________________
ALPHABETICAL GUIDE TO SINHALESE FOLKLORE FROM BALLAD SOURCES.!..
BY L. D. BARNETT. Abaran Kumar. See Kiri Amma. Abara poti. See Ambará poti. Abayakon Mätindu. A demon, on whom see Pitiya Devi. Abaya-patra. See Betel.
Abhimana Devi. Invoked in Samagam-mal-yahan ; worshipped with betel, etc., in Dalu-mura-yahan-kavi.
Abhimana Kadavara (Abiman K.) A demon, exorcised from women's thighs in Karlavaralovil; invoked in Kadavara-vidiya.
Abhimana Yaka (A. Devi). A demon, originally son of an Apdi mother and Raja-guru Raja of Oddisa-rata and Kavisi-rata. He is said to have sailed away with Gini-kanda and Ratikanda, and to have arrived in Ceylon at Kalugal-totamuna; they set up a standard on Kadavat-totamuna, and received offerings from all Ceylon, and inflicted disease. He is said to appear in the form of an ascetic with matted hair, with a jacket on his shoulders and a club in his hand, eating hemp and drinking arrack. Fowls, flesh, and blood are offered to him on three stands. He steals the offerings presented to Kataragama Devi and Saman, though he is under the authority of these deities and of the four guardian gods. [A.puvata.) In another legend A. was born of an Andi woman in Baranäs. He had matted hair, conch-rings in his ears, pearls round his neck, an axe at his waist, and a blanket round his loins, a conch-shell hanging round his neck, a club, and a reed flute. After wandering through many lands he swam over to Ceylon, and came to Kadirápura, but died from eating too much opium, and was reborn as A. Yaka. He visited Jayasundara Sâmi in a dream and afflicted him with sickness; he causes burning, fever, and headache; he also cures the deaf and dumb, Cakes, hemp, fowls, eggs, and cocoanut water are offered to him on an altar of 3 stages in a waste place, the celebrant holding a torch, and making a separate offering to Kada vara. (A.- yadinna.] The A.-dola, after invoking Mihindu (the Earth-god?) and others, relates that A. was born as a Bhůta in Kasi-rata, of Desa-guru and an Andi woman. He and three others sanctified themselves for 3 days at the meeting of three roads, under a tree. After wandering in many lands he came to Ceylon. He has the appearance of a Yogi, with matted hair, a club, stick, and rosary, and feeds on opium, flesh, hemp, and arrack. He lurks near deserted dwellings, pretends to be a friend, and then betrays people. He beats men to death, and drinks their blood; he steals offerings presented to Kataragama Deva, and sends disease in the 3 watches of the night. Fowls are offered to him.
Abhata Bandara. A god invoked in Dalu-mura-pidum-kavi.
1 These notes are based on abstracts of a large mass of Sinhalese poetry which were originally prepared by the late Mr Hugh Nevill and are now in the British Museum, which also possesses copies of nearly all the poems. The latter are for the most part connected with the local cults and demonologies of Ceylon. Many of them however deal with the ancient legends narrated in the Dipa-vamsa and Maha vansa, and possibly may throw some light on their obscurities. A few again touch on themes that seem to be derived from foreign sources, and to belong rather to popular literature than to folklore; they havo nevertheless been included, as it is impossible to draw an exact line of demarcation. Purely Buddhist stories have been excluded.
