© 2023 Dr. M. Sheppard

Health Ayurveda Plants Mantra Tovil Treatments

Selection of  the correct day for a Devil Dance

This is selected very carefully by the astrologer, the kapua or the edura as it is important that the planets must be in the correct positions and very importantly the practitioner must know where the Demon Leader is. According to Wirz this is as follows:

On Sundays he is in the North;

Mondays – North West;

Tuesdays – South;

Wednesdays – South West;

Thursdays – West;

Fridays – North East;

Saturdays – East;

The Edura needs to know this as the ceremony will only be effective if the curative Mantra are not recited with the Edura facing the location of the Demon Leader. Some ceremonies are best held with the Edura facing East and others West e.g. if an evil spell has caused the affliction the Edura recites the mantra facing South so it will not be held on a Tuesday when Leader is in the South. Other types of ceremonies are more effective if the Edura recites the mantra facing West or East opposite to the position of the Leader. Ceremonies are not performed on Full, New or quarter moon days as they would be ineffective on these days. (These moon  phase days - Poya Days - especially Full Moon days, are sacred to Buddha and although Tovil Dances are not outlawed by Buddhist doctrine performing a Tovil Dance Ceremony on these days,  would be incompatible.

There are special times for summoning the demons. There are the four watches. The first is the evening watch that begins at nightfall. This is when , like humans, the demons are believed to assemble to socialise.  The second watch begins about midnight. During this watch the demons will be summoned by the Tovil Dancers. The third watch is the Morning or Dawn watch. The fourth watch is noon. It is believed that demons can only be successfully summoned and exorcised by persuasion to attend in order  to accept their offerings,  by the recitation of the mantra at these times. The Edura must perform these strictly according to rules handed down through the generations, for a ceremony to be successful and a cure to be effected.

On the day deemed propitious for the ceremony the Edura must be strong to resist attack from evil spells or the demons. So he will have refrained from sexual intercourse and will also have in his  loincloth a betel leaf over which he has recited a protective spell (see section on Yantra).

Days