Degaldoruwa Pitiye Devale | AmazingLanka.com

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Pitiye Deviyo is a powerful protector deity of Dumbara who had once defeated the deity Natha Deviyo who had fled in fear of him after a brief battle. The people of Dumbara fear and respect him as he is believed to protect the land, the crops, and the people who live in the area. He provides the rain on time for cultivation and dry weather for harvesting.

Numerous legends surround the birth of the Pitiye Deviyo, though they generally follow a similar narrative.

These tales date back to the reign of King Elara, the South Indian invader who ruled Anuradhapura from 205 to 161 BCE. According to legend, Pitiye Deviyo was a Soli prince born to a Soli queen named “Sapulee” and a Soli king. Once, while riding his chariot, the prince accidentally killed a calf, leading the people to demand justice. Known for his fairness, King Elara executed the prince by running him over with the same chariot. Some stories suggest that the prince was Elara’s son, who was later unexpectedly reborn as a daemon. This daemon travelled through various lands before returning to Sri Lanka during the rule of Vijayabahu I, landing at Batticaloa port.

The daemon sought a place to settle and arrived in the Dumbara Valley. He requested land from the deity Natha but was repeatedly denied an audience. During this period, the daemon lived on a plain in the Dumbara Valley, and the locals began referring to him as “Pitiye Deviyo” or “Pitiye Bandara Deviyo.”

Frustrated by Natha’s refusal, the daemon eventually challenged him. Natha came to Dumbara Valley with a force of daemons, but the daemons unexpectedly sided with the Pitiye Deviyo. Natha was defeated in the battle and retreated to Pasgama, where it is believed he still resides.(Thissa Bandara, 2011, pp. 201–203)

Another legend tells of a sixteen-year-old Soli prince who, after his death and rebirth as a deity, travelled through the clouds with his daemon forces. Enchanted by the beauty of the Dumbara Valley, he settled on Hunnasgiri Mountain. Soon after, anyone who visited the plains (piti) around Hunnasgiri Mountain began to suffer from ‘Jwara‘ sickness. The locals attributed this illness to the powers of the new deity residing at Hunnasgiri and started making offerings to him, which were believed to cure the sickness. Due to his frequent presence in the plains, the deity came to be known as Pitiye Deviyo.

At the time, Dumbara Valley was under the protection of the Natha deity. However, with the arrival of Pitiye Deviyo, offerings to Natha diminished as people turned to the new deity. Offended by this shift, Natha challenged Pitiye Deviyo in a battle at a location now called Yakgahapitiya. Knowing that Natha, as a Bodhisattva, would not kill, Pitiye Deviyo began throwing parts of various animals, such as elephants, tigers, and bears, in the battle. Defeated, Natha retreated across the Mahaweli River and established his residence on a mountain near Kandy.

The Degaldoruwa Devale, dedicated to Pitiye Deviyo, is believed to have been originally established by Tamils who migrated from India. These early Tamil settlers brought with them the legends and veneration of Pitiye Deviyo, which evolved into the local religious and cultural practices.

Pitiye Deviyo gained considerable power and respect during the reigns of several Sri Lankan kings, including Wickramabahu, Senerath, Rajasinghe, Weera Parakramabahu, Narendrasinghe, and Sri Vijaya Rajasinghe. Notably, Pitiye Deviyo is said to have assisted King Wickramabahu (1473-1511) in breaking a rock that obstructed the canal he was constructing to channel water to the fields of Gurudeniya. Following this achievement, King Wickramabahu built another devale at Gurudeniya in honour of Pitiye Deviyo. (Thissa Bandara, 2011, pp. 205–206)

King Wickramabahu (1473-1511) constructed the Degaldoruwa Devale as well, dedicated to Pitiye Deviyo, on a rock above the Degaldoruwa Rajamaha Viharaya. He also donated a field and some highlands for its upkeep. Lawrie (1896, p. 53) reports that the kapuralaship (priesthood) of the devale was held by the Napanage family. Over time, the devale had fallen into disrepair, leading to the construction of a smaller devale in the garden of the Kapurala at Napanage.

References

Lawrie, A. C. (1896). A Gazetteer of the Central Province of Ceylon (excluding Walapane) (Vol. 1). George J. A. Skeen.
Thissa Bandara, Y. K. (2011). පිටියේ දෙවියන්ගේ සම්භවය හා තදනුබද්ධ ජනශ්‍රැතියෙන් බිඳක්. . . සාධනප්පසාද ශාස්ත්‍රීය සංග්‍රහය, 201–220.

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