A 'Mal paela' and a 'Dewathaa Kotuwa', Avissawella, Sri Lanka.

A 'Mal paela' - A flower sapling.

A 'Devathaa Kotuwa' - The shed for the Gods.

Side view of the 'Devathaa Kotuwa'

The flower offering inviting the Gods.

I took these pictures at the initiation ceremony of a 'Hewisi Band' in the Maaniccawaththe Pansala, Avissawella, Sri Lanka. In Theravada Buddhist Cosmology, there are numerous Gods who by their meritorious actions are enjoying a status as Gods for a limited time. They are able to help human beings. They are invited and invoked for blessings at quite a few ceremonies. Small shelters