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DADAKUDAMAS: A compound word for meat and fish.
DAGOBE OR DAGEBA: Lit. Relic chamber. A Buddhist mound or stupa of earth or brick sometimes faced with stone, containing generally a chamber in which is preserved a casket of relics.
DALUMURE: A turn to supply betel for a temple or proprietor.
DALUMURA-PANGUWA: The holding of tenants, whose special service is that of supplying weekly or fortnightly, and at the festivals, a certain quantity of betel leaves for the “dalumura-tewawa” immediately after the multen or “ahara-pujawa” and for the consumption by the officers or priests on duty. This service was one of great importance at the Court of the King, who had plantations of betel in different parts of the country, with a staff of officers, gardeners, and carriers. At present the tenants of this class in Ninda villages supply betel to the proprietor for consumption at his house and on journeys. In some service villages the betel is to be accompanied with a quantity of arecanuts.
DALUPATHKARAYA: A sub-tenant; a garden tenant; one who has asweddumised land belonging to a mulpangukaraya. In some Districts the dalupathkaraya is called pelkaraya.
DAMBU: Tow; rags for lights. The supplying of dambu at festivals in a temple or for a Bali ceremony at a chief’s house forms one of the principal services of a dhobi.
DAN-ADUKKUWA: Food given by a tenant of a vihare land to the incumbent as distinguished from “dane” given to any priest for the sake of merit.
DANDUMADUWA: A timber-shed; a timber room. Every temple establishment has an open long shed for timber and building materials etc., and its upkeep forms one of the duties of the tenants.
DANE: Food given to priests for merit; alms: charity.
DANGE: Kitchen of a Pansale.
DANKADA: Pingo of food given to a priest.
DARADIYARA: Fuel and water the supplying of which forms the service of the Uliyakkarawasam tenants.
DASILIKAMA: An assistant to a Lekama or writer. The term is peculiar to Sabaragamuwa.
DAWULA: The common drum.
DAWULKARAYA: A tenant of the tom-tom beater caste, playing on a dawula at the daily service of a Vihare or a Dewale, and at the festivals.
DAWUL-PANGUWA: The tenement held by tenants of the tom-tom beater caste. In temples their service comes under the kind called the Pita-kattale (out-door-service). At the daily tewawa, at festivals, at pinkam, and on journeys of the incumbent, they beat the hewisi (tom-toms). On their turn of duty in a temple, they have to watch the temple and its property, to sweep and clean the premises, to gather flowers for offerings, and to fetch bolpen (water for temple use). The services of a Hewisikaraya are required by a lay proprietor only occasionally for weddings, funerals, yak and bali ceremonies, and on state occasions. This class of persons is employed in weaving cloth, and their penuma consists of a taduppu cloth or lensuwa. In all respects the services of the Dawulkarayo resemble those of the Tammattankarayo, a portion of the same caste, but who beat the Tammattama instead of the Dawula.
DEHAT-ATA: A roll of betel leaves given to a priest. A respectful term for a quid of betel.
DEHET-GOTUWA: Betel wrapped up in the leaf of some tree.
DEKUMA: A present given to a chief or incumbent of a temple by a tenant when he makes his appearance annually or oftener, and consists of either money, or sweetmeats, or cloth, or arecanut-cutters, etc., according to the tenants trade or profession or according to his caste.
DELIPIHIYA: A razor. One of the “atapirikara” or eight priestly requisites viz., three robes an almsbowl, a needle case, a razor, a, girdle, and a filter.
DEPOYA: The poya at full moon.
DEWALAYA: A temple dedicated to some Hindu Deviyo or local divinity. The four principal dewala are those dedicated to Vishnu, Kataragama, Nata and Pattini Daviyo. There are others belonging to tutelary deities, such as the Maha Saman Dewalaya in Sabaragamuwa belonging to Saman Dewiyo the tutelary deviyo of Siripade, Alutunwara Dewale in the Kegalle District to Dedimundi-dewata-ban-dara, prime minister of Vishnu etc.
DEWA-MANDIRAYA: Term in Sabaragamuwa for the “Maligawa” or sanctuary of a Dewale.
DEWA-RUPAYA: The image of a Deviyo.
DEWOL OR DEWOL-YAKUN: Foreign devils said to have come from beyond the seas and who according to tradition landed at the seaside village called Dewundare near Matara and proceeded thence to Sinigama near Hikkaduwa. Pilgrims resort to either place and perform there the vows made by them in times of sickness and distress.
DIGGE: The porch of a Dewalaya. It is a building forming the ante-chamber to the Maligawa or sanctuary where the daily hewisi is performed and to which alone worshippers have access. It is a long hall, as its name signifies, and it is there that the dance of the women at festivals, called Digge-netima, takes place.
DISSAWA: The ruler of a Province.
DIWA-NILAME: Principal lay officer of the Dalada-maligawa. The term is supposed to have had its origin from the highest dignitary in the kingdom holding amongst other functions the office of watering the Srimahabodinvahanse or sacred Bo-tree in Anuradhapura,
DIWEL: Hire or remuneration for service.
DIYAGE: A bath room. The putting up of temporary sheds, or the upkeep of permanent structures as well as supplying water, forms part of the menial services of the Uliamwasam tenants.
DIYA-KACHCHIYA: Coarse cloth bathing dress which it is the duty of the dhobi to supply at the bath. It is also called Diyaredi or Diyapiruwata.
DIYAKEPUMA: The ceremony of cutting water with golden swords by the Kapurala of the Dewale at the customary ford or pond at the close of the Perehera in July or August.
DIYATOTA: The ford or ferry where the above ceremony is performed.
DOLAWA: A palanquin.
DOTALU-MAL: The flowers of the dotalu-tree, a small species of the arecanut-tree used in decorations.
DUMMALA: Powdered resin used at a yak or bali ceremony to give brilliancy to the light.
DUNUKARAWASAMA: The military class. Literally, archers. The lands forming the holding of the Dunukarawasam tenants. Their chief services at present are the carrying of letters and messages, keeping guard at the Walauwe (house) of the proprietor, watching the threshing floor, fetching buffaloes for work and accompanying the proprietor on journeys of state bearing the mura awudaya (lance).
DUNUMALE-PENUMA: The penuma (present) given in the mouth of Nawan (February) by tenants to the high priest of the Sripadastane (Adam’s Peak) so called after an incumbent of that name.
DURUTUMASE: The tenth month of the Sinhalese year (January-February).
DUREYA: A headman of the Wahumpura Badde or Paduwa caste. Also a general name for a palanquin bearer.
DURAWASAMA: The office of Dureya or headman of the Durayi. The tenement of land held by their class. Their services resemble those of the Ganwasama the difference being that instead of cooked they give uncooked provisions, and vegetables or raw provisions instead of sweet-meats for the penuma to the landlord.