BHUDDIST CEREMONIES IN CEYLON.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3657, 4 April 1883, Page 4

BHUDDIST CEREMONIES IN CEYLON.

AVritiug to the Rundsehau, a Gorman paper, Professor Haokol gives an interesting account of a Bhuddist ceremony to which hewas invited by the chief of the village of Dena Tilya : —-A dozen old shorn priests in yellow robes (says the professor; received me under an immense sacred fig tree, and led me, chanting iv a strange manner, to tho Temple, which was prettily decorated with flowers, and the meaning of the wall paintings (scenes from the life of the god) was explained to me. Then I was conducteel to a kind of throne erected under the shade of a .group of bananas opposite the Temple, and the ceremony commenced. A baud of five tom-tom beaters, anel as many flute players, began to make a noise that would soften a stone. At tho same time two dancers, ou stilts twelve foot high, executed the most wonderful evolutions. Meantime the Chief's daughters, plump, black-haired maidens, from twelve to twenty years of age, with very delicatelyshaped limbs, offered toddy or palm wine iv cocoanut shells, and cakes and fruit. Unfortunately* I could not understand a weird of the long speech which the Chief addressed to nio, but I made out that ho was tolling me he considered my visit a groat honor, an idea that was pautoiniiuically carried out by ten naked, painted, and deoorateel dancers, who jumped madly rounel my throne. AVhen I re-mounted my ox-cart at sunset to go away, I foiinil it full of the most beautiful bananas and cocoanuts —p'rescnts from my friendly hosts. On one ocession the Professor was present at the burning of the corpse of an aged Bhuelela priest in the mielst of a forest of palms. This class is the only one which receives the honor of cremation, the common people being simply burieel in their gardens or in the neighboring palm woods. The priest's corpse, lying on a lofty bier, elecoratcd with Hewers, was placed, on a pyre of palm stems, about thirty feet high, each corner of which was placed against a living palm tree, while suspeneleel above, like a balelaehin, was a large white sheet. The crowd, amiel the noise of tom-tonrs, waits eagerly for the moment when the flames reach this baldachin, which the ascending heat swells like a great sail. AVhen it is destroyed by the flames a groat shout from the multitude sounds through the quiet forest, for it is then that the soul of the eleceaseil files to heaven.