009 | On Sri Lankan Demons & Witchcraft...
This content is a preview of episode 9 of Myths & Samsara coming June 17.
Where did it all begin?
Ancient Ceylon's relationship with the Indian Subcontinent
As recorded in the ancient chronicles, Sri Lankan kings have a long history of negotiating trade deals and marrying Indian princesses and welcoming migrants from the Indian Subcontinent. Later kings, unable to bring the local population to war, would import armies of mercenaries to do their dirty work. Then, with no community to fall back on, these immigrants were subjugated and mistreated—their presence resented by the local populace. Towns and cities arose with a Tamil half and a Sinhalese half. Variations of this persisted throughout the colonization years.
That these migrations happened confuses demon worship as a foreign import and propagates a myth that tamils originated as the naga people on the island. Putting all that aside, there has been considerable influence from these migrants bringing with them their demons, superstitions, and charms.
As of 1866, more than 7/8ths of the charms or spells belonging to sinhalese necromancy were in the Tamil language. The last kings of Sri Lanka were Buddhist of Tamil origin. There is much overlap between these two cultures, erased by the propaganda on both sides following Sri Lanka's most recent civil war.
The Yaksha History of Ceylon
The chronicles of Lanka speak of the Buddha visiting Sri Lanka three times. One of those times was to dispel or evict the yaksha population. Perhaps he was giving them notice. Because the Buddha’s teachings didn’t officially arrive in Sri Lanka until the reign of King Dewanan Piyatissa who reigned in 307 BCE a full 236 years after the Buddha’s death.
When Buddhism did arrive to the island, it was said to have been embraced by its people who were most likely already under Buddhist cultural and societal influence.
Historical Records from the 1600s and 1800s
Author and Captain Robert Knox was held captive in uncolonized parts of Sri Lanka against his will in the late 1600s. From his writings, he illustrates portuguese and some christian cultural influence on the island despite only the coastal areas being exposed to foreigners.
On escaping, he wrote ‘An Historical Relation of the Island Ceylon, in the East-Indies’ and his ‘Account of the Capitivity of Capt. Robert Knox and Other Englishmen in the Island of Ceylon’. One served as a dossier helping the later British invasion of Sri Lanka while the other served to inspire Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe.
Knox’ description of demonism in Ceylon is cited as being no different from De Silva's description 200 years later in ‘On Demonology and Witchcraft of Ceylon’ published in 1866. Looking at recent research papers on demonism in Sri Lanka, demonology and witchcraft continues as a fixed component of society.
To which my mother would say, ‘we do not worship demons!’ True we do not.
Demons are Spirits
Demons from a christian perspective are not the same as the supernatural spirits from a buddhist perspective. These are spirits can be malicious or good depending on circumstance. These spirits are also subject to a higher authority giving them rules to follow and permission to wreak havoc on the humans.
The term witchcraft in the west is unrecognized in Sri Lankan circles. Instead, we know of Demonism and the more recent hooniyam, Capuism, and Grahaism.
Not every Buddhist can follow the 8-fold path and live a virtuous and fruitful life. Humans are, human. Life is messy. Not everyone can be a billionaire.
The scholars who write about Sri Lankan demonology and witchcraft describe these three sub-religions as a buddhist’s means of affecting their health, prosperity, and relationships.
More recent studies find that practice of these sub-relitions is not limited to Buddhists. All Sri Lankans whether Christians, Muslims, and Hindus may dip their fingers here.
Worship, Witchcraft, Spells, & Charms
Buddhists don’t worship the Buddha the way Christians worship Jesus Christ. In the same way, we don’t worship the gods nor the hooniyam, capuism, or grahaism I’m talking about.
Why use the word worship? It’s true we offer flowers, incense, prayers. Do we? Translate any of the great blessings in Buddhism and you will hear a pattern:
We talk in truths and by this truth may this be so. These flowers fade and die, and so shall I.
Our prayers are metaphors and similies.
That buddhist prayer can be described as incantations, charms, and blessings is more accurate than worship per se.
Perhaps, this is why these three sub-religions persist.
Demons | Keeping Bodies Safe from Disease
The demons/spirits are influenced by the worst motives towards mankind, without a sentiment of pity, justice, or kindness, in their nature. They are instrumental in curing diseases as well as in inflecting them. They are coerced by spells and propitiated with offerings and particular ceremonies. They can not affect the spiritual welfare of man in any way; but can only cause death at the most. A spirit is subject to death like all beings recognized by buddhism although that even tmay take place after 10s of 1000s of years.
There is no state of perpetual existence for any being. Happines and misery can never be perpetual. Rewards or punishments for the actions of one life will be reaped in one or more states of existence afterwards. Mere obedience to a demon does not necessitate any disobedience to one’s religion.
There is no veneration of the demon. The worshiper aims to flatter and give offerings or to coerce the demon by threats. The aim is to cure or to inflict some disease or to safeguard the healthy. The spirits are objects of indescribable dread.
These priests are called Yakkaduras, Yakdessas, or Cattadiyas. It takes 12 months to learn to be one. The job being to memorize all of the necessary charms, invocations, and songs. Some demon-ceremonies start at 6 pm and last without intermission through a whole night for 12 hours or longer. The dancing and signing go together except when the former happens to be so violent in nature as to render the Cattadiya unable to continue.
In early times the profession was confined to Tomtom beaters, Durayas, and Jaggaries. But has since moved to include people from all castes who wish to learn. The first man who ever practiced the art is said to have been called Pradeys Rosia.
Cattadiyas are priests of demons, they are not distinguished from the rest of society in any way. They wear no particular badge or dress like buddhist monks. They don’t receive additional respect from anyone. He usually holds a job or profession that is his main source of income. His profession is seen as a calling. There is nothing of a sacred character belonging to it.
Capuism | The Blessings or Curses of the Gods
The objective of capuism is to protect people from evil and epidemic diseases of a malignant nature. The deviyo or gods who are the objects of worship are a more exalted class of beings, not possessed of the same evil dispositions as the demons. They don’t bring sickness and death on innocent people but reserve their powers of doing evil only for the punishment of those, who in any way displease them.
The punishment they inflict is always out of proportion to the nature of the offence.
THey are not as malignant as the demons but they are revengeful and irascible in their nature. They are more properly called dewatawo or inferior gods and are propitiatied by particular ceremonies. The priests are called capuwas. The priestesses of one of the principal goddesses belonging to this worship named Pattini deviyo are called Pattini Hamies. They were considered to be superior to the Cattadiyas.
There is nothing of a sacred character belonging to it.
Grahaism | Astrology and Planetary Influences
This is perhaps the easiest of the three sub-religions to describe. What is the auspicious time to step out of the house, get married, start a business? What must I do to have success with this new beginning?
Not trusting to the good karma of past lives, many people flock to astrology or the reading of the planets to determine whether or not they are going through a good or bad time. They seek an explanation for why they are unable to hold a job or to find a partner.
This extends to the matching of man and woman before marriage. If the stars do not align, it may not happen.
Even buddhist monks will be well versed in grahaism. The assumption here is that the relationship between the time and place of your birth and the past karma you arrived with, can be mapped out.
When put out by your astrological influence, there are Balli ceremonies that can be held. At the same time gem merchants and jewellers will sell you a nava-graha ring featuring nine stones representing the nine planets as a charm against bad planetary influences.
During the reign of Sri Parakrama Bahu in 1410 AD, Sri Rahula Terunanse, a Buddhist Priest who lived during that reign, reduced Grahaism to its present condition by teaching it to people of some of the low castes. The title of Ballicaareya or Balleadura title is held by Berawayos or Tomtom beaters.
-D.M. De Alwis
This content was published in both audio and visual formats as episode 009 of Myths & Samsara.
009 | Misconceptions of Demons & Witchcraft in Sri Lanka | An Explainer
Sri Lanka is strange. For one, three persistent sub-religions are practiced by most Sri Lankans though they may not realize it. These are Demonism, Capuism, and Grahaism. All three have been widely documented by anthropologists. Europeans recorded these religions under the terms of Witchcraft and Demonology. I don't blame them. How could they possibly understand? Even modern Sri Lankans are unaware of why or how these three sub-religions have become so deeply embedded in the culture.
Chapters:
An overview of historical relations between the Sinhalese and the Tamil people of Sri Lanka, and why these sub-religious practices grew through both of these groups.
Colonial misinterpretations.
How sub-religions persist alongside Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism.
Demonology as a means of maintaining wellness.
Capuism to broker a relationship with vengeful deities.
Grahaism, to neutralize planetary influence.
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References
De Silva Gooneratne, Dandris. “On Demonology and Witchcraft in Ceylon.” The Journal of the Ceylon Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain & Ireland 4, no. 13 (1865): 1–117. http://www.jstor.org/stable/43483453.
- Knox, Robert. "An Historical Relation of the Island Ceylon in the East Indies." 1681.
- Reflections on a Heritage. Historical Scholarship on Premodern Sri Lanka. History and Archaeology of Sri Lanka, Volume 1. Central Cultural Fund, Ministry of Cultural and Religious Affairs. 2000.
- Early Tamil Settlements in Ceylon by K. Indrapala.
- A Forgotten Aspect of the Relations between Sinhalese and the Tamils by A. Liyanagamage.
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