Stories, Songs and Sayings.
Appendix.
[Glossary of Sinhalese Folk terms from the Service Tenure Register (1872)].
SINHALESE FOLKLORE NOTES.
CHAPTER I.
THE EARTH AND THE SKY.
Various beliefs are held by the peasantry about the hills, rocks, boulders and crags scattered about the island.
Samanala Kanda (Adam’s Peak) which contains the sacred foot print of the Buddha was in prehistoric times sacred to the god Saman who still presides over the mountain. Pilgrims to the Peak invoke his aid in song for a safe journey; and when they reach the top, cover the foot print with four yards of white cloth, pay obeisance to it, recite the articles of the Buddhist Faith, and make a silver offering at the shrine of the Saman Deviyo, which is close by. When worship is over the pilgrims greet each other and sound a bell ringing as many peals as they have visited the Peak.