Date of Issue: 08 August 2018
Dimensions: 41mm x 30mm
Price: LKR 15.00
Issued Quantity: 500,000
Traditional Sinhalese Exorcism Ritual:
90 Sri Lankan Rupee - 01/18 (Bootha Sanniya)
90 Sri Lankan Rupee - 02/18 (Abootha Sanniya)
90 Sri Lankan Rupee - 03/18 (Beetha Sanniya)
90 Sri Lankan Rupee - 04/18 (Bihiri Sanniya)
90 Sri Lankan Rupee - 05/18 (Golu Sanniya)
90 Sri Lankan Rupee - 06/18 (Kora Sanniya)
90 Sri Lankan Rupee - 07/18 (Amukku Sanniya)
90 Sri Lankan Rupee - 08/18 (Naga Sanniya)
90 Sri Lankan Rupee - 09/18 (Murthu Sanniya)
90 Sri Lankan Rupee - 10/18 (Demala Sanniya)
90 Sri Lankan Rupee - 11/18 (Ginjal Sanniya)
90 Sri Lankan Rupee - 12/18 (Seethala Sanniya)
90 Sri Lankan Rupee - 13/18 (Vatha Sanniya)
90 Sri Lankan Rupee - 14/18 (Wedi Sanniya)
90 Sri Lankan Rupee - 15/18 (Pith Sanniya)
90 Sri Lankan Rupee - 16/18 (Kana Sanniya)
90 Sri Lankan Rupee - 17/18 (Gulma Sanniya)
90 Sri Lankan Rupee - 18/18 (Dewa Sanniya)
Soevenir Sheet:
90 Sri Lankan Rupee - Traditional Sinhalese Exorcism Ritual (SS) Orange
90 Sri Lankan Rupee - Traditional Sinhalese Exorcism Ritual (SS) Yellow
90 Sri Lankan Rupee - Traditional Sinhalese Exorcism Ritual (SS) Green
Sanni Yakuma
Sanni yakuma, sometimes known as Daha ata sanniya is a traditional Sinhalese exorcism ritual. The ritual consists of 18 masked dances, each depicting a particular illness or ailment affecting humans. These 18 dances are the main dances of the Pahatharata, or low country, dancing form, which is one of the three main dancing forms of Sri Lanka. The ritual calls the demons who are thought to affect the patient, who are then told not to trouble humans and banished.
Origin
It was believed that illnesses were brought on humans by demons and these beliefs and rituals could have prehistoric roots. According to folklore, the 18 demons who are depicted in the Sanni Yakuma originated during the time of the Buddha. The story goes that the king of Licchavis of Vaishali suspected his queen of committing adultery and had her killed. However, she gave birth when she was executed and her child became the Kola Sanniya, who grew up "feeding on his mother's corpse". The Kola Sanni demon destroyed the city, seeking vengeance on his father, the king. He created eighteen lumps of poison and charmed them, thereby turning them into demons who assisted him in his destruction of the city. They killed the king, and continued to wreak havoc in the city, "killing and eating thousands" daily, until finally being tamed by the Buddha and agreed to stop harming humans.
Each of these demons are believed to affect humans in the form of an illnesses, and the Sanni Yakuma ritual summons these demons and banishes them back to the demon world after bringing them under control. Although it is unclear when the ritual began, it has been performed in the southern and western parts of the country since ancient times
Ritual
The name of the ritual comes from the Sinhala word sanniya meaning disease or ailment, and yakuma meaning demon ritual. In Sri Lankan culture, exorcism rituals are known as tovil. The Sanni Yakuma is possibly the best known exorcism ritual in the country. It is a mix of traditional beliefs regarding spirits with Buddhism. Before performing the healing ritual, the lead performer known as the yakadura determines whether the patient is affected by a demon, and schedules the ritual for an auspicious day and time, usually from dusk to dawn. The Edura or Yakadura is the Shaman Healer and is usually a fisherman, drummer or farmer. It has two main stages, namely the Ata Paliya and Daha Ata Sanniya. The dancers are dressed in colourful attire and masks, and perform swift and complex dance steps and spins accompanied by rhythmical drum beats. Rather comic and somewhat obscene dialogues take place between the drummer and the demon on stage, in which the demon is humiliated. For example, Moore and Myerhoff (1977) describe the following dialogue translated from Sinhala:
Drummer: Where are you off to?
Demon: I am off to Maradana by a first class express bus.
