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ALPHABETICAL GUIDE TO SINHALESE FOLKLORE
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One Devel-yadinna relates that an ascetic (apparently Bhasmasura, q. v.) was given by iśvara the boon that whatever he touched should burst into flame. Then Vişnu appeared to him as a girl in a swing; the ascetic became enamoured, and swore to give her whatever she desired, touching his own head as a sign of his oath. He was at once burned up. From the flames sprang Toda Kurumbura, Mal K., and Vata K., from the ashes Kalu K. and Devel; two other gods also arose thence. Each of these seven gods took a ship, loaded it with men and goods, and set sail. The ships were wrecked. After they had been swimming for 7 days, Mani-mekhalâve gave them a stone raft, on which they reached Ceylon. They trampled down the 7 barriers of fire which Pattini created, and landed; they visited Panadura, Iddagama, Mädagama, Sinigama, Udugampitiya, eto. One Devel-bâge, a poem to be sung in a dance in honour of the Devel gods, invokes them with the Seven Pattinis, describes the offerings to them, and speaks of their healing the Mäti of Sinigama and the building of a temple to them there. A D.-baga-kavi, which styles the god D.bâgayê Baudara Devi ("the Bandara God of the D.-district”), says that Siddha Pattini gave him authority in Ceylon, to which he came with 12 gods; he removes sickness and trouble, and runs over fire ; he has sanotuaries at Pas-bâga, Kehelgamuva, Kotmalaya, Samanala, the two Bulatgam-patana, Nuvara Eliya, and Gavara Eliya. One D.-kavi describes Devel as wearing a red blanket round his waist, pearls, and a shawl over the shoulders, fanning himself with a cloth of gold, and dancing near Maha-meru with a golden bangle in his hand. When he approached Ceylon, Pattini created 7 fire-lights in the sky to prevent his landing; but on reaching Siniyagama he created a fiery turban and robe and ate fire. Apparently he paid worship at Makkama (Mecca) and Kälaniya. A D.-yadinna states that there were three Devel gods, sons of queen Trivakkali of Soli-pura, who came with their retinue in 7 ships. They were wrecked on a reef, and after they had been swimming about for 7 days Mani-mekhalâva created for them 7 new ships, on which they reached the shore, breaking through the barrier of iron and fire with which Pattini tried to bar their entrance, and making their seats at Devuzdara, Muhudu-ragama, Udugampitiya, Bentota, Kalutota, Unavatuna, Sänigama, and Pânadura. The Maha-devel-vidiya, narrating the landing of the 7 Devel gods, describes an exorcistic ritual, in which Devel Devi is represented by a torch on the right and Gini Kurumbara by one on the left; the celebrant carries in his right hand the god's bangle, with which the god dances on the crystal rock beyond the Himalaya. The D. devi-nälma describes a dance on hot charcoal, in which the Devel gods are invited to take part, and states that Dovel came to Ceylon across the Seven Seas. A Pandama-kima relates that D. embarked for trade in a boat made of a log of a divul-tree (elephant-apple). It was wrecked, and Mihi-kat created one of stone, in which he reached Panadura. When he landed there, Pattini created a blazing fire. He sprang into it and danced the "firedance" (gini-keli). He gave torches to the Yakas and Nanda Rşi; Kanda came, and gave & torch to Riri Yaka for the “resin-powder fire-dance" (kila-gini-keli). The D.-devi-yadinna, a poem to accompany the dance in honour of these gods and describing the invocation of them to heal sickness, describes their voyage to Ceylon and their shipwreck; after they had been swimming for 7 days they found a stone raft, on which they reached Pånadura. For another dance-ritual for Devel see Arch. He attends Kalu Kumara, q. v. He issued from the flames that consumed Bhasmasura, q. v. He is apparently exorcised in Diva-sahusantiya, and is invoked in Alut-devi-kavi, Dalu-mura-yahan-kavi, Hat-adiya-prarambhaya, Kehelgomuva-devi-k., Samagam-mal-yahan, Sal-adiya-k., and Vidi-bändima. See also Devol Deviyo, Fowl, Kurumbura, Pattins, Pilli, Riri Yaka, Tanipola Riri Yaka, Torch.
