Mutti Mangalyaya: pot ceremony

Prof. W. I. Siriweera

Among many rituals performed by the peasants in the dry zone reservoir based regions, three related to irrigation and agriculture deserve special attention. They are a) kiri ithirima or boiling of milk, b) mutti mangalyaya or pot ceremony and c) hunnakada vedilla or ritual firing. The objective of all these is the protection and well-being of reservoirs, crops, inhabitants and livestock.

The ceremony of boiling milk; kiri itirima is performed after each harvest on a morning of a Wednesday or Saturday considered to be the kemmura days, best suited to appease deities. The deities whose blessings are invoked are Aiyanayake, Kambili, Ilandari, Puduressa and Kadugath Bandara. Every family in the village contribute rice for kiribath and some contribute milk as well. The ritual is performed under a lactiferous tree near paddy fields or the reservoir.

A thatched hut is temporarily built in the venue and its roof is covered with a white cloth. The milk rice is cooked inside this hut in a large pot called raja haliya. Another small hut mal pala is constructed nearby to place the accoutrements of deities obtained from the village temple. While food is cooked, the ceremonially attired kapurala - the main actor in rituals - prays and appeals to deities amidst drumming. Once the milk rice is cooked, it is offered to deities first along with other offerings such as betel leaves (Piper betel) and thereafter the villagers consume kiribath and disperse.

Guardian deties

The most important ritual performed specially in Rajarata is variantly called the mutti mangalyaya, mutti perehara and mutti namima. It is so called because the most important utensil in the ritual is the pot (muttiya). The guardian deties whose blessings are invoked are Aiyanayake, Kadavara and several others the number of which vary from region to region.

In the past the ritual had been performed regularly at each harvesting season but at present it is conducted once in three, five or seven years. The preliminary decision on the date to perform the ceremony is taken by three respected village elders. When the reservoir is full, these three village elders accompanied by several others proceed to the earmarked venue of the mutti mangalyaya with votive offerings and take a vow by tying a pandura - coin washed in water mixed with turmeric and wrapped in a piece of cloth - on a branch of the tree in which pots will be placed promising that after the harvest the ceremony will be performed. This pre-ritual vow making implies that the time for starting cultivation has arrived.

The ceremony is conducted usually on a Wednesday or Saturday. Prior to the performance of the mutti mangalyaya, three village elders approach the kapuwa or the person who performs rituals in the village temple and the drummer as well as the washerman inviting them to render their services at the ceremony. A village elder formally known as Velvidane visits the village potter as well and requests him to make pots for the ceremony. When the potter agrees he is bound to engage in making these ceremonial pots by completely avoiding partaking fish or meat.

On the day prior to the ceremony a special thatched hut is constructed in front of the Velvidane's house and villagers bring and place items such as sugarcane, juggery, fruits, rice and coconut in the hut, the amount of contribution depending on the extent of land owned by each villager. In the evening the potter brings the pots made by him covered with a white cloth, and the kapurala who is present at Velvidane's house keeps them in a specially designed place in the hut. The final ritual is performed by the tank bund near a tree in the shallow waters which has forked branches in one place good enough to place three pots. When such trees are not found bough of a lactiferous tree with forked branches is erected in the shallow waters to place the ceremonial pots. A small thatched hut is also constructed alongside the reservoir bund.

Village elders

Later in the evening the villagers led by kapurala proceed to the venue of the Mutti Mangalyaya in a procession and place the accoutrements of the deities and several food items including juggery and fruits along with betel in a rack (massa) in the thatched hut. Thereafter, for about two hours in the night reciting verses and praying for gods amidst sounds of drums take place. Then everyone returns to Velvidane's house and partake the dinner prepared by womenfolk for which all villagers had contributed earlier. The dinner is devoid of any items fried in oil.

Early in the morning three earthern pots are filled with milk freshly obtained from she buffaloes and the pots are covered with white cloth. Then these pots are taken to the venue of the ritual in a procession. At the venue, amidst recitations praising the gods and drumming, the kapurala accepts the pots and place them in the rack of the thatched hut. He continues praying for gods. In the meantime rice is boiled in a large pot at an improvised hearth and milk brought by village elders is poured into it. Once the milk overflows and the kiribath or milk rice is ready, a coconut is broken. In certain areas a gun shot is also fired.

Having set apart some of the milk rice for gods, three village elders proceed to the mutti namana gaha or the tree where the final ritual is conducted and place them upside down, so that the milk is poured into the water in the reservoir. Then three gunshots are fired. The ceremony ends with all assembled partaking milk rice on the reservoir bund.

Super natural powers

This is the general form of mutti mangalyaya but there are minor variations from region to region. In the major reservoirs such as the Kalavava, Huruluvava, Nuvaravava, Padaviya, Mahakanadarava, Mahavilachchiya and the Minneri, the ritual is organized by the government officers and the ceremony is patronized by the local political leadership. The Mutti Perehara or procession is conducted on a grand scale. Besides, in certain reservoirs, pride of place is occupied by deities who are supposed to have protected the reservoirs throughout history. For instance, at Minneriya, the chief deity whose blessings are invoked is god Minneri, at Kalavava god Kadavara and at Padaviya god Padavi.

In such instances god Aiyanayake plays a secondary role.

The third important ritual related to reservoirs is called 'Hunnakada Mangalyaya' or the 'ritual gunshot'. It is performed when the village reservoir is full and about to spill. The objective of the ritual is to safeguard the reservoir bund without any breaches. The village elders reach the bund and pray for god Aiyanayake to prevent it breaching. Thereafter three gunshots called 'ritual shots' are fired.

These rituals indicate the level of participatory resource management approach of the dry zone peasant. They are related to beliefs on super natural powers but they also indicate the solidarity among village communities for upkeep of the village reservoir and paddy fields around which the life of the villagers revolved. The participation and contribution of all status groups such as the cultivators, drummers, washermen in the ceremonial festivals and partaking of food together during or at the end of rituals symbolize a strong bond among residents of a village and collective responsibly. The rituals also help to maintain close relationships between the community and the reservoir, paddy fields and the whole agro-ecological system.