Ajay Kumar at 04:01, 19 September 2023

2023-09-19T04:01:12Z

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{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2013}}
The '''Deva''' are a mythical people of [[Sri Lanka]] according to the [[Sanskrit epics]].
According to the [[Mahavamsa]] and [[Ramayana]] they lived among the [[Naga people of Sri Lanka|Naga]], [[Yakkha people of Sri Lanka|Yakkha]] and [[Raksha people of Sri Lanka|Raskha]].
They ousted their arch enemies the [[Raksha people of Sri Lanka|Raskha]] from Sri Lanka, with the help of [[ Vishnu]].
They were then subsequently conquered by King [[Ravana]] of the Raskha. After the Yakkhas had left to live in the mountains and remote dense forests, they met [[Gautama Buddha]] who converted them to Buddhism.<ref name="tribe">W. L. Wijayawansa . (2009). Curbing the tribesmen . Available: http://www.dailynews.lk/2009/12/31/fea25.asp {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130129074656/http://www.dailynews.lk/2009/12/31/fea25.asp |date=29 January 2013 }}. Last accessed 17 March 2010.</ref><ref name="John">John M. Senaveratna (1997). The Story of the Sinhalese. Colombo: Asian Educational Services.</ref>

According to the [[Mahavamsa]], [[Gautama Buddha]] met the Deva at [[Mahiyangana]].<ref name="ama"/> Buddha gave Sumana Saman (A leader of the Deva) a few hairs from his head, which were placed in a golden urn and enshrined in a sapphire stupa. A buddhist monk called Sarabhu is then said to have deposited Buddha's ashes in this Stupa. This stupa is now called the "Mahiyangana Stupa" and can be found in the [[Anuradhapura]] museum.<ref>Ven. S. Dhammika & BuddhaNet/Buddha Dharma Education Association Inc. (2007). Mahiyangana. Available: http://www.buddhanet.net/sacred-island/mahiyangana.html. Last accessed 17 March 2010.</ref>

[[Saman (deity)|Sumana Saman]] was a leader of the Deva who came from the central hills of Sri Lanka.<ref name="ama">Duruthu Poya - The Buddha’s first visit to Lanka. (2009). Gamini Jayasinghe. Available: http://www.amarasara.info/hotnews/20091231-02.htm{{Dead link|date=July 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}. Last accessed 17 March 2010.</ref> Some Sri Lankan [[Buddhists]] worship him as a deity.<ref name="tribe"/> He is said to be the guardian of [[Samanalakanda]].<ref>A.G.S. Kariyawasam . (1995). The Gods & Deity Worship in Sri Lanka. Available: http://www.lankalibrary.com/myths/gods.htm. Last accessed 17 March 2010.</ref>

==Migration==

During the ascension of the mythical Raksha demon King Ravana, some Deva people migrated to other places like present-day North Malabar of Kerala where they followed [[Dravidian folk religion]] before the advent of Hinduism. they still survive in Malabar, and are known as "Divyar" or "Thiyyar", a localization of the name "Deyva" equivalent to Deva. The ancestor worship of Thiyyas springs from the fact that they consider themselves as descendants of "Deyva" or God. The ceremonial oracles, who represent the spirit of their ancestors of Lanka, in the temple are known as "Theyyam", originating from the word "Deyvam" meaning God. However, by the time of the legendary arrival of Vijaya to Sri Lanka, a significant number of the Deva clan is held in popular tradition had intermingled with North Indians, Nagas and Yaksas, to create the Sinhalese lineage.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ramayanaresearch.com/heladiva.html |title=Ramayana Research - Heladiva |accessdate=2015-06-14 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150503033612/http://ramayanaresearch.com/heladiva.html |archivedate=3 May 2015 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

==References==
<references/>
*H. Parker (1909). Ancient Ceylon. New Delhi: Asian Educational Services. 7.
*H.R Perera. (1988). Buddhism in Sri Lanka - A short history. Available: http://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/bud-srilanka.pdf. Last accessed 02 10 10.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Deva People}}
[[Category:Ramayana]]
[[Category:Buddhism in Sri Lanka]]
[[Category:Exotic tribes in Hindu scripture]]

Deva people - Revision history

Ajay Kumar at 04:01, 19 September 2023