No. 56—1905.] PADDY CULTIVATION CEREMONIES. 423 
Threshing by mm. — Even in the same field part of the 
paddy may be threshed by buffaloes and other part by men ; 
the latter being too poor to possess buffaloes and unwilling 
to give a share of paddy due for their hire. 
Charms, 
The following charms are used to avert various disasters, 
or merely to promote the general growth of the crop : — 
(1) If the young paddy plants die off. — A plantain tree is 
set up in the middle of the field and decorated with young 
cocoanut leaves and areca flowers and two lighted torches, 
one on each side of the tree. The !:attadiyd must enter the 
field from the east side, and after completing the charm 
leave it on the west. A little fowl's blood in a leaf cup 
(^(F)3§9, gotiiwa) is placed on each side of the entrance. 
The kattadiyd must wear a clean cloth and go to and from 
the field alone without speaking ; this applies to all the 
charms here described. 
(2) If the plants are eaten by rats, — A tatuwa^ is prepared 
and five kinds of flowers offered on it and a lighted buffalo- 
ghee lamp placed on it. A thread spun by a virgin is taken 
and knotted seven times, and the following charm repeated 
seven times for each knot, after which the charmed thread 
is burned in the field and left there. 
Om ! holy ! Guttila^ rats quarrels destroy : Gurulugod hail ! 
hail ! hail to Om ! I will tie you, I will kill you, begone ! 
begone ! Oh god, begone ! Om ! I bow before the " sin-des- 
troyer's" (Buddha's) foot, hail ! 
Of this, the first part is Sanskrit, the middle Tamil, and the 
end Sinhalese. 
o 
(3) If the ears die off at the time of flowering, — Place on 
the tatntva (lit. ®d§C"^ ^S^-^sf, flower betel shelf) seven 
betel leaves, seven lamp wicks, seven leaf cups of milk 
' /.e., a small decorated platform or shelf of young cocoanut leaves, &c.^ 
supported on four sticks, such as is commonly used in devil ceremonies. 
Musila was G-uttila Bodisat's rival ; musiha is a rat ; taking advantage 
of this resemblance in the words, the charmer prays Guttila to treat the 
rats as he did Musila. 
