Sri Lankan Myths, Miracles & Mysteries

"The island of Sri Lanka has been a favorite haunt of aliens, extra terrestrials, gods, devas, angels, sky dwellers, demons, deities whichever way you describe them. Our chronicles, traditions, folklore, prehistoric cave drawings, archaeological evidence and ancient traveler's' records testify that there have been strange beings living in this island from time immemorial." There were and there are Mountains, Hills, buildings and even plants with full of mysteries, power and wisdom which are beyond human understanding. 200 million years ago, geologically Sri Lanka was linked with India, Madagascar, Australia and Antarctica, in a land mass known as Gondwana. Sri Lanka separated into a land mass known as Lanka Dvipa (Island of Lanka), and part of the land submerged into the sea. According to the Ramayana epic this took place because of the misdeeds of Ravana, but this seismic happening is confirmed by modern science."

Bahirawa: Legend of a dreaded demon
Tradition recounts that during the Kandyan period human sacrifices were made to propitiate the demon of Bahirawakanda. The first such sacrifice is credited to the fancy of a 17th century childless queen. The queen dreamt that Bahirawa manifested himself to her in a dream and demanded a human sacrifice if she were to be with child.

Mahasona: famous demon of Sri Lanka
This is a famous demon of Sri Lanka who it is claimed uses a black dog as the vehicle. When it's influence is felt, people see the apparition of a black dog and faint off; some have the hand print on the body where the apparition struck.

Devil Dance Masks of Sri Lanka
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.

Daha Ata Sanniya
The "Daha Ata Sanniya" is a traditional dance ritual held to exorcise 18 types of diseases from the human body.

Kohomba Kankariya
Kohomba Kankariya ritual is performed to ensure freedom from diseases, invoke blessings and for the people to live in prosperity.

Walli Yak mangallaya
According to myth, legend, and folklore, Gara Yakka has no evil disposition toward humans. But, he has an evil eye; all he wants is to eat- the satisfaction he demands is for his appetite. He is said to have the capacity to eat more than any other devil in the nether world.

Gods & Goddesses (Devi Devata) of Jambudvipa and Lanka
From ancient times, what is now called South Asia has been called Jambudvipa by its denizens. Arthur C. Clarke once wrote a short story called The Nine Billion Names of God, From Kailash in the Himalayas to Kataragama in southern Lanka, there are thousands of little shrines to a million deities of all kinds. Inspired by both folk and classical art, Devi Devata bears witness through art to the common cultural heritage of Jambudvipa.

Deity worship in Sri Lanka
Lanka is a land where all the major religions of the world are practised. Therefore it could be surmised that this is a blessed land. According to Buddhist belief Lanka is known as the thrice-blessed land due to the "Tun Saranaya".

The Guardian Deities of Lanka: Skanda-Murukan and Kataragama
In the Buddhist tradition as found in Sri Lanka, Kataragama is one in the list of sixteen sacred sites. Since medieval times it was closely associated with the worship of Kanta-Kumara or Karttikeya, one of the four guardian gods of Lanka, the others being Natha, Pattini and Visnu, whose images are still paraded in festival processions conducted annually in honour of the Tooth Relic in the town of Kandy in the central highlands.

Ganesha - the playful god of wisdom
The elephant-headed god Ganesha of the Hindus, or Pillaiyar of the Tamils, or Ganadevi as known to the Sinhalese, is a Vedic deity later absorbed into the Hindu pantheon and worshipped as God of wisdom and prosperity.

OLA LEAF HOROSCOPES - THE IDEAS OF KARMA AND RE-INCARNATION
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. 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.

Elephant lore - in myth, legend, religion and war
Even today the elephant has a prominent place in Buddhism unlike other animals. It is the only animal possessed of grace to carry the sacred reliquary containing the 'Danta-dhatu' (Tooth-relic) of the Buddha, in the annual Esala Perahera in Kandy.

Kadupul & Naga Valli: Legandary Flower & Betel of Nagas
Kadupul - the legendary flower of the Celestial Nagas. It is believed that when these flowers bloom, the Nagas come down from their celestial abodes, to offer them to the Buddha on the Holy Mountain Sri Pada. The strange fragrance, the midnight miracle, and the fact that flowers bloom in the season when people flock to Sri Pada, seem to add authenticity to this belief

Valli Marries Kande Yaka
Valli Amma, was a princess of sorts - a stone-age jungle princess who grew up among the prehistoric hunting people of the island. Valli, who was only twelve years old at the time, had her heart set on Kande Yaka, the age-old hunting God of the Kataragama Mountain whose power and wisdom - they say - was beyond human understanding. The Spirit of the Mountain was so touched by Valli's innocent love that he came down to earth in disguise to touch her in return - but she wouldn't let him! Of course, they both fell in love at last, and their love story still continues to this day in far-off Sri Lanka.

