Rankadu Pattini Devalaya:

Sanctuary of the Guardian Goddess

By Ranil Wijayapala

The small hillock by the side of old Colombo-Avissawella road, facing the broad, placid, Kelani River that sinuously flows down to the sea just after the Kaduwela town, is home to a landmark shrine - the Rankadu Pattini Devalaya.

It has become a public attraction today both due to its historic value and also as one of the key Devalayas dedicated to Goddess Pattini, the guardian goddess of health and fertility.

Anyone visiting this place climbing the steps through the rock that leads to this historic shrine will understand the legend behind this place and how it had been a strategic place for the Sinhalese kings and their forces who fought against the colonial occupation of the country.

Used by the Singhalese kings as one of the observation points of the Kelani river that has been used as one of the key routes by the colonials to move into the inland of the country, this historic land in Kaduwela became a strategic location for landmark battles such as Mulleriyawa battle fought against the Portuguese by King Seethawaka Rajasinghe in 1569.

The legends behind the Mulleriyawa battle imply that Seethawaka Rajasinghe was an ardent believer of Goddess Pattini. He had built this Devalaya dedicating his golden sword (“Ran Kadu”) to Goddess Pattini fulfilling a vow he made before proceeding to the Mulleriyawa battle.

At the same time there are historical documents to say that Kaduwela has been used as the official armory of the forces of Seethawaka Rajasinghe and they kept their swords at this place. In fact, the very name “Kaduwela” means the “grounds where the swords were kept”.

Though there are different legends on the Rankadu Pattini Devalaya there is proof that it has been a place blessed with the divine touch of Goddess Pattini from the time Sri Lankans started worshiping Goddess Pattini as the guardian goddess of the health and fertility.

These historic roots still remain in this place which is preserved in accordance with the guidelines of the Archaeological Department. The rituals dedicated to Goddess Pattini and the traditions followed by the families protecting the ‘Angampora’ martial art tradition make the Rankadu Devalaya a focal centre for the community.

The present Devalaya has been constructed to make offerings to Goddess Pattini after the people in the area realized that this place is being protected by a divine force as a sacred place when a group of farmers had tried to cultivate this land. Thereafter it has been systematically improved to this status by the Wijethunga family acting as the guardian Kapuralas of this Devalaya.

According to Kularatna Wijethunga, the principal Kapurala of the Rankadu Pattini Devalaya, they are fulfilling rituals to Goddess Pattini at the Devalaya as it has been dedicated to Goddess Pattini who is considered the guardian goddess of the Kelani Valley.

The principal Devalaya dedicated to Goddess Pattini has become an attraction for the public to make their vows to Goddess Pattini seeking her blessing to have children and to protect their children from diseases.

As the Rankadu Pattini Devalaya is also located close to Nawagamuwa, people believe that the Rankadu Pattini Devalaya is having a major impact on the Nawagamuwa Devalaya and devotees tend to visit both places with same piety and faith.

The statue of Goddess Pattini is placed inside the shrine and is opened for public viewing only during the “thevawa”, the daily ritual held to make offerings to Goddess Pattini.

The paintings of the Devalaya have been done according to the Kandyan traditions, depicting the direct link between Goddess Pattini and Buddhism.

The Devalayas dedicated to Vishnu, Kataragama and various other Gods and Goddesses worshipped by Buddhists and Hindus are also located by the side of Pattini Devalaya. Kapuralas dedicated to each Devalaya are assigned to make the offerings on behalf of the people.

The site has a Buddhist shrine, Bodhi and Chetiya and lots of Buddhists visiting this place follow Buddhist religious rites before making their offerings to the respective Devalayas.

“We are preserving the historic values of this place and protecting all the goods we found from here with historic value,” Kularatna Wijethunga said.

According to him a painting on a canvas depicting the seven origins of Goddess Pattini is well preserved in the Devalaya. “This partially decayed painting might be the only painting on canvas with such a historic value,” he added.

Only four origins of Goddess Pattini (according to the belief Goddess Pattini has seven origins) is discernible in this painting since a part of the painting has been decayed as it has not been identified as a painting with a historic value.

The annual Perahera conducted the by Rankadu Pattini Devalaya is the biggest ritual conducted in the name of Goddess Pattini and attracts thousands who believe that they need the blessings of Goddess Pattini.

“What we most value here is the way we make our offerings to Gods and Goddesses. Each Kapurala serving in these Devalaya is a messenger between the devotee seeking the blessing of the Gods and the relevant God. Therefore, we give priority to convey the message of the devotee to the Gods when conducting rituals here and that attracts a large number of devotees to this place on a daily basis,” Wijethunga noted.