Saman (deity)

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Saman or Sumana or Samantha or Sumana Saman (Sumana Saman deviyo-සුමන සමන් ‍දෙවි in Sinhala) is a deity, subject to local and indigenous belief and worship in Sri Lanka. Saman means "the rising morning sun". His character is of historical significance for the Sinhala people and veneration especially to all the Buddhists. He is considered one of the guardian deities of the island (Sri Lanka) and the Buddha Sasana (Natha, Upulvan, Vibhishana and Katharagama are the others. Nayakkar dynasty from South India introduced the Goddess Pattini replacing God Saman [1]). Sumana Saman is the guardian (patron deity) or the presiding deity of Saparagamuva and the Sri Pada mountain (Adam's Peak). Accordingly his main shrine or Devale is at Ratnapura, where an annual festival is held in his honor. [2]

According to common belief, he may have been a King or a provincial ruler (Mahasumana) of Saparagamuva from the Deva clan, one of the four founding tribes of the Hela people (others are yak, na, rakus, aryan). And according to the tradition of Sammuthi Deva (considered a deity by common acceptance) he is revered as a deity.

He is also thought to have been a real Deva (god). There is much debate regarding his origin. By a few, he is also related to God of Katharagama and Vibhishana. Either way, Sumana Saman deviyo invited Lord Buddha to the Samanalakanda and on request Lord Gautama Buddha left his foot print on the rock at top of the mountain as a token of symbolic worship, in the absence of the Buddha. Some also relate him to the Mahayana tradition of Samanthabhadra. God Maha Sumana Saman is depicted crowned & bejeweled & holding a lotus flower in his right hand & accompanied by a white elephant. [3]

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[edit] History

Sumana Saman may have been of the Deva clan or yakka or rakus or even Indian. Another legend discloses that Deity Saman is the younger brother of King Ravana who ruled Sri Lanka 6000 BC.

Sumana Saman was there when Lord Buddha visited the island for the second time. God Saman is recorded as having met the Buddha on the latter's first visit to the island when he visited Mahiyangana to drive away the yakkhas. Saman became a stream-entrant (sotapanna) after listening to the Buddha, who gave him a handful of hairs with which he erected the dagaba at Mahiyangana (Mhv.i,33).[4]

Saman has also had a sister of historic importance.

Following his death, Prince Sumana Saman became a god (another being, a resplendent one, in another world & definitely, infinitely inferior to Buddha) by the name God Maha Sumana Saman.

[edit] Samangira

Main article: Sri Pada

According to Mahavansa, Sri Pada mountain or Sumanakuta or Samangira or Samanalakanda (Adam's Peak) bears the impression of the Buddha's left foot, which he left on his third visit to the island. (Mhv.i,77ff.). Some say that Samanthakuta means the Peak of the God Saman.

[edit] Buddhism

Buddhists believe that the footmark on the summit of Sri Pada is that of Buddha, who, during his third visit to Kelaniya, 2,580 year ago, kept the imprint of his left foot thereon as a relict worthy of veneration. deities have temporal power, but no spiritual attributes, which only the triple gems, Buddha, Dhamma (the Buddhist doctrine) & the Sangha (the order of monks) have. He is, in fact, no God, in the sense looked upon by those whose faiths consider God all powerful.

[edit] Beliefs

God Saman is the tutelary deity of the mountain wilderness, whose divine eye is supposed to cast upon Deraniyagala, Boltumbe, Ellakkala, Nivitigala and the mountain Benasamanalagala. [5] He is regarded as the chief deity of the area surrounding the sacred mountain as well as of the saparagamuva country in general. Accordingly his main shrine is at Ratnapura, where an annual festival is held in his honor. [6]

The Theravada Buddhists of Sri Lanka later made god Saman the guardian of their land and their religion. With the rise of Mahayana Buddhism, Saman developed into Samantabhadra, one of the four principle bodhisattvas of Mahayana. Like his later manifestation, Samanta is usually depicted crowned and bejewelled, holding a lotus in his right hand and accompanied by a white elephant. At Weligama, an ancient port on Sri Lanka's south coast, there is a 12 ft high statue which some believe is the figure of Samantabhadra carved out of a huge moss-covered bolder. This statue is now called Kushtarajagala. It is thought that the Pilgrims from India and northern Sri Lanka disembarking at Weligama were greeted by this bodhisattva figure as they set out on the long trek to Sri Pada.[7]

God Maha Sumana Saman is depicted in human form accompanied by a white elephant, the ancient bulldozer & bulldog of Lanka, the great noble beast of royal & Buddhist significance, in the background of Sri Pada (Adam's Peak). The resplendent god, a divine being in every sense of the word, holds a red lotus, a flower of Sinhalese Buddhist significance. His noble beast too holds a red lotus.[8]

[edit] Impact on the Sri Lankan Culture

The dance tradition of Saparagamuva relates to the god Saman. The costume worn in the dance is said to resemble his cloths. People of Saparagamuva have much faith in the deity and many of their traditions relate to him. The dances are usually performed in Ratnapura, relating to the worshiping of God Saman much revered by local people.

The Maha Saman Devale of Rathnapura, first built by King "Pandita" Parakramabahu the 2nd in 1270 AD, is the main temple dedicated to the deity Saman.[9] Every august this Shrine conducts a traditional festival for 2 weeks every night. This ceremony may be the oldest precession in Sri Lanka, according to a poem sung in "Gara Yakuma" Dance, relating to Rama Ravana Story and God Sumana Saman.[10]

There is also a Saman Devalaya at Mahiyangana. In Sandesha literature, poems were written to Sumana Saman for his blessing on the country. Pilgrims who climb the Samanalagira expect blessings of the deity. They make sure not to anger him. The people living in the area tell many tales of his power and miracles.

[edit] References

[edit] See also

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