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ALPHABETICAL GUIDE TO SINHALESE FOLKLORE
Manayuru. Adoptive father of Pattini.
Manda Kadavara. A demon, invoked in Kadavara-vidiya, K.-unata. Mandala Raja. Father of Tota Kaḍavara.
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Manda Raja. A god, invoked to cure fever and chills in Salu-salima; see Pattini. Mandhatu Raja. Mentioned in Amba-pattini-upata as having used a branch of Pattini's mango-tree for exorcism; see Pattini, Rama.
Mangale. The Ala-visi Mangalê gives a ritual for exorcising sorcery by invoking various gods and Buddha.
Mangra Devi. A demon, invoked in Kadavara-tovil and Sat-adiya-kavi. He was born in Mâyâ-rata; the king being unfavourable to him, he sailed away in a stone raft, landed at Usangoda, and went to Kataragama. He catches wild elephants at Bintänne. He is worshipped with boiled milk and dances, in order to exorcise sickness. [M.-d.ragê.] His symbol is a noose. Probably he is the same as Mangara Devi, who is said to have created the earth (see Cobra). The M.-d.-puvata states that in one birth he was a nephew of Visņu, and on one occasion caught a buffalo, which is hence called Mangara. billa (M's victim). It also says that the chief queen of the Irugal king, apparently identical with Kitalvala Raja of Mâyâpura, saw three dreams after bathing in a lake, viz., a cobra, a gem, and a golden crown on her head, and after 10 months gave birth to a boy through a golden door between her breasts. One, version of this poem adds that He Visnu's younger sister gave birth to 7 sons, whom Visnu wished to combine into one made six of them into the six-headed god Kanda (q. v.), but one escaped and became Mangra. It adds that Mangra was born successively from a cobra's hood, a writer's style, a flame, a gem, a circle of the sun's rays, the womb of a woman, and the breasts of a woman, as narrated above; that he attacks Yakas with a diamond sword and shews his power over Nâgas, and having been born as guardian of the world of men visited Mâyâ-rata. It continues by describing the buffalo-sacrifice to him. Gopalu (q. v.) went to catch a buffalo for Mangra, which (apparently) killed him and his followers. Then Budu-siri Kumarindu sprang into the swamp, caught a buffalo by its right leg, tethered it to a tree, stabbed its side, and drank its blood. It was cut up into pieces. Siri Kumâra prayed Pattini to give turmeric for the rites of purification, but she refused. The celebrant, having obtained it and other things for his rites from others, boiled milk under a canopy. First he boiled it for the Sun. Then he boiled more, and sprinkled the prince and the corpse. Then he boiled more, and sprinkled Mangra, who was reborn, and the followers, who then came back to life in the swamp. Lastly he boiled more milk and sprinkled the buffalo, which returned to life. A M.-kavi says that he was born of Buddha-rays, and Säkra sent him down to Usangoda. He was next born as son of queen Mâyâ in Mâyâ-rata. Säkra offered to him milk in a golden vase. He holds in his right hand a golden arrow, and hunts wild buffaloes with a noose.
He accompanies Kiri Amma, and protects Riri Yaka (q. v.). He is invoked in Devatar-kavi (aa having sprays of milky leaves in his hair and making Yakas dance), and in Asura-bandhane. See also Gopalu Vädi, Siddha Mangara.
Mangra Hami (M. Hamini). A goddess in Samayan-pädura (see Samayan,, Sataruvaran-mal-yahan, and Tovil-vidiya; her bangle invoked in Halamba-santiya and Ran-halambakavi. See Fowl.
Mangra Yaka. A demon in the troop of Däḍimunda.
Mänik Bandara. A demon, on whose legend see Perahära. See also Gangê Bandara
