⭕ උඩරට නර්තන සම්ප්‍රදායේ එන ප්‍රධානතම ශාන්තිකර්මයක් වන වලි යකුම [Ep 01 ]

ඇසළ පෙරහර මහා මංගල්ලය නිම වීමේන් පසු පුරාණ චාරිත්‍රානුකූලව සිදු කරන “වලියක් මංගල්ලය” ශාන්තිකර්මය මෙවරත් මහනුවර ශ්‍රී මහා විෂ්ණු දේවාල පරිශ්‍රයේ දී සිදු වූ අයුරු..

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#gatabera
#srilanka
#dance
#wes
#kandyan
#waliyakmangallaya
#wishnu

 Plus

Valli Yak Mangalya: Time to make vows and ward off evil spirits

By L.B. Senaratne

The Valli Yak Mangalya, the finale of the Kandy Esala Maha Perahera, enacted at the Maha Vishnu Devale in Kandy has its origins in the Aluthnuwara Perahera. The Valli Yak Mangalya, is performed for seven days at the Maha Vishnu Devale. This ceremony is enacted today on the day of the Day Perahera at Aluthnuwara.

At this function on the seventh day, young men and women who know of the existence of the Valli Yak Mangalya make vows by tying them on the ' tail ' of the Ves dancers. This is mostly done by unmarried couples and mothers to give their daughters in marriage before the next Valli Yak Mangalya. These vows are fulfilled in seventy per cent of the instances.

Valli Yak Mangalya was a secret ritual and it was only latterly that people could view it. The main purpose was to ward off the ' evil eye ' from the elephants, Nilames, drummers and those involved in the Kandy Esala Maha Perahera.

The drummers are from Aluthnuwara Devale and they do not perform at the Kandy Esala Maha Perahera as a rule, because their own Perahera is at Aluthnuwara. Their presence in Kandy is because once the deity of Maha Vishnu was at Aluthnuwara and from there the deity was brought to Kandy during the time of King Senerat.

This ritual is entwined in legend and folklore and part of the ritual is borrowed from Kohomba Kankariya. This ritual is believed to be the oldest form of ceremonial dance known also as ' Kohomba Yakkum '. The origin of this ritual is attributed to King Panduvasdeva's time. Kohomba Kankariya was performed out of love and compassion for King Parakrama Bahu VI of Kotte, according to J.E. Sederman.

For seven days the dancers perform at the Devale of Maha Vishnu, first by tying young coconut flower over the performance area. On the seventh day, the flower is brought down and then the dancers dance in an anti-clockwise direction. The people who witness this pick the coconut inflorescence and take them away to be tied in their homes until the next Valli Yak day.

On the seventh day, Gara Yakka enters, (he has been summoned for seven days) and Kiribath, oil cakes, water and coins are offered for him to depart in peace. As the story goes, Gara Yakka was in fact a Prince who was banished to the wilds as he had married his sister.

The astrologers who had seen his horoscope warned the King and Queen, that he would have a sister of exceptional beauty and that he should be sent away from the country. It is said that he became a priest who had powers to fly. But, when he saw his sister Giri Devi, he is said to have been unanle to resist her and both lived as husband and wife. P.Wirz in ' Exorcisms and art of healing' gives a number of instances connected with Gara Yakka and Giri Devi.

Gara Yakka is reputed to have a powerful appetite and it is said that he was ordered by Goddess Patthini to clean the home of God Kataragama, for Goddess Patthini to arrive, and had done so, devouring all the furniture and all else and still scolded God Kataragama for not giving him enough to eat. It is this Gara Yakka that is called for at Maha Vishnu Devale to ward off the evil eye and subsequently departs in peace.

The seven-day ritual

By Udumbara Udugama

The Sri Dalada Esala Perahera in Kandy commenced on August 4 this year with the first ritual of planting of the 'Kap' in the four Devalas, Natha, Vishnu, Kataragama and Pattini. The Nayakkar Kings who ascended the throne of Kandy made popular the worship of Hindu deities and the Sri Maha Vishnu Devalaya plays a major role in the Esala Perahera as the 'Kapa' is first brought to this devalaya and then distributed to the other three devalas.