34 



THE DEMONS 



every part of the year. For a long time he continued to exercise 

 his malignant power, till on one occasion he brought sickness on 

 the queen of Sree Prakkrama Bahu VI., king of Cottah, which was 

 then called Jayawardanapura (1410 A. D.) When the king found, 

 that the medicines of the most skilful physicians of his Gabadawa, 

 or Royal College of Physicians, were of no avail, he consulted the 

 most learned men of his kingdom as to the cause of the Queen's 

 illness, and learned from them that it was caused by Morottoo Yaka. 

 Only one Cattadiya however in all his kingdom knew the ceremony, 

 by which the demon could be appeased. That ceremony called Rata 

 Yakum Neteema, or Morottoo Yakum Neteema, was accordingly 

 performed, and the royal lady was restored to health. 



XII. Gopolu Yakseya, or the Demon of cattle, was the son 

 of a king or chief of a district on the Coromandel Coast. He was 

 the twinbrother of Mangara Dewiyo (a demigod;) their mother 

 having died soon after their birth, a cow-buffalo suckled them: but 

 Gopolu having on one occasion sucked all the milk without leaving 

 any for his brother, a quarrel ensued, in which Gopolu was killed, 

 but being born again, as the nature of demons is, he came over to 

 Ceylon, and landed at Arangodde near Katragamma. At Aran- 

 godde he lived on a Banyan tree in which there was a large beehive, 

 a nd scattered disease and death among all who came near the tree. 

 His old enemy Mangara dewiyo and Pattini dewiyo (goddess of 

 chastity) came afterwards to Ceylon, and, happening to land at the 

 same place, saw a number of men lying under the tree, some dead 

 and others dying. Knowing the cause, they immediately ordered 

 the neighbouring villagers to bring a cow-buffalo, which they order- 

 ed to be offered up in sacrifice to Gopolu, on which the dying men 

 recovered and returned to their houses. He is called the demon of 

 cattle, because all cattle sickness is supposed to proceed from him. 

 He is also considered to be the cause of hydrophobia. 



XIII. Anjenam dewi is a female demon, by whose aid a cer- 

 tain art of divination called here Anjenam beleema, and elsewhere, 

 as in Egypt, divining by the Magic Mirror, is performed. She 

 is the chief of 700 other female demons. 