Sigiriya - A landing space for ancient aircrafts
(Dadu Monara - Ancient Gliders)? According to some historians,the rock fortress was built by King Kassapa (478-495 AD) But some archaeologists proved that it would have been impossible for King Kassapa to build this massive monument within the 17 years of his reign. Archaeological evidence is available to prove that the Sigiriya rock was occupied by ancient Sri Lankans and might have been a religious centre for some time long before King Kassapa's reign. Some historians suggest that Kassapa (Kassyapa) was identified with Kubera, the Hindu God of wealth, Sigiriya was modelled after Mt. Kailasa in the Himalayas then held sacred to Kubera, with the palace on top, representing the god's celestial city of Alakananda. Kubera himself might have built the Sigiriya fortress to hide his wealth and to operate flights from the Sigiriya rock.

The Fresco Queens of Sigiriya
Who are these beautiful princesses and their maids who adorn the rock of Sigiriya? the queens and princesses of King Kassapa, divine beings, temple dancing girls or the princesses, dark maids and cloud damsels ?

Utuwankande Saradiel - The Robinhood of Lanka
Though over 125 years have passed away since the death of Saradiel caused by execution, still his name as a legend Saradiel was a daredevil highway robber. Saradiel was born in 1835 to a family in Otumankanda.

Utuwankande Saradiel - The Robinhood of Lanka
The money Saradiel robbed from the rich, he often distributed generously among the poor. So Saradiel came to be 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.

Saradiel: the making of a bandit
(Saradiel from his childhood to boyhood was a quiet but unmoved type of village boy. He with his brother Harmanis was admitted to the Idangoda Vihara Dahampasala in Molligoda. It must be recalled bitterly with a sense of aversion how the British rulers of the time had even banned the holding of Dahampasals in these villages around its environs.

Are extra, terrestrials the cause for violence and unrest in Sri Lanka?
The island of Sri Lanka has been a favourite haunt of aliens, extra terrestrials, gods, devas, angels, sky dwellers, demons whichever way you describe them. Our chronicles, traditions, folklore, prehistoric cave drawings, archaeological evidence and ancient travellers' records testify that there have been strange beings living in this island from time immemorial.

Sri Lanka: Gateway to Other Worlds? Scientists re-examine legends of Serendip
Long before modern scientist ever dreamed of the existence of gateways between parallel universes, the ancient world already regarded Lanka or Serendip as being the Antipodes, a topsy-turvy wonderland inhabited by nagas, yakas and various other-worldly spirits. Oral traditions still current in Lanka tell of hidden gateways situated islandwide through which yogis and siddhas, including Lord Buddha and His assembly of arahats, could travel to distant places or even to other lokas or worlds in the blink of an eye, reputedly through sheer comprehension alone.

Star-struck stupas in ancient Anuradhapura
'Heaven's Mirror' - A perfect alignment of the three main stupas (Mirisavati, Ruvanweli and Jetavana) at Anuradhapura, with three stars in the constellation of Orion, namely Rigel, Al Nitak and Bellatrix.

Mysteries of Seetha Eliya
The Ramayana introduces King Ravana as a mighty flamboyant King of Lanka. King Ravana was a devotee of god Siva the holder of Pushparaga the chariot. It was Ravana who seized Seetha from Parnasalai in India, the holy hut of Rama and was brought to Asok Vana, a beautiful park at Seetha-Eliya on the Pushparaga, an air chariot - without touching her

Rama, Ravana & Sita: Road to Ramayana
When Ravana abducted Sita, it led to war. 200 million years ago, geologically Sri Lanka was linked with India, Madagascar, Australia and Antarctica, in a land mass known as Gondwana. Sri Lanka separated into a land mass known as Lanka Dvipa (Island of Lanka), and part of the land submerged into the sea. According to the Ramayana epic this took place because of the misdeeds of Ravana, but this seismic happening is confirmed by modern science.

KUMBHAKARNA
Kumbhakarna, the brother of Ravana was a seemingly ordinary creature of the universe but his appearance posed a grave problem for the creator himself. Pleased by his penance when Brahma arrived to grant him a boon, he got worried even before granting one and began to think: " If this man takes a regular meal, he will devour everything on earth." So Brahma invoked Saraswati to create illusions in Kumbhakarna's mind. Thus in illusion, Kumbhakarna begged Brahma to grant him a boon of a 6 month long sleep and wake up only for a day in these six months of slumber.

Tall Tales and Deep Truths
The ancient art of storytelling (Sanskrit: iti-hasa 'thus-told') is highly regarded in traditional cultures where it is often the principal vehicle for the transmission of in-depth understanding as opposed to the mere accumulation of bits of information. Many anonymous storytellers have spun or woven tender songs and thrilling stories sung in spontaneous verses of ecstasy, while others have enacted mute pantomime performances offered up to the divine Source of their inspiration.