© 2023 Dr. M. Sheppard

Pattini Ceremonies Myths Shrines Community Pattini Community Pattini 2 Family Pattini

 She knelt whilst she arranged the sacred objects on the white cloth already arranged in front of the toran.

 Then she paraded  slowly around the  Performance Area displaying the bracelets in the gold cloth and tinkling the bells whilst she sang to the drumbeat.


Eventually  she stopped in front of the Clairvoyant and his family seated on a mat at the edge of the Performance Area. She waved the gold cloth with the bracelets over them. Then continued with her progress around the Area. Then she returned to the toran and replaced the bracelets and the cloth .

Next she  addressed the audience particularly the family about the ceremony. This took about 10 minutes.

Then from the toran she sang alternate lines of verse with the drummer  swaying gracefully to the drumbeat for a further 15 minutes.

There was then a new drumbeat and song. She unwound one of her pink shawls and took up a small clay pot holding it in the pink shawl. She first moved gracefully towards the clairvoyant and his family who presented her with coins, in the respectful way accompanied with bulat leaves into the clay pot. She then moved around the rest of the audience who made offerings into the pot. At the end of this progress, she presented the pot to the drummer,

Next she  unwound one of her pink shawls and danced over in front of the family addressing the song accompanied by the drumbeat to them. She danced slowly with a swaying motion back and forth between them and the toran. She waved the scarf over them from time to time. This part took about 7 minutes.

After collecting from the rest of the audience,  Pattini then retired to the Pattini Shrine with  the offerings

Pattini appears


Eventually Pattini appeared to a tinkling of bells as “she” dances to “her” special drumbeat she entered under a canopy held by two assistants. For the first 10 minutes of her dance Pattini was mainly facing the toran and preparing bracelets,anklets and her gold cloth.

You Tube Video Links

Devol Madua Part 3 : The Appearance of the Deity Pattini

https://youtu.be/o1yUY57xH1c