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JOURNAL, r.a.s. (ceylon). [Vol. VIIL 



Some of these players and dancers precede, whilst others follow, the 

 victorious "horn," which, wrapped in white cloth, incensed and sprinkled 

 with saffron-water, is carried on the head of the Kattadiya, dressed 

 in spotless white, under a white canopy, attended by the Kapuralas 

 with deyiran on their heads. The people, as they march with lighted 

 torches and censers, give vent to loud " hurrahs," at the same time 

 extolling the virtues of the goddess Pattini, and of I'swara, Vishnu, 

 and Kandakumara. Every house of the victorious side is visited, 

 and on its inmates blessings invoked with the deyiran : in return, these 

 offer refreshments of milk, rice, jaggery, coffee, &c. All the houses 

 and gardens should be well cleaned, and the former whitewashed for 

 the reception of the Kapurala and the others conducting the procession ; 

 otherwise they will not be entered, and thus lose the benefit of the 

 general exorcism. This procession is continued for seven days, at the 

 end of which a grand feast is given to the people at the an-pittaniya* . — 

 H. C. P. Bell. 



(2) 



The mythical history of Pattini Deviyd, whose aid the 

 Sinhalese so readily invoke to rid them not only of maha leda> 

 '* the great sickness," or small-pox, but of every form of epidemic 



* Compare the Tamil velve at Trincomalie (as described in the 

 " North Christian Herald," for March, 1879), which forms the concluding 

 part of the grdmasdnti ("village propitiation") ceremony "to perfect 

 what was lacking in the former." It is so arranged that the services 

 of the temple (Konasar) or their benefits became available for every house 

 and part of the town. Kumbam were carried round from every tem- 

 porary shrine along all the streets, accompanied by every sort of native 

 music, and decorated in truly oriental style. An dlavattam made of 

 leaves and clothes, a flag, an umbrella, and the large sacrificial knife by 

 which the goats had been killed, were carried round and exhibited at 

 every house. The owners of the houses were expected to decorate 

 their gates with leaves and plantain trees, and place outside a nirai- 

 kudam, or a pot of water on a white cloth, decorated with palm and 

 mango leaves, on a table under which was placed a betel stand contain- 

 ing betel leaves, arecanuts, and grain, burning lamp, and smoking 

 incense. The kumbam were carried on the heads of men who professed 

 to be under diabolical influence, and who, smeared with sacred dung, 

 danced through the streets to the sound of tom-toms, uttering cries and 

 groans which were taken to be the voices of evil spirits. At every 

 house before which they stopped water was poured over them and a 

 young cocoanut was given them to drink, so that it i3 not surprising to 

 hear that next day two of them were struck down by heat apoplexy. 



