How the funeral rites of the upland kings were performed

geekpranee (67)in #krsuccess • 9 months ago

When a king dies, the people of the country are not immediately told that the king is dead. The king announces that he is ill, and the ministers of state meet to decide who will be the next king. For this purpose, important persons of the country are issued orders to come to the city.
If the heir to the kingship is disputed, the Adikarams propose suitable candidates and obtain the unanimous consent of the chiefs. If the heir is not contentious, the next step is to send soldiers to protect his house. This gives the people a clue that the king is dead. The king again sends an edict to the people saying that he is very ill and is preparing to face the tragic event that is about to happen.

Then people are brought from each district and told that the king's condition is very serious. Take one person from each district and show them who will be next to become king.
Now the Adikarams gather in the wedding hall. There the people also gather in front of them. As the king is ill, the officials ask the people what they are willing to do next. Now the people say that the prince who was shown to them before is fit to be king. The officials then say that this is a decision of the people and that they should not be blamed for what happens later on. It is clear that the king is dead by now.
Salupila and Diyawadana Nilame, the chief in charge of royal robes, give robes and royal jewels to the prince-to-be. The prince also planted them and came to Dalada's palace, and Dalada offered flowers. Then he goes to Patthirippuwa. Otherwise, to the upper courtyard of Dalada Maliga. The people gathered in front of the Dalada Palace see the prince enthroned at this time. Then drums and dances are performed in front of the prince. All the chiefs, including the Adikarams, worshiped before the king and gave details about the district. Then the prince leaves from there.
A pavilion is built in front of the wedding hall, a pile of paddy is piled there, a paslo pad is placed on it, and a man stands on it and plays the dead drum. This is the famous sign that the king is dead. The prince should not take any food or drink until the dead king is cremated.
The body is carried in a coffin to the Royal Cemetery by a hearse. The entourage including the king's wives, children, and chiefs walk behind the dola. As the funeral procession passes, two women on a four-person raft throw rice into the coffin. After arriving at the royal cemetery, monks from various parts of the country visit it and recite the Dharma Pada. Then the cloths on the king's body are offered to the monks.
Then the royal two are kept in a compartment and covered with wood. After a relative of the king sets fire to the pyre, oil, sandwood, and various aromatic substances are added to the fire. Then the chiefs left there and informed the prince that the king had been cremated. Then the prince goes to the house and bathes to purify himself.
The fire in Chitaka has been burning for about 11 days. The dead drums continue to play. The chiefs take the food fit for a king to the grave and make offerings. Then sprinkle milk and coconut water and extinguish the fire. There the ashes are placed in an earthen pot and sealed. A grave is made by collecting all the leftovers of the Chittaka along with the food offered to the king and other things.
Next, a man dressed in a black mask and a black robe, carrying the ashes on his head and riding a horse with a sword, goes to the Mahaweli river with the chiefs of the country. Arriving at the pier called Katugastota there, the black-clad man climbs into a boat made of two wooden canoes called Kakunga. Two other men push him up into the middle of the river and leave. At the same time, the man dressed in black smashes the Ashmawasesha clay pot with his sword and dives into the water as deep as possible with it. Thus he dives and runs from the other bank. The boat floats across the river. The man who brought the ashes makes the mounted horse also cross the river. The animal was never to be used by man again.
The two women who threw the rice in the coffin and the four men who carried them were sent across the river. They are not allowed to come back across the river. When all this is over, the chiefs go to the prince and inform him that the ceremony is over. Then the prince bathes again and becomes pure.