THE DEMONS 



IX. Bahirawa Yakseta is another demon as much attached 

 to the female sex as G alu Cumara dewatawa himself, but there is 

 this difference between them: — while the latter brings only slight 

 diseases on the objects of his attachment, the former inflicts those 

 that result in speedy death. The hill called Bahirawa Cauda, 

 which stands towering like a giant over one side of the town of 

 Kandy, was till very lately supposed to be the abode of this demon. 

 In early days it was regarded with feelings of dread. One of the 

 former kings of Kandy, seeing that he was not likely to have any. 

 issue to perpetuate his line on the thorne, his queen miscarrying 

 within a few months of her confinement whenever she was preg- 

 nant, assembled all the astrologers, soothsayers, cattadiyas, and 

 other men of similar crafts, to his palace, and on consulting them as 

 to the cause of his misfortune, was told, that the queen was under 

 the influence of the demon Bahirawa Yakseya, who would never 

 remove his influence from her, unless a yearly sacrifice of a young 

 virgin was made to him on the summit of Bahirawa Cauda. The 

 king did as he was directed, and it is said that, after that, he had 

 several children born to him. But when his queen grew old and 

 past the time of child-bearing, he discontinued the offering as unne- 

 cessary j on which, it is said, the displeased demon began to inflict 

 diseases on the royal family and on all the citizens, in so much that 

 within, two months the city was nearly depopulated. By the 

 advice of his ministers and the Cattadiyas, the king resumed the 

 former practice of making the annual sacrifice, to which all his 

 successors, till the very last, faithfully adhered. The sacrifice was 

 performed at night in the following manner: — A stake being driven 

 into the ground on the summit of the hill, the girl was tied to it 

 with jungle creepers; flowers and boiled rice were placed close by 

 on an altar constructed for the purpose; certain invocations and 

 incantations were then pronounced, which completed the ceremony. 

 The next morning the girl was found dead; and no wonder, for it 

 would be a miracle, if a Singhalese, especially a young female 

 destined to propitiate a demon, left alone for a night on the top 

 of a hill supposed to be haunted, and tied to a stake, with the sound 



