62 



journal, it, a. s. (ceylon). [Vol, VIIL 



shell spoon be then mixes in the nembiliya a little of 

 each of the seven curries taken thrice, thus forming a hat- 

 mdluwa, which he adds to the seven rice heaps, perfuming 

 them and muttering mantras ( kepa-karanavd) . Next he 

 takes the three cake hags, and after incensing them puts all 

 the cakes (one from each in turn) on to the several heaps. 

 So with the three plantain bunches, from each of which 

 seven fruits are taken : a little kirijja (boiled cocoanut-milk 

 remaining after the oil is skimmed off) is further added. 

 The " dessert" — the oranges, biscuits, &c. — is also incensed 

 and placed on the shelf in a vattiya dish, so that any demi- 

 god or demon may help himself at pleasure. 



This done, the Kapurala makes a cone-pouch (Kdberi- 

 gotuva ) out of a plantain leaf, and putting rice and other 

 articles of food into it, form ally deposits it for Kdberi- Yaksayd 

 on a support made of three-cross-sticks (kattirika ). The 

 last cooked chatty of rice he covers with a plantain leaf, after 

 putting inside three cakes and three plantains : this chatty is 

 called yahan-heliya. When everything is thus arranged, the 

 Kapurala supplicates the gods and demons to receive the offer- 

 ing, perfuming all afresh and reciting over them a kannalavu- 

 yatikdva* followed occasionally by some powerful mantra. 



After this propitiation ( kepa-gannavd ; disti-lanavd) the 

 Kapuwa comes out of the room and locks the door. 

 About a peya afterwards he knocks at it, as though seeking 

 permission from the Yakd to enter, and opens it. Accom- 

 panying his dancing with further invocations, he closes 

 the door again, bringing out the Kdberi-gotum, which he 

 leaves at the back of the house. Then taking panduru 

 and a quid of betel from the dturayo, he re-enters the 

 room, as before, and laying them on the yahana recites some 

 stanzas ; and whilst so engaged takes one of the empty 

 cake bags and a plantain leaf, and on them puts a little 

 of every kind of food as well as a lighted torch. This offer- 

 ing he carries to the stepping stone in front of the house, 

 (after locking the door for the third time) and there presents 

 it with a suitable mantra to Molankada Aimdnd— the demon 

 known elsewhere as Kadavara- Yaksayd. He then returns 



* Space will not permit of the insertion of the several incantations, 

 <£c,j embraced in the ritual of Rdlahdmi-pidima, 



