. Sentence of death was executed on this bandit believed to be the most daring brigand that ever lived in this country on May 07, 1864.

Deekirikevage Saradiel was born on March 25, 1832. His father was a tobacco merchant from Haldanduwana, Dankotuwa whose business made him to frequent the Kegalle District. For some time he lived with one Pitchohamy near Utuwankande. Saradiel was the eldest son born to them. The boy was sent to Illukgoda Temple for his education. At the temple school, Saradiel proved to be intelligent but he used to quarrel constantly with other students. His studies came to an abrupt end when he was arrested by the Police and severely dealt for assaulting a rich boy a close relative of the village Vidane.

Saradiel even in his young days formed a gang and began to defy the law. There is a legend that Saradiel got hold of a rich merchant from Kandy called Bawa who fleeced the villagers by selling glittering wares at exorbitant prices, cut half of Bawa's mustache, took much of his money and wares and distributed them among the poor villagers. Soon Saradiel's name came to be associated with various thefts in the area but he managed to escape the hands of the law. Subsequently Saradiel left the village and secured employment as a barrack boy in Colombo. At the barracks he came into contact with soldiers and learned to use guns and other weapons. After some time Saradiel left this place carrying some weapons and valuables. Saradiel came back to Utuwankande and began to associate with the notorious criminals in the area. He chose a career of highway robbery and soon daring exploits of Saradiel came to known in the district. He is said to have murdered and robbed a rich Natakoti Chettiar and was arrested. But as there was no evidence to prosecute Saradiel, he was discharged. However as a consequence of robbing Molligoda Walauwa, a warrant was issued for the arrest of Saradiel...

UFO sightings have been reported from various parts of Sri Lanka over the years. Hundreds of people have seen UFO phenomena over Sri Lanka according to professor Chandana Jayaratne of the University of Colombo who has investigated some cases of UFO. Some predict that the Extra Terrestrials could either be on the lookout for technology that was used to construct sacred buildings or may be an attempt to locate the "Vishva Yathura" (Key to the Universe)! The UFO analysts believe that UFO lights that moves two feet off the ground could be an alien probe. "They could be doing a research," he says. "Extra Terrestrials may be seeking the 'Key' to the 'Star Gate' and thereby activate a system of travel that transcends conventional space travel to reach another galaxy."

UFOs reports from Sri Lanka: (Sunday Observer, Colombo, Sri Lanka, on June 16, 2002, by Umangi de Mel) Could the strange blue ball of light, speeding at just 2 feet above the ground near the ancient, sacred cliff of Dimbulagala, have been an alien space probe seeking the mysteries of our ancients? Sanjaya Bandara, a UFO expert claims that the "strange blue light" that has been sighted in Polonnaruwa and Anuradhapura during the past few weeks, could be a probe craft of an extra terrestrial space ship. The particular "blue light" was sighted for the first time in the seed farm in Polonnaruwa on May 13, around 11.30 pm. It has also later appeared in the Anuradhapura district. "It took me three days to get this thing on video tape and when I finally did, it was around Dimbulagala, the same stretch where it was first seen," says Gamini Obeysekara, Polonnaruwa correspondent of Rupavahini. "It was about 3km away from me," he says. However, this "UFO" sighting has still not been confirmed, even though many predictions were being made. "Members of the Sri Lanka UFO Research Association will proceed to Polonnaruwa to get an on-the report on Saturday as 95% of the sightings could be fabrications," says Chandana Jayaratne, Senior lecturer in the Physics department, University of Colombo...