Drummer: ...What was it I saw you doing only yesterday? You pissed near the sacred bodhi tree, then shitted on the temple grounds after which you stole a monk's robes. What else have you done? ...
Demon: You peretaya!
Drummer: Aah – you are only a mad demon – beneath contempt
Ata Paliya
Ata Paliya is the name given to the eight dances in the first stage of the ritual. Before the dances begin, the Yakadura prepares some offerings for the demons, which will be given to them by the patient. The Ata Paliya depicts eight palis who bless the patient. This includes the Suniyan Yakshaniya who appears thrice as a beautiful damsel, a pregnant woman and a woman carrying a baby. This is followed by Maruwa (death) and demons called Kalu Yaka, Vatha Kumara and Kalu Kumara. The other palis are known as Anguru Dummala Paliya, Kalaspaliya and Salupaliya.
Daha Ata Sanniya
Although the Daha Ata Sanniya is part of the Sanni Yakuma, the name is sometimes used to refer to the ritual itself. This is the stage when the sanni demons make their appearance one after the other. The demons who first appear frightening when they enter the stage in frenzied dances are then shown as comic figures through enactments, with them being humiliated and forced to do various things. The Kola Sanni demon enters last, who is depicted as a non Buddhist demon. In the end, he is made to obtain the permission of the Buddha and accept offerings from humans, and agrees to stop troubling them. In the end, the dancer appears before the patient after removing the mask.
Although there are only eighteen demons, there is a variety of sanni masks that differ from place to place. However, the eighteen most commons masks (and names of the demons) are as follows:
| Demon | Associated ailment |
|---|---|
| Amukku Sanniya | Vomiting and stomach diseases |
| Abutha Sanniya | Non–spirit related insanity |
| Butha Sanniya | Spirit related insanity |
| Bihiri Sanniya | Deafness |
| Deva Sanniya | Epidemic diseases |
| Gedi Sanniya | Boild and skin diseases |
| Gini Jala Sanniya | Malaria and other high fevers |
| Golu Sanniya | Dumbness |
| Gulma Sanniya | Parasitic worms and stomach diseases |
| Jala Sanniya | Cholera and chills |
| Kana Sanniya | Blindness |
| Kora Sanniya | Lameness and paralysis |
| Maru Sanniya | Delirium and death |
| Naga Sanniya | Bad dreams about snakes |
| Pissu Sanniya | Temporary insanity |
| Pith Sanniya | Bilious diseases |
| Slesma Sanniya | Phlegm and epilepsy |
| Vatha Sanniya | Flatulence and rheumatism |
Current Status
The Sanni Yakuma is still performed today, particularly along the south coast, though more often as a cultural spectacle than an exorcism ritual. However, it is not widely performed because of the high costs involved and also because of its long duration. The 2004 Indian Ocean Eartquake and Tsunami also has affected its survival. Though the coastal regions came under colonial influences as well as prior foreign influences, the art was best preserved in the south-west coast.
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The Eighteen Masks – Dance Exorcisms Of The Low Country
Long before the advent of western medicine, Sri Lanka had its own indigenous system of medicine and ritualistic healing.In the ancient times, people in Sri Lanka believed they fell ill because various dark spirits—or demons—invaded their bodies. Because of this belief, various healing rituals with the purpose of expelling these demons were conducted. Commonly known as thovil in Sinhalese, the best known of all the shanthikarma is thedaha ata sanniya.
The ritual which can expel eighteen demons
According to this belief, eighteen demons or sanni yakku are responsible for different diseases, which can be cured by performing an exorcism. Even today, this ritual is practised in the hopes of exorcising the demons which are believed to cause suffering and chaos in people’s lives. The ritual is also practised as a traditional dance, by traditional dancers like the students of the University of Performing Arts in Colombo.
The ritual consists of 18 masks that represent each of the demons that cause the maladies, with one mask for the Maha Kola sanni yaka—the chief of these eighteen demons.
It therefore, calls for nineteen different masks in total to be worn by practised dancers who perform the ritual healing ceremonies. A shaman healer who conducts the ritual—called a yakendura in Sinhalese—is also present at the thovil.
During a thovil, the yakendura calls forth the sanni yaka responsible for the sickness that has affected the person in question, and a dancer decked in mask and costume comes forward. Then the patient presents an offering to the dancer wearing the sanni mask, symbolic of presenting an offering to appease the demon that caused their affliction. The exorcist commands the demon to leave the body of the sick person, after which the thovil dancer performs an elaborate dance to appease the sanni yaka.
