The Vata-kumara
He is the son of a monk who was a great friend to King Asoka of Anaradhapura. He had became a monk at 7 and then lived as a hermit in a little house. One day he fell down a cliff and broke a rib. He was in great pain and became bad tempered. He then approached the King of the Demons Vesamunu-rajjuruvo, and asked to serve him. He asked the Demon king to give him the power to make women ill so that he could receive their offerings. The Demon King granted his request.
The first person he afflicted was the Queen at Anaradhapura. No-one could find out what was wrong with her only that she was affected by a demon but they did not know which one so did not know the appropriate offerings and ceremony to cure her.
Then according to legend she had a dream in which she “saw” her cure which was as follows:
She had to prepare 8 quarts of rice in a special way. One quart was to be cooked with coco-nut milk to make kiri-bat. One quart to be baked into rice cakes. Two quarts to be stamped into flour and half to be made into a pie with dough and the other to be used to make into a pastry. All these with the rest of the rice were to be placed in a special clay bowl decorated on the inside to which should then be added 7 kinds of fish, 5 kinds of seeds (rice, beans, peas, sesame and mustard). All to be roasted together in a pan. To this should be added a young unripe breadfruit and 5 different curries.
Over these offerings should be erected a small house, the shaped frame decorated with 2 coconuts with red husks and coconut flowers.
She followed these instructions from her dream and when she had completed all this she recovered fully.
Vata-kumara is believed to be short and fat and to be the colour of ash, he wears a white robe and has a garland of flowers around his neck and a cobra around his waist. He has four arms and holds a stag in his mouth which he eats whole starting with the head. He rides on a dog which helps him to hunt deer.
He is blamed for all ailments of women, and when a new born baby dies he is believed to eat it.