Myths and beliefs which are part of our heritage

Apart from all the ancient majestic edifices(buildings), there are beliefs and myths which have come down the ages and which form part of our heritage.

As a result of these many myths and legends, the island of Sri Lanka had gained a reputation as a favourite haunt of aliens, extraterrestrials, gods, sky-dwellers, demons or deities, whichever way you may describe them.

Our ancient chronicles, traditions, folklore, prehistoric cave drawings, archaeological evidence and ancient travellers' records indicate that strange beings have lived in the island from time immemorial.

Therefore, we thought it would be interesting to enlighten you about some of these ancient beliefs. However, it does not mean that they are all true. Our intention is to educate you on some of the myths and beliefs that have come down the ages and which have become a part of our heritage.

Bahirawa

The demon Bahirawa, which is generally considered to be a guardian demon of treasures, has a history running back to the Kandyan regime. During the Kandyan era and as late as the early British period, the area of Bahirawakanda had earned a scary reputation as the habitat of Bahirawa, the mysterious demon who was believed to prey upon humans.

During the Kandyan period, human sacrifices had been made to please the demon of Bahirawakanda. The first such sacrifice is credited to the fancy of a 17th century childless queen. The queen had dreamt that Bahirawa approached her in a dream and demanded a human sacrifice if she were to get a child.

The king had consulted his soothsayer, and been recommended that a girl of noble birth be selected as the victim.

Bahirawakanda is a highly populated area which prides itself for having the most panoramic view of the Kandy city, which really makes anyone question, whether such an enchanting place could turn out to be the dwelling of a demon.

Mahasona

Metazoan is said to be a demon or a devil that haunted communities in the past. This is a famous demon of Sri Lanka who, it is claimed, uses a black dog for a vehicle.

Ancient people believed that when Mahasona is around, the image of a black dog would be visible for a short time and then fade away. It was also said that this demon would leave its hand-print on someone who it attacked.

The origin of this myth can be traced back to the era of King Dutugemunu. The story goes that two warriors of King Dutugemunu once had a duel, and one kicked the head off the other, killing him instantly.

The warrior who died in the fight had been a great bear hunter, and a bear head is said to have been used as a replacement for his head during the burial. The ghost of this dead warrior came to be known as Mahasona, although it does not directly explain how a dog came to be used as its vehicle.

The story behind Mahasona joining the king's army is also pretty interesting. A man called Tissa had lived in the village of Hundarivapi, and the youngest of his eight sons had been named 'Sona'.

Later on, he had come to be called 'Maha Sona' as he earned a reputation for doing big things like uprooting big trees and tearing young palm trees, by the age of seven.

King Kavantissa, who was searching for brave soldiers, had got to know about this boy, and had recruited him to the army. He had ultimately ended up in King Dutugemunu's army.

Some interesting traditional beliefs

The cawing of a crow from the house-top is considered a sign of good news and the arrival of visitors is said to be indicated by the cawing of a crow in the front of the house, or by a cat washing itself on the doorstep.

If one's right nostril smarts, it is a sign that a close relation is speaking well of him. However, if it is the left nostril, it is believed to give the opposite meaning.

A special and charming vocabulary is used by Buddhists when on pilgrimages, lest they should bring bad luck upon themselves by using words unpleasant to the gods.

Similarly, when referring to smallpox, the Sinhala name for which is 'vasuriya', it is referred to as 'Maha-lede' or 'great sickness'. For the same reason, certain villages which are said to be sacred to gods or demons are never referred to by their true names.

There are more interesting beliefs regarding bathing. It was believed that bathing on Sundays spoils the bather's appearance, and bathing on Monday improves it. A bath on Tuesday was believed to bring on disease whereas Wednesday brings riches.

A bath on Thursday was said to create quarrels and one on Friday was said to bring death to the bather's children. Saturday was believed to be the most suitable day for bathing, bringing happiness.

Aravinda Dassanayake.