A tourist guide to an island of demons

By Chandrika Gadiewasam and Nadeesha Paulis

October, the month of Halloween, has come around again and it’s time to talk about all the things that make Sri Lanka the most perfect destination for any tourist who also happens to be a fan of horror and the occult. 

You may have heard only of terrorists, disappearances and civil war (which are morbid enough we agree) but now it’s time to take a look at the occult history of this beautiful Indian Ocean island. With a recorded history going back more than 2,500 years, we also have numerous famous and completely indigenous ghosts, ghouls, witch-doctors, and approximately 4,448 differently identifiable demons! Seriously can any nation come even close to beating that?

Yakshapalanaya (or Yaksha Government – not to be confused with Yahapalanaya of course)

These demons or Yakaas or Yaksheyas as they are locally called are all ruled over by a King named Wessamuny ( not Wettimuny – that’s the cricketer chap, we do apologise for all these complicated Sri Lankan names but wait till you see what the roads are called).

King Wessamuny has somewhat boringly forbidden the Yakseyas from eating humans – such a spoilsport! The trend of eating humans used to be their pastime sometime back and anthropologists speculate that they may have been a race like the cannibalistic Polynesians. The Demon King has made it known that he punishes them roundly if they indulge in human-eating, and does so with incredible punishments such as impaling, roasting and beheading, etc. 

But Sri Lankan demons being an unruly and somewhat lawless bunch (a little like Sri Lankans in general) these regulations don’t prevent them from causing all manner of ailments to humans, from fever to flatulence, paranoia to pruritus and various other unmentionable conditions in between, and also regularly scaring the bejeezus out of locals, mostly housewives. 

So mostly the symptoms are common medical and psychological ailments, and we don’t have 180-degree neck rotations here yet, probably because that is actually physically impossible without causing a lot of muscle strain. Nor are there reports of people sticking on the ceiling, or crouching and gliding along the ground (as seen in almost all depictions of horror from Japan) But we do have a great bear-headed guy walking with his feet on backwards, if it’s any consolation. Plus lots of hairy black animal shapes and apparitions with fangs.

King Wessamuny has innumerable viceroys, ministers and officers needed to run his administration and the Yaksha Sabhawa, according to the history books, meets on Wednesdays and Saturdays in an underworld version of Parliament during which they discuss their various escapades and later get down to merry making (much like our Parliament in fact!).

Indicators 

Signs of demonic possession could be frankly anything uncomfortable and out of the ordinary: you could get persistent headaches, backaches, hear voices, feel dizzy, lose your appetite, cuss using dirty language, see things, become paralysed, you name it – it could be that you are possessed. 

Even a newborn baby is not spared and one who had large teeth and long black hair was considered a demon manifestation and unfortunately beaten to death on the spot about 300 years ago. (Research resource: On Demonology and Witchcraft in Ceylon, Dandris De Silva Gooneratne.) 

Since there are thousands of entities that could actually have a demonic hold on you, the exorcist will have to spend time (and get paid accordingly) to find out what is causing the symptoms. Rather like, well, dermatologists. It’s all done in a complicated, expensive and colourful performance called a thovila. 

Spin-off local SMEs 

Demons (aka devils) also form the basis of a thriving exorcism industry run by kattadiyas (witchdoctors) who alternatively as the requirement may be call them up or send them packing. Remember films like the Exorcism or the Haunting of Emily Rose, etc.? Well our local exorcist isn’t a god-fearing man wholly bent on free community service, and will set you back by about Rs. 60,000 plus a lot of perfectly good fruit and a chicken or two.

That’s where Eastern exorcisms are different from those in the West, we need lots of edibles, and there is dance and costume so it’s almost a party. If you think about it, Rs. 60,000 is about $ 400 even at our crappy exchange rate and that isn’t a sum to scoff at! It’s to keep the kattadiyas braced against the cost of living, and educate their children and all that so don’t begrudge it. 

Linked local industries are of course the carving of lovely local devil masks, which are so colourful that you forgive them for anything, and in fact are supposed to protect your house from demons (reverse psychology anyone?) and other allied practices such as astrology, palm reading, faith healing, bone setting, bizarre snake bite remedies which either kill you or make you stronger (don’t try this at home) and light reading, not to mention voodoo which is called hooniyum and is also quite expensive – all areas of paranormal wonder to investigate in sunny Serendib.

This brief introduction to Sri Lanka’s mindboggling history of demons is brought to you by Chandrika Gadiewasam and Nadeesha Paulis, authors of Sri Lanka’s first horror story collection ‘Water in My Grave’. If you are a fan of horror and the occult and you have not got your copy yet, make someone get it for you this Halloween! Visit any Vijitha Yapa outlet, order online from Books.lk or send an email to [email protected] to get your copy delivered. Rs. 395+postage. You can also check out more interesting horror related articles and stories at ceylonundead.wordpress.com and see Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/srilankanhorror to enter the horror art/photo and story competitions this Halloween.