The concept of Psychological Issues in Ancient Lankan Societies

According to a folk legend found among Sri Lankans, Ravana, a pre historic king of Sri

Lanka was a very famous physician who wrote books on medicine. It mentions in history,

that Ravana met Sita on his way back to Sri Lanka after attending a health conference

held in India. There is a story in “Caraka Sanhita” that mentions about a health

conference held in the Himalayas. Among the participants, was the Pulasthi from Sri

Lanka who is said to be Ravana’s grandfather. Whatever the truth behind these stories, it

indicates that, even in the prehistoric period, there was an internationally recognized

medical system in Sri lanka.

According to archaeological evidence, the island was inhabited as early as 10,000 B.C.

The Sri Lanka’s ancient cultural heritage dates back over 2500 years. The Buddhism was

introduced to Sri Lanka in the 3rd century. The Buddhism became an integral part of

Sinhalese culture and civilization. The Sri Lankan culture was influenced by India and

subsequently by Europe. The European influence was a result of invasion from the Dutch

and Portuguese and finally the British in the 19th century.

According to the Mahawansa – the great chronicle history of Sri Lanka and one of the

oldest chronologies in the world describes the devastating impact of the great Wijithapura

Battle that occurred in 205 B.C. The triumphant King Dutugemunu experienced severe

depressive feelings soon after the battle. This could have been a negative emotional

reaction due to post combat depression. Later the King’s emotional suffering was healed

by a monk.

From 103 B.C. to 89 B.C., Sri Lanka faced a series of foreign invasions from South India.

The King Walagamba fought against the invaders for a long period. When he restablished
his kingdom, the King Walagamba was exhausted following long battles. The enemies

had destroyed the irrigation systems, the economy had been collapsed and the country

was suffering a starvation. The population mainly consisted of war widows and orphans.

The King Walagamba took unmourns measures to heal the land that was tormented by 14

year war.

The King Wijayabahu who ruled Sri Lanka from 1055 AD to 1110 AD had to fight

against the Chola invaders. His military campaign lasted for 17 years. During these years,

he faced numerous war related stress conditions.

The Western Nations arrived in 1505 AD and until 1815 AD, the Sri Lankans fought

against three Western Nations- the Portuguese, the Dutch and the English. Some of the

local warriors who fought against the foreign invaders later became the victims of combat

trauma.

In 1666 the King Seethawaka Rajasinghe – the 16th century monarch of Sri Lanka has

disturbed behavior was recorded in the ancient scripts. The king’s abnormal behavior

pattern was described in the Chulawansaya- the ancient chronicle.

According to the Archaeologist Dr. S.U. Deraniyagala, the oldest Sinhala inscriptions

found are from the 6th century. Some experts point out that the oldest extent prose work in

Sinhala dates to the 10th century and is attributed to King Kassapa the 5th in 913-923 AD.

The ancient texts vibrantly describe the human melancholies in literary form. The

Buddhist jathaka stories that were compiled from the 3rd century B.C. narrate the

dynamics of the human psyche in different situations. The Buddhist Jathaka stories

describe various types of mental disorders and how it affects the individual as well as the

society.
The ancient Sri Lankan texts describe numerous trauma related conditions using wide

vocabulary. The old texts use many words that describe the psychological pain and

anguish. Some of the words are:

Umathu – Being insane

Ukatali – Lack of motivation

Chiththa Viyadhi – Mental worry/ mental disease

Vishada – Depressive

Bhithiya – Fear

Dhomnas – Unhappiness

Unmadaya – Mania

Ullasaya – Manic state

Rudhuru Svapna – Nightmares

Koopa – Anger

Viyaapada – Rage

Chiththa Rupa – Mental images

Vikshiptha – Confusion

Rujava – Pain

Laya palena sokaya – Severe Heartache

Thrasthava – Terrified

Divi Thora Kara Ganime Chiththiya – Suicidal idea

The Treatment for Psychological issues in the Ancient Days

 The earliest system of medicine that prevailed in Sri Lanka was Deshiya Chikitsa or

Sinhala Vedakama, which was a truly indegnous system of medicine that was handed

down from generation to generation. The ancient Sri Lankans treated body and the spirit

including the living environment of the patient. They did not separate body and mind as

two different entities. For the treatment of psychological ailments, medicine (extracted

from plants) and rituals had been used.

Traditional Healing Ceremonies

1. Kolam

The ancient Sri Lankans used Kolam or dancing rituals to heal the mentally and

physically ill people. Kolam dances are traditional comic folk plays that bring

purification to the patient. It was geared to treat the patient as well as his surroundings-

immediate family and the community. Hence, the ancient healers had more holistic view

than present day individual psychotherapy. Kolam is a dancing tradition rooted in the

eastern and western coastal belts of Sri Lanka and is performed in a Kolam Maduwa

specially constructed with special foliage. Although the tradition is believed to date back

to the early 19th century, anthropologists believe that kolam has a history beyond that.

Over the years, the traditional kolam dance consisting of diverse stories and characters

have been enriched by political, economic, social and religious factors. While

anthropologists debate over the birth of kolam dance in Sri Lanka, folklore traces its

origin to craving of Mahasammatha Bisawa, (Queen Mahasam – matha) who yearned to

see masked dancers. [ CITATION Gun \l 1033 ]

2. Sanni Yakuma

The ancient Sri Lanka identified demons as agents of illness. This concept has nothing to

do with the Christian view of the Satan and Satanic influences on evil. Some of these

traditions date back to before the birth of the Christ. In Sanni Yakuma healing ritual,

various demons causing illnesses are summoned and demand them to leave the patient

without causing further harm. This method has profound hypnotic effect and it gives

series of autosuggestions to the mentally ill. The patient strongly believes that the demon

that caused the illness had been banished and he has been cured. The patient’s family and

the other community members too share this belief and this common belief help the

mentality ill to become functional.

3. Sinhalese Cosmology and the Eighteen Sanni Yakku (Devils)

The cosmology of traditional Sri Lankan beliefs is a complex mixture of native Vedic

gods, spirits, and demons, overlaid with imported Hindu and Buddhist deities, beliefs and

practises. The pantheon is vast, filled with hierarchies and sub- hierarchies which the

uninitiated finds nearly impossible grasp. The synthesis is a spiritual landscape where

Buddha reigns supreme, but where the day-to- day is fraught with danger from the Yakku

(devils) and other malignant forces (vas) which seem all to afflict man with scourges of

every description. In this world, life is a constant struggle against these forces.

There is a list of demons and their effects;

 Kana-sanniya (blindness)

 Kora-sanniya (lameness/paralysis)

 Gini-jala-sanniya (Maleria)

 Vedda-sanniya (bubonic plague)

  Demala-sanniya (bad dreams)

 Kapala-sanniya (insanity)

 Golu-sanniya (dumbness/muteness)

 Biri-sanniya (deafness)

 Maru-sanniya (delirium)

 Amuku-sanniya (vomiting)

 Gulama-sanniya (parasitic worms)

 Deva-sanniya (epidemic disease, I.e. typhoid, cholera)

 Naga-sanniya (evil dreams particularly with snakes)

 Murta-sanniya (swooning, loss of consciousness)

 Kala-sanniya (black death)

 Pita-sanniya (disease related to bile)

 Vata-sanniya (shaking and burning limbs)

 Selesma-sanniya (secretions, eliepsy)

Surveys have demonstrated significant differences between various areas and the impossibility of

creating a universally recognized list. One area might include olmada sanniya (babbling) and

another area Avulun sanniya (breathing difficulties, chest pains). Contemporary ethnographers

have also noted the addition of certain more contemporary maladies to the list.

e.g.:- Vedic sanniya as relating to gunshot wounds, dramatically reflecting the change in times

and the adaptability of this indigenous system.

4. Kohomba Kankariya

Kohomba kankariya is a very old healing ritual that dates back to 550 BC. The kohomba

kankaariya is performed to achieve freedom from ailments, restore the sense of community
identity and to invoke blessings from the heavenly beings for prosperous and healthy life. The

kankariya consists of more than thirty discrete acts and includes the building of the ritual hall and

altars, offerings to the gods, solo and group dancing, drumming, chanting, comedy and dramas.

In Kohomba kankariya dances, the most common instrument for the background music is called

Geta Beraya (traditional drum) that evokes bilateral auditory stimulation. The ancient Sri

Lankans believed that the bilateral auditory stimulation has some trauma healing effect and

traditional drum sounds had been incorporated in healing ceremonies such as Kohomba

Kankariya.

4. Thovilaya

The ancient ritual Thovilaya is a form of Psychodrama and it has been used to treat mentally and

physically ill. It creates action methods, role training, spontaneous dramatization, and group

dynamics to alleviate illnesses. For Thovilaya the entire village gets together and help. Hence,

the community connections are strengthened and soothing atmosphere is created around the

patient and his outer environment. The patients with Dissociate Disorders and various phobias

were successfully treated in the old days using the ancient ritual Thovilaya.

6. Mantra

Mantra is the component of Thovil ritual. Mantra are used for prevention and curative purposes

for instance, charms are used to cure diseases like snakebites. It is used to increase the efficacy

of a medicine or to empower the effectiveness of a ritualistic treatment. Among them the lime

cutting ceremony takes a prominent place. It has a long history connected with indigenous

medicine that developed against demonic possession and sorcery practice.

7. Kem
The therapeutics techniques like Kem (Esoteric medicine) is not only empirical but also an

unparalleled technique. The doer should not tell anyone what he does and should keep silent. For

instance, to cure pimples, the face is wiped with unwashed hand after meals. When an eye is

irritating due to some extrinsic substance, you must walk a few steps back (reverse) without

talking.

8. Bali