Dewa sanniya
Cholera, typhoid, measles, mumps, chicken pox and other contagious diseases were said to be the work of the dewa sanni yaka. Because these diseases were epidemics that proved fatal, the ancients believed that they were caused by the gods. Due to this reason the mask of this sanni yaka was carved with a crown.
Watha sanniya
The ancients believed that abdominal conditions such as flatulence and gout were caused by the watha sanni yaka, and they held the belief that these ailments could be relieved by performing the ritualistic dance associated with the demon.
Pith sanniya
Bilious diseases—caused by an excessive secretion of bile—were believed to have been caused by the pith sanni yaka. A symptom of such a disease is jaundice (a yellow tinge in the skin or eyes), and because of this most of thepith sanniya mask faces were painted either yellow or orange.
Amukku sanniya
The Amukku sanni yaka was said to be responsible for vomiting and stomach diseases such as diarrhea. The mask’s face was green with an expression of disgust, depicting nausea.
Ginijala sanniya
This entity was said to be responsible for high fever and chills of the body. Malaria is one such disease which has both these symptoms, and it was believed that performing this sort of tovil would result in a cure. The face on the mask is painted red to depict a high fever.
Naga sanniya
Nightmares featuring fearsome serpents was believed to be the work of the vicious naga sanni yaka, and the mask contains the carving of a serpent on one side of it.
Kapala sanniya/Pissu sanniya
The pissu sanni yaka or kapala sanni yaka was said to be responsible for temporary insanity, which could be alleviated by performing this sanniya. The mask depicting this sanni yaka is green with a slightly manic expression in the eyes.
Selesma sanniya
Migraines and other related ailments, as well as epilepsy, were believed to have been caused by the selesma sanniya.
Kora sanniya
This demon is said to have been responsible for paralytic conditions and diseases that cause numbness in the face, hands and feet. The face on this mask depicts lifeless facial muscles, like that of someone who suffered a stroke.
Butha sanniya
The mask of this sanniya represented a demon who was also supposedly responsible for temporary madness that was related to the influence of evil spirits.
Kana sanniya
The ancients believed that this demon was responsible for temporary blindness which is why the mask of this sanni yaka is usually a face carved with one eye.
Bihiri sanniya
This sanniya was associated with temporary deafness. The one side of its mask was carved with a serpent, because the ancients regarded the serpent as a deaf creature.
Golu sanniya
This demon was said to have been the cause of dumbness and speaking disabilities. Usually the mask of this sanniya was a face with an open mouth and no tongue and/or teeth.
Gedi sanniya
Skin diseases that caused cysts, wounds and boils were believed to have been the work of the gedi sanni yaka, and the mask of this sanniya was a face full of boils and tumours.
Jala sanniya
They also believed that severe conditions of diarrhea—which is a symptom of diseases like cholera—were caused by the jala sanni yaka. The mask of thissanniya is red.
Gulma sanniya
Diseases and illnesses that are caused by parasitic worms like the hookworm and tapeworm were believed to have been the work of the gulma sanni yaka.The mask of his sanniya is painted pale yellow, depicting the skin colour of patients suffering from anaemia as a result of worm diseases.
Abutha sanniya
This sanniya represented temporary madness in people believed to have not been caused by dark spirits.
Maru sanniya
The maru sanni yaka was said to responsible for death.
Maha Kola sanniya
The mask of the Maha Kola sanniya
In local folklore, this is the chief of the eighteen chaotic demons who are responsible for all the physical ailments and diseases mentioned above. According to the legend, this demon is more fearsome than the eighteen minor demons he rules over.
The folklore speaks of a pregnant queen who lived during the time of Lord Buddha, who was suspected by her husband of committing adultery and was executed. During her execution she gave birth to a son, who fed on her corpse and became the demon Maha Kola. The legends go on to say that it was he who created the eighteen demons of illness to help him take revenge on his father.
The mask of the Maha Kola sanniya is a two foot high mask which features a demonic face with wings on either side—each one displays nine smaller demonic faces that are the masks of the daha ata sanniya.
According to the belief surrounding these rituals, the demons are brought under control with the offerings and the performance and banished back to the demonic world. Though it unclear when the rituals began, they have been practised in the southern and western provinces, areas part of the ancient Ruhunu kingdom.
Even today, there are a handful of people who practise these rituals in these areas, as part of the Ruhunu tradition of classical dance in the country. These rituals, however, now tend to be practised as cultural performances rather than ritual healings and exorcisms.
*Research by Amanda Abeysooriya
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