Sri Lanka is a wonderful country with a multicultural background. Hence, people follow several religions and beliefs. Moreover, there are many people who worship gods and goddesses of different kinds. And that is the reason why we often hear stories about gods and deities through Sri Lankan folk stories and literary books. Yet, for a long time, people have had doubts about the existence of gods and goddesses. Also, people debate the fact about belief in their existence. Yet, since Sri Lanka is a country with a strong association with the culture, many people don’t leave out the fact about the existence of these gods and goddesses.
However, the deities of Sri Lanka are quite different from the ones that the western countries follow. So, it would be indeed interesting to read about these gods and goddesses of Sri Lanka.
Continue reading to know about the deities of this wonderful country, that the people keep in high regard!
Who are Gods and Goddesses?
In Sri Lanka, people call these gods and goddesses as “Deviyo”. They believe that these gods are a group of extraordinary human beings who reached the level of superiority and worshipped after their death. Also, people think that they might have performed huge meritorious activities in their past lives to attain the level of a deity.
As such, there are different kinds of stories about the origin of gods and goddesses which are quite interesting. Also, people believe that they are able to help humans in their times of difficulty. Hence people worship and pray for gods and goddesses to attain blessings. The place where the people pray and make offerings to the gods is famous as ‘devalaya’, meaning the ‘deity shrine’.
While we can’t see any such superior beings with our naked eyes, it is the belief in their existence that makes people worship them. People also believe that there is a power called ‘devatha dushti‘ which means ‘attraction of gods‘. Accordingly, there is a belief that the gods look upon and make their lives easy for the ones who perform meritorious activities and give merits to the gods.
However, people belonging to various religions believe in varying gods and goddesses. Keep reading to learn more about such deities under different categories.
Buddhist Gods and Goddesses of Sri Lanka
The spiritual leader of the Buddhists is Lord Buddha. Apart from following him and his philosophies, the majority of the Buddhists also worship some gods and goddesses to seek their blessings. Some of the main gods and goddesses that the Buddhists worship are as follows.
Sakkra Devendra
As per anecdotes, God Sakkra or ‘Sakka’ is the king of the Gods. He plays a major role in Buddhist affairs in Sri Lanka as there is a belief that he is the ruler of the Tawtisa heaven. His character comes several times in the Pali canon. Hence, both Theravada and Mahayana Buddhists worship Shakra Devendra. According to Buddhist literature, Sakkra Devendra often looked upon Lord Buddha regarding matters of morality. And now, people believe that this god looks upon the human world and helps the virtuous needy Buddhist people.
God Saman
The God ‘Sumana’, ‘Saman’, or ‘Mahasumana’ is the guardian deity of the Sri Pada (Adam’s Peak) mountain. Buddhist consider this place to be rich with religious values. That is because they believe that there is an imprint of Lord Buddha’s foot on the peak of this mountain. They also believe that God Saman is the main deity who looks after and protects this sacred mountain and the area surrounding it.
Pilgrims seek blessings and protection from God Saman before climbing the Sri Pada. He has a main shrine at Ratnapura and also there is an annual festival in this area to honor him. There is also a whole dance tradition famous as ‘Sabaragmu’ which relates to God Saman. So, with all these beliefs, rituals and traditions, Sri Lankans pay honour to this significant god.
God Vibhishana
God Vibhishana is another god who is in a way similar to God Saman. He is also famous as the brother of the Sri Lankan King, Ravana. Therefore, Ramayana, the epic of India, is a good source to learn about the character of God Vibhishana.
According to this epic, he is a fair king, unlike his brother, as he supported King Rama. Besides, he is one of the four main guardian deities of Sri Lanka. God Vibhishana’s main shrine is located at Kelaniya. Devotees seek blessings from God Vibhishana to get a fair recourse to their problems.
Pattini
The Goddesses Pattini is one of the most popular female Buddhist divinities in Sri Lanka. Sri Lankan Buddhists consider her a guardian deity. Meanwhile, Sri Lankan Tamils also worship her in the name of Kannaki Amman. Sinhalese believe that she is the patron goddess of fertility and health. “Kiri Ammawarunge Danaya”, meaning the nursing mothers’ almsgiving, is a function that Sinhalese hold to seek blessings from this goddess. People praise her for her virtue and loyalty toward her husband. Therefore, both men and women worship her to get her blessings.
God Natha
God Natha is a pure Buddhist God. There is a belief that he is the equivalent of the Mahayana Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara. However, there isn’t that much information to be found about this god. In fact, the meaning of his name is no form or no shape. In Kandy and Vagiriya, there are two ‘devalayas’ or shrines that are dedicated to this God. The Kandy Natha devalaya premises is located near the Temple of the Tooth Relic. So, it is considered to be more special, lucky, and sacred than the other ‘devalayas’ dedicated to God.
Council of Gods and Goddesses
In heaven, there are countless numbers of gods and goddesses. Yet, according to the beliefs, there are only a certain set of powerful gods who can help and take care of the human world. They are called the ‘Deva Mandalaya’ or the Council of Gods. Following are some of the gods and goddesses that Sri Lankans consider being more powerful and can highly influence our lives.
Kataragama God
Kataragama God or Skanda Kumara God tend to get more special attention among the gods and goddesses of Sri Lanka. He is considered to be very powerful and there are shrines dedicated to him all over the country. People believe that this god helps people to develop their businesses. Sinhala Buddhists also believe that he is a guardian deity of the Buddha sasana.
The main shrine of God Kataragama is located in Kataragama, and it is famous as the Ruhunu Maha Kataragama Devalaya. It is said that this God mainly stays in the Sella Kataragama area protecting the Kiriwehera temple and the related Bodhi tree. There are many legends and beliefs woven around the character of God Kataragama.
Upulvan God
God Upulwan or Vishnu God is considered the chief god who protects Buddhism in Sri Lanka. His main shrine is located at Devinuwara. The name ‘Upulvan’ refers to the color of his body which is the blue water lily color. There are several mythical stories that state that Lord Buddha entrusted him with the protection of Buddha sasana in Sri Lanka. People believe that this god assists in solving problems related to families. There are historical records of worshiping God Upulvan from the medieval time period.
Dadimunda God
God Dadimunda is considered to be a Buddhist god. He is also famous as the Alutnuwara Devata Bandara, Menik Banadara, Uve Bandara, Alutnuwara deviyo, and Keerthi Bandara. He governs all the hungry devils and gods in Sri Lanka. His main shrine is located at AluthNuwara.
People worship Dadimunda God to get blessings to heal mortal illnesses and eradicate evil possessions. There are also beliefs that God Dadimunda can help with fertility issues. Hence, for issues involving hungry ghosts, devils, evil powers, diseases, spell bindings, and negative people’s curses, people can seek assistance from this god. There are records of people worshiping the Dedimunda god from the Kandyan era.
Shiva
God Shiva is one of the main deities of Hinduism. He is also probably the most popular Hindu deity. Hindus worship God Shiva as their supreme god. According to their beliefs, he has obtained immense powers by meditating and the ascetic he performs in the Himalayas.
Moreover, he is a god with many complex qualities, as per the history. For instance, he is both the destroyer and the restorer, the great ascetic and the symbol of sensuality, the benevolent herdsman and the wrathful avenger. The followers worship the linga and the phallic symbols of Lord Shiva. There are many shrines in Sri Lanka that are dedicated to God Shiva.
Lord Ganesha
This is another popular Hindu deity who takes the shape of an elephant. Lord Ganesha is the elder son of the God Shiva and Goddess Parvati. There are many names for this god such as Ganapati, Vinayaka, Vigneshwara, Ganesha, Vignesh, and Pillaiyar.
The abstract figure of this god consists of an elephant’s head and four hands. He is also one of the most worshiped gods in Sri Lanka. People worship and honor Lord Ganesh as the god of wisdom and the remover of obstacles. Even though Lord Ganesha is a Hindu deity, Sri Lankan Buddhists also hold him in high regard. Buddhists worship him under the names Ganapati or Gana deviyo. Owing to all these reasons, he is one of the most worshiped gods in Sri Lanka.
Lakshmi Goddess
As the goddess of wealth, prosperity, fortune, power, beauty, and fertility, the Goddess Lakshmi happens to be one of the principal gods of Hinduism. Apart from that, Goddess Lakshmi is the wife of the God Vishnu. She also goes by the name ‘Shri’.
This goddess sits on a lotus with lotuses on her hands and feet. Therefore, people believe that the lotus is also a powerful symbol of Hinduism as it signifies purity, fertility, and beauty. Goddess Lakshmi is also one of the goddesses of the tridevi trinity. Hindus believe that the Goddess Lakshmi brings good luck to them. However, as per history, there are 8 primary forms or avatars for the Goddess Lakshmi.
Saraswathi Goddess
Goddess Saraswati belongs to Hinduism, and people consider her the embodiment of knowledge, learning, wisdom, and arts. She is also a guardian deity and history reveals that she followed the teachings of Lord Buddha. Goddess Saraswati is also famous as ‘Maa’ or mother.
She doesn’t wear any jewels and she dresses in white which symbolizes her sacred purity. She has four hands that depict the four aspects of human personality in learning. Her divine figure consists of symbols such as a book, a rosary of crystal beads, a pot of sacred water, and a vina. In Sri Lanka, the Goddess Saraswati is given prominence at the beginning of educational functions, as well as in the dancing traditions.
Special Rituals for Gods and Goddesses of Sri Lanka
Sri Lankans engage in unique rituals to invoke blessings from these supernatural entities. Some of these rituals are performed by a devoted person, who is also a mystic figure that can interact with divine beings. People call him ‘kapurala’. They perform devale puja to ask for blessings for the devotees.
People offer brand new trays filled with fruits and other offerings and then Kapurala can perform personalized pujas according to the needs of the devotee. Apart from that, there are some days that people dedicate to gods like Diwali, Thai Pongal, Maha Sivaratri, Navratri, and even Poya days where devotees perform special rituals for the relevant gods and goddesses. Moreover, people perform various offerings for these deities such as Ganadevi puja, Saraswathi puja, nursing mothers’ almsgiving, Siva lingam puja, etc.
The Bottom Line
As citizens of a multicultural country, Sri Lankans believe in many deities who belong to various religions. Therefore, it is a considerable part of their culture as well. Getting an idea about one’s culture is an interesting part of traveling. It helps you also to pay a visit to such religious attractions or participate in special functions to get an idea about the deities in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority has even paid attention to developing the areas around these places. So, after all, there are so many interesting things about this paradise island. And yes, the deities, gods, and goddesses of Sri Lanka, and the culture woven around them are definitely one of them. Happy and safe traveling!
