The ''yaktovil'' is a ritual documented by anthropologists among Sinhala communities in Sri Lanka. A type of protective ritual or
exorcism
Exorcism () is the religious or spiritual practice of evicting demons, jinns, or other malevolent spiritual entities from a person, or an area, that is believed to be possessed. Depending on the spiritual beliefs of the exorcist, this may be ...
, the ''yaktovil'' invokes the protection of Buddha against malevolent supernatural entities.
Description
The ''yaktovil'' is a lengthy, complex ritual that prevents malevolent, supernatural beings from overpowering patients. The ritual brings the patients into the protective manifold of the Buddha.
During the ritual, offering baskets for several
yaksha
The yakshas ( sa, यक्ष ; pi, yakkha, i=yes) are a broad class of nature-spirits, usually benevolent, but sometimes mischievous or capricious, connected with water, fertility, trees, the forest, treasure and wilderness. They appear in ...
, or nature divinities, are placed on a bench. One of the baskets is devoted to
Suniyam. His basket contains, among other things, a sacrificial chicken and an
"arrow" of Brahma. The "arrow" in this ritual is a straight branch with one end in the shape of an arrowhead. During the ceremony, it is used to help command and control certain supernaturals. At one point in the ceremony, a person assisting will be "possessed" by the spirit of Suniyam. He will take the sacrificial chicken and stomp around the patient. The yakeduras will use the "arrow" to force his compliance in leaving the patient alone.
Yakeduras
''Yakeduras'' means "ones who know the art of offering". They are specialists who take control over patient diagnosis and performance of the yaktovil.
References
*
* Scott, David. Formations of Ritual: Colonial and Anthropological Discourses on the Sinhala Yaktovil. NED - New edition ed., University of Minnesota Press, 1994. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/10.5749/j.cttttp68. Accessed 3 May 2020.
Buddhist rituals
Society of Sri Lanka
Sinhalese Buddhist deities
Yakshas
{{Improve categories, date=May 2020