BOOK REVIEW
TITLE : SRI VICKRAMA RAJASIMHA NOHOTH ALUTH DEVIYYO
AUTHOR : NIMESHA THIVANKARA SENEVIPALA
PUBLISHERS SAMANTHI PRAKASHAKAYO
REVIEWED BY HEMANTHA SITUGE
King Sri Vickrama Rajasimha ( 1798-1815 ) was known as the most ruthless ruler to have ruled Sri Lanka . Dr Henry Marshall has stated that: " He died at Vellore , on the afternoon of 30 th January 1832 aged 52 ; having been seventeen years a state prisoner." vide page 131 Ceylon - A General Description of the island and its inhabitants Tisara praakasakayo (1846) 1969.
Prior to Nimesha Thivankara Senevipala's book entitled : Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe nohoth aluth deviyo Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe alias New God published by the Samanthi Publishers - through his discovery was brought into light -Dr P E P Deraniyagala edited and released Sinhala Verse ( Kavi) Volume 1 Collected by Hugh Nevill 1954 no 272 'Dalumura Yahan Kavi ' [ at page 311] stated that : 'This is an invitation to accept the decorated shrines or altars, and the betel leaves ,which are prepared to propitiate certain devatars or god.' These are Pitiye Deviyo , Pallebedde deviyo, Alut Deviyo, Devata Bandara,Kalu bandara, Keerthi Bandara,Gange Bandara ,Devel Devindu , Twelve Deva Sakras, Maha Bamba,Soli Kumara and Sri Wickrama Rajasingha, Amusiri Devi, and Amusiri Kadawara. It is evident that Alut Deviyo is not a synonym for the Sri Wickrama Rajasingha as depicted in the 53 verses found therein. The same book refers to Aluth Deviyange kavi on Embekke Devi vide item no 70 at page 80.
The Sinhala Deva Puranaya [ Ancient lore of the Sinhalese Gods] by Prof K N O Dharmadasa and H M S Thundeniya State Printing Cooperation 1994 at page 122 refers to seventeen Aluth Deviyo's from Matale.
K D Somadasa's Catalogue of The Hugh Nevill Manuscripts in the British Library Vol 6 1993 British Library at page 192-3 " Dalu Mura Yahan Kavi" reiterates the position maintained by the reviewer. Sri Wickrama Raja Simha is no synonym for the Aluth Deviyo it was only an epithet used on the occasion of the introduction of the God .Therefore to assume that there was an Aluth Devi Devalaya at page 59 of his book ,in the name for Sri Wickrama Raja Simha should be accepted as cum grano salus -taken with a pinch of salt-.
Nimesha Thiwankara Senevipala has also provided Aluth Deviyange Vimanaya at page 61 of the book - New God's seat of habitation- , and Aluth Deviyange Bala Parakramaya at page 47 - majesty of the New God should be asserted by the God Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe's name and not by the epithet used at the time of introduction.
K D Somadasa's Catalogue [supra] pages 319 -321 Dolaha Devi Kavi contains Miriswatte Aluth Deviyo which casts serious doubts on the premise of Aluth Deviyo .
The bone of contention asserted by this reviewer that 'Aluth' is not an epithet in identifying a deity is further substantiated by H U Pragngnaloka's Purana Sivupada Sangrahawa [ the old compendium of folk verses] 1952 printed by the Government printer thus:
K D Somadasa's Catalogue [supra] pages 319 -321 Dolaha Devi Kavi contains Miriswatte Aluth Deviyo which casts serious doubts on the premise of Aluth Deviyo .
The bone of contention asserted by this reviewer that 'Aluth' is not an epithet in identifying a deity is further substantiated by H U Pragngnaloka's Purana Sivupada Sangrahawa [ the old compendium of folk verses] 1952 printed by the Government printer thus:
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