No- 56.— 1905.] 
PROCEEDINGS. 
429^ 
H E. the Governor : Mr. Coomaraswamy has mentioned several 
gentlemen who have written on the subject of the rice harvest and rice 
sowing. Has any ceremony ever been noticed at the sowing of any 
other crops such as the chena crops. 
Mr. E. W. Perera said : I would invite attention to a reference 
which Mr. Coomaraswamy has overlooked. The late Mr. H. Nevill's 
account of agricultural ceremonies in the Taprohanian (vol. I., p. 93, 
1885), should be added to the list of authorities on paddy cultivation 
ceremonies. 
In regard to the ginimaduwa^ or fire- walking, I may remark that the. 
rite is called gammaduwa in the low-country and Kohomha Deviyo 
netima (dance of the kohomba tree g6d) in the Kandyan Provinces. 
The ceremony is performed for abundant rains and generally before 
sowing. A detailed account of the gammaduim appears in the 
Ceylon Magazine " (1841, vol. I., p. 256). 
The trampling of the fire and the inverting of the kalagediya or 
pitcher of water on the ashes are meant to be rain charms. 
The tutelary spirits of cultivation are connected with the health 
spirits " of the Sinhalese, who are invoked in groups of seven in all 
" home observances " as the Itiri animavaru^ or " milk mothers." The 
chief of these is the Maha Kiri Amma (Chief Milk Mother) — 
the goddess Pattini. The kohomba tree {Azadirachta ifidica) is sacred 
to them, and the tutelary deities of cultivation are commonly known 
as the kohomba devas. In this connection the repetition of the mystic 
number seven in the threshing-floor song might be noted. 
The iron smelters of Sabaragamuwa, holding balls of almost liquid 
iron, walk on the fire. This they do (according to an interesting note 
in the Administration Report of Sabaragamuwa for 1873) by rubbing 
on their palms and soles " a paste of equal quantity of the murunga root, 
leaves of the hevila and kapukannasa plant, and the tender shoots of the 
qui'ulla finely ground with lime juice. " 
Mr. W. A. DE SiLVA, referring to the inquiry as to whether cere- 
monies of a similar nature were observed in regard to other cultiva- 
tions, mentioned that there were a large number of charms and 
kemas used among villagers in connection with chena crops and other 
cultivations ; also charms and ceremonies performed to keep away 
wild animals, to prevent and check insect pests, or get rid of plant 
diseases, and sometimes with the object of securing increased crops. 
In the Paper just read there were a few translator's mistakes, w^hich 
would no doubt be corrected when the Paper was published. For 
instance, inverse 19 Sinh. hunare is translated "hock" for '-dew 
claws " in the first charm ivara as is translated " jak." Wara is the Sin- 
halese name of the well-known plant mudar {Calati^opis gigontea). 
Geta-demata (Sinhalese) is Gmelina Asiatica. 
The fire-walking mentioned in the Paper was of interest. It is 
practised almost every day by those engaged in kavu ceremonies. No 
medicine whatever is used, and no preparations are made by the dancers 
before the ceremony. The stepping, usually done to the accompani- 
ment of a lively tune on the tom-tom, is rapid enough to prevent the 
heat causing any injury to the feet ; and after a few^ tramplings the heat 
is greatly diminished. 
H. E. the Governor thanked Messrs.de Silva and Perera for their 
very interesting remarks. 
