Devotees who have not shown sufficient respect to God Skanda commonly called Kataragama Devio or have acted in an improper manner on their way to or from the Devale are reminded of their lapses in various ways. However, God Skanda too, like all Gods is kind, generous and blesses the devout.

Millions of devotees over the past centuries have benefited from the kindness of Kataragama Devio. Such accounts of the mysterious acts of the God are numerous as those related by Reggie Fernando in his recent article in The Island and practically any regular pilgrim to Kataragama.

This writer is one such but was once reminded that the God’s benevolence, even unwittingly is not to be taken for granted in His country.

Some years ago the writer, his mother, sister and a friend left Passara one morning as pilgrims to the Devale with the friend trying to get the ‘feel’ of the new car. His extra careful and slow driving prompted the owner to suggest that he takes over as the party must reach their destination in time for the daval pooja and thereafter make it to Hambantota, for a dip in the sea and lunch. Seats were changed but the driver could not continue for more than a few minutes when he found the engine mysteriously not responding to gear changes and had to coast to the curb and park. Baffled by this strange turn of events all the party could do was to wait for help. That soon arrived in the form of a uniformed Sanitary Inspector on a motor cycle who was equally clueless as to what could have happened but offered to give the writer a lift to a possible repairer in Tissamaharama.

On the pillion of the bike the need to leave the rest of the party at Tissa and take the night bus to Colombo to fetch a mechanic and spares and of all the attendant problems like overstaying leave and such like were bothering him. In the garage, a ramshackle building, with little evidence of any repair activity sat a bare bodied betel chewing man more like a chena cultivator than a mechanic. On being told what the problem was he instantly said without any clarifications that the rear axle had broken. That meant a trip to Colombo for sure with the broken part but as the God would have it the bass unnehe groped around a huge pile of junk and produced what he said with certainty was the correct part. To clear many doubts several questions were asked but all the man would say was that it would fit. His golaya, a chap of about 20 years with a few tools and the axle and the writer boarded a bus to the scene of the break down. To the relief and amazement of all the car was ready to continue the journey within half an hour of the spare part being brought to the scene.

Taking all circumstances into consideration if this was not a miracle there could not be any other. Then certainly and even now the ready availability of the correct spare part itself and a replacement of that nature could not have been effected in Colombo itself with such speed.

The lesson learnt that day was that it is with the Kataragama Devio’s blessing that we go to His presence at a time he decrees and not according to our advance programmes!

Like devotees of today it is said that late in the 16th century an Indian Raja who had no children of his own had come to the God at Kataragama and prayed that his Ranee and he be blessed with children. As a token of his gratitude he undertook to offer the first born to the service of the God.

In due course the royal couple was blessed with a girl, Balasundari, who grew up to be beautiful, charming, pious and intelligent. The Raja who came to love his daughter dearly kept putting off the day when his daughter and he would be parted but was reminded of his undertaking in several divine messages. Finally, realising that there was no way out of his predicament he brought the young girl with a retinue of attendants and settled them down at Kataragama.

For a long time thereafter the young princess devoted her life in service to the God and in due course her fame spread throughout the country.

The King of Kandy, Sri Vikrama Rajasinha having heard of her, proposed marriage to her through his officers. Balasundari declined and in doing so offended the haughty King who with characteristic rashness sent an army to fetch her to Kandy. The young princess appealed to the God and her prayers came to be known by the soldiers who defied the orders of their captain to take the princess captive. Thereby she remained at Kataragarna for many more years in the service of the God.

Legend has it that still earlier in the distant past there was a Veddah Chief and his wife who lived in Parana near Kataragama who were also childless. When the Chief was out in search of food one day he found a baby girl among some creepers- val. Having taken it to his wife they named her Valli Amma, after the creepers among which she was found and brought her up as their own.

Valli Amma grew up to be a startling beauty and helped the Veddah couple as a daughter would. Once when the girl was alone an old beggar appeared at her home and appealed for food and drink. The girl offered him a meal of yams and directed him to the river nearby to wash and drink. The beggar pleaded with the girl to show him the way which she did with some reluctance.

On reaching the river a massive elephant charged them but the beggar by a totally unexpected power stopped the animal in its tracks and having driven it away comforted the distraught girl. She realised that her life was saved by the old beggar and wishing to reward him asked what she could do for him in return. The beggar without any hesitation asked her to marry him.

To say the least she was offended and after awhile when the beggar’s pleadings had no effect on the girl he took his real form which was that of a strikingly handsome young man. Valli Amma fell at his feet and accepted him as her husband. It is said that the elephant was none other than God Ganeshan and the beggar his brother God Skanda who had previously seen and come to greatly admire Valli Amma.

God Skanda and Valli Amma on leaving the banks of the river took up residence at Vadahiti Kanda. In the meanwhile the Veddah Chief, grief stricken at the loss of the girl, together with his clan searched for her. They finally found her with God Skanda, whom the Veddahs attacked for what they considered a grave injustice to the girl’s foster parents and slur on their community. God Skanda, the warrior king, slew many of them in the fray but in deference to Valli Amma’s pleading he brought them all back to life.

God Skanda who was married previously to Deva Sena also known as Thevani Amma in India was repeatedly requested by his first wife to return to her. When the God did not heed her pleadings Thevani came to Kataragama and remained there with the God and Valli Amma.

A great deal more of the God’s birth and life is related in the epic poem "Skanda Purana" written in the 5th century B.C. In the poem the God is also referred to as Muruga meaning youth, beauty and tenderness; Kuha Nethra Sutha meaning son born from the eyes; Gangaya meaning born of the Ganges and Sanmugam meaning one with six faces.

Many people wonder what lies behind the curtains above the short flight of steps, which all devotees see on entering the main hall of the Maha Devale. A German visitor, of many decades ago, Paul Wirz says that the room behind the curtains, into which only the Mahakapurala and Deveni Kapurala are allowed to enter, contains a box which holds a ‘Yanthra’made by a Swami named Muthulinga, who lived in Kataragama long ago.

There is also some speculation about the original builder of the Devale. Of the several theories one is that Prince Vijaya originally built it in honour of God Kadirani Andava. Another is that King Dutugemunu, (B C 161-137) built the temple as a token of gratitude to God Skanda for his victory over Elara thereby ending he ended 78 years of rule of Anuradhapura by the Chola Kings. This seems plausible as mention is also made of the king having taken a vow in the present location before going to battle to build a temple to God Skanda if he was victorious.

Visitors to Kataragama, the powerful and meek, the rich and poor, old and young from the distant past to the present day are in their many millions. It is said that even high officials of the conquerors of Ceylon, the Dutch, Portuguese and the British hearing of the miraculous happenings at the Devale visited Kataragama to satisfy their curiosity.

One such was Governor Brownrigg who was accompanied by the military physician, Dr. John Davy. The Doctor recording his observations on the visit in 1816 wrote, "Of all Gods, the Kataragama God is the most feared and such is the dread of this being that I was never able to induce a native artist to draw a picture of him."

To those seeking logical explanations to the wondrous happenings at the Ruhunu Maha Kataragama Devale all one can say is,