8/11/2019 An Account of the Weheragoda Devale.

1/3

u

No'

34'-

1887'l

WEEPRAGOPA

ufvAl6'

4l

AN

ACCOUNT

OF

TIIE

WEIIERAGOPA

OdVTfu,f.

Bv

Annsun

JevewenoeNA'

EsQ',

Muolr'rvAn'

calied

WehqrcLgod'(r

Diudle'

This

site

(on which'

it

is

said'

stoocl

also

a wehqra'

ot

ui'htir6,

put up

in

the

d'ays

of

the

Klog

Ottot gqmurlu,

164

n'c')

is

within

sight

of

and

a

ferv

yuri,

t.o*

,the

minor

road

at

W6rago{a-a

village

which

suu-s

to

have

clerived'

its

name

from

the

existence

of

the

l.-pt .

But

no

book

now

extant

contains

any

allusion

to

this

vinrir6,

much

less

to the

cl6vril6' The

fragments

of

a

'clay

lamp,

two

lamp-hold'ers,

and'

tiles,-unique

in

tleir

{i.ndt

fashioned

in

a

manner

quite

unfamiliar

to

the

old'est

lnhabitants

of

the

place,-an'[

a

coin

founcl

d'uring

excavation'

N

the

village

Wehgragoda'

or'

as

it

is

incorrectly

but

popularly

termed,

W6rago{a,

in

the

Wgllabotia

Pattu

of

-GutI ,

there

exist

traces

of

the

site

of

a

temple

8/11/2019 An Account of the Weheragoda Devale.

2/3

42

JouRNAL,

R.A.s.

(cnyr,oN).

[\ror,.

X.

profession

of

his

supernatural

origin

was

sure

to

secure

for

him

from

the

people

arouncl

him,

must,

if

he

cared

for

a successful

realisation

of his

intentions,

show

himself

iit

a

place

where

people

given

up

to

devotion

are

in

the

habii

of

congregating;

ancl no

better place

could

have

been

chosen

for

such

a

purpose

than

the premises

rvhere

a

{amous

vih6r6

was

knorvn

to

exist,

as

people

would,

as a

matter

of

course,

gather

there

in

large

numbers

for

clevotional

purposes.

The belief

of the

SiBhalese

in

the

supernatural powers

of

gods,

the

protection

afforclecl

by

them

to

Budclhism,

and the

reacliness

vith

which

they give

ear to

the

invocations

of

men,

the

striking

clissimilarity

from

themselves

in

appear-

ance, habits,

ancl

language

of this

Malabar

man,

as

also

the

circumstance

of his being possessed

of a

knorvleclge

of

rvitch-

craft, which

must

have

at that

time

been

lookecl

upon

as

miraculous,-all

this

must

have

made

the

credulous

regarcl

him

as a

deuiy6,

and

have

induced

them

to

make

offerings

to

him.

This

custom

lasted

for

several

years;

and

even

up

to

the

present

time

offerings

are macle

at ihis

d6vril6

in

the

hope

of

protection

both from

calamities

and

even

in

prosperous

circumstances.

Orthodox

SiBhalese,

too, whose

belief

in

this

cleuiy|

had

taken

an unusually

Btrong

hold

of

them,

turned

Kapurd,las

(demon-priests),

and initiated

the

performance

known

as

D

e

w ol-s

cim riyct

mo,,

ot

G,in,i-y

cr,kunz

e,-a

cer emony

which,

in

behalf

of sick or

diseasecl

persons,

Kapurdlas

continue

to

perform

up

to

date, dressed

in scarlet

garments,

and

dancing

with

lighied

torches

in

harid., varying

the wild

antics

they

perform

with occasionally

treacling

heated

coal with

amazing

briskness

and

confidence, while

engagecl

at

the

same

time

in

the

manipulation

with equal

agility

of

the

several

tom-toms

that

contribute

the

music

necessary

for

the

ceremony.

That

part

of tho

ceremony

rvhich

has

to

clo

with

the

heated coals is

onacted,

I

am told,

in

imitation

of

a

like

feat

performed

by

the Ds'wol

Deviy6

himself.

No.

34.-

lS87'l

wriiH

FRAGc)De

n*:vi

lf

.

The

famous

Pattini Deviy6

having

become

jealous

of

the

.several

deities

landing

in

the

Island,

and fearing

that

Dewol

Deviy6

would, by

the

magical

powers

he

possessecl,

and

the

other

daring

feats

(for

which

as

a

Malabar

he

.was

clistin_

guished),

attract

to

himself

the

offerings

that

had

hitherto

been

maile

to

her,

placed

a

great

heap

of recl_hot

coals

on the

spot

where he landed..

But

with

an

insensibility

to pain

in

keeping

with the

other

supernatural

gifis

to which

he

laid

claim,

he

is

said to

have

trodden

on

these

red_hot

coals

with

the

utmost

calmness,

and,

as was

to

be expected,

came

off

unhurt.

W'ithout waiting

to inquire

into

the

probabilities

of

this

story,

it

is

of

importance

as fixing

the

anival

of

Dewol

Deviy6.

at

a

d.ate

somewhat

contemporaneous

with

that

of

Patiini Deviy6.

But

unfortunately

even

the

date

of

her

arrival is

not

accurately

known

as

yet.

In

different

other places

in

the

low

country

d6vril6s

were

erectecl

in

honour

of

this

De.wol

Deviy6,

ancl

the

Kapurdlas

connectecl

with

these

d6vdl6s

still

continue

to perform

these

ceremonies.

In

Pahalagamhaya,

in

the

Beniota-Walalliwiti

K6ral6,

this

ieremony

is

performed

once

a

year

shordy

after

the

gala

harvest,-thanks

being

offeretl

for

the

crop

already

reaped,

anct

a sort

of protection

invoked

for

the

coming

crop,

as

well

as

for

the people

engaged

in

agricultural

pursuits,_by

the

Kapunilas

of

Elorawala,

who

are

calleil

Srim1s

Qordi

in

ihat

village.

On

the

site

at

Wehgragotla

where

ihis

d6vril6

and

vihrir6

existecl,

there

are

no

buildings

now

except

a

watch-hut.

There

are,howeverrseven

stone pillars

on the grouncl

marking

the

boundaries

of

the

vih6r6

or

d6vril6.

There

are

also

on

tho

ground

lying

lengthwise

some

stone slabs planed

so

as

to

be

used

for

door-posts.

These

stone

slabs may

possiblyhave

been

pillars

intended

to point

to

some

sacred

edifice

on the

place,

although

none

of them

bear

any inscription.

,

On

this

temple's premises

there are huge umbrageous

trees-one

of

them

of

a

variety

that

no

native

is

acquainted

with-which

the

mincL

of

the

superstitious

dovotee

ean.only

43

8/11/2019 An Account of the Weheragoda Devale.

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44

JOURNAL,

R.A.S.

(oEYLON)',

[Vor.

X.

No.

3a.-1887.]

wEHBRAcope

n6vrir,t.

45

scene

of

pilgrimages

by Kandyans-the

objeci

of veneration

at

the

latter

place

being

the

'(

stondraft, which on inspec-

tion

I

found. to

be

only

a

heap

of stones.

A d6vril6,

however,

is

being

built

at

Sinigama by

the

people,

thus affording

a

proof

that

offerings

are

largely

made

to

it.

But

that

at Wehgragoda

there

stood a vihrtr6

as

well as

a

d6vril6

admits

of

no

d.oubt.

Upon

the

suggestion of a

Kapu-

rila

I had

the

more

elevated

grouncl

of ihe temple premises

excavateal

a

foot

deep

when

I last visited

the

place,

but

found

only

an old brick.

If

a

proper

excavation

is carried

out at

tho

sites

of

both this

d6vri16

and

the

vihrir6

(where

a ddgaba

in

which Buddhd,'s

relics anil

other treasures

are supposed to

be

buried,

must

also

have doubtless

existed) I

have reason

to

-believe

that

articles

of archreological

interest

will

be

found.

'

As

in

connection

with

the

Kdli

Kduila of

Bentofa,

of which

I

had occasion

to

'write

during

my

residence

in that

District,*

it

is

the

intention

of

several

influential

headmen

in the

Wehgrago{a

division

to

rebuild the

tl6vril6

on

this

site.

But

before

the

site

is

covered with

any building

it

would

be

visable

to

excavate it,

as

it

is still almost intact,

no

proper

vation

having

been

yet

made.

I have

also heard

it

ively

said that this

Dewol Deviy6 worked

so

much

the

fears

of

the people

of

'Wehgragoda

and. its

environs

not

even

a

grain

of

gravel

has

yet

been

removed

from

premises.

too

easily

imagine

as

beitrg

haunted'

by

gocts'

In

the

garclen

NeraJugedarawatta,

;bout

-a

huqdretl

fathoms

to

the

east

of

this

d'6v616,

tne e

is

an

oval-shapecl

well

which

it

is

said

belonged

to

the

t -pf '

In

this

wcll

there

is

said

to

be

a

subterraneou'

n*'*u

leading

to

the

site where

the

d'6vri16

stooal.

But

no

* *nt

seemslo

have

been

ma'le

to

ascertain

the

correctness

of

this

rePort'

At

the

eclge

of

this

weil

there

is

a stone

slab

formed

into

a

pillar,

with

a

tity

etg aoed

on

one

sicle

near

the

top'

There

are

also

certain;;; -

in

the

neighbourhood

of

this

d6vril6

called'

Pinwn*'to Ttitpaniya'

where

feats

of

strength

are

wont

to

be

practiJed'-Ilangagwatta'

rvhere

d'ancing

ancl

beating

tom-toms

are

practisecl;

Maluw6watta'

whero

pro'

cessions

are

formed

at'i)'

sirygd'raLn

band

ptayed

;

Kapugedara-

watta,

place

of

tne

resid'ence

of

Kapuwris

;

Kapugo{gllawatta'

a

garclen

where

th

*uu

a

cotton

plantation

;

Pokun6wattat

where

there

'was

once

a

pond

;

ancl

Neralugedarawattat

a

garden

where

there

was

a

cocoanut

plantation'

AII

these

garclens

wer ,

itl*

tuia'

granted'

by

King

Bhuwaneka

Brihu

for

defraying

the

ord'inary

expenses

of

the

d6vdl6'

The

circum*;;;t

orrd-

which

this

grant

tvas

made

by

the

king

u u

ut'o

a

current

traclition

in

the

village'

It

woulcl

seem

that

tn*

qot o'

being

seriously

ill'

ancl

all

efforts

at

restoring

U n uttn

having

proved'

unsuccessful'

Bhe

was

warned

in

a

dream

to

have

a

Gini-yakt'???

ceremony'

p'er'

formecllyt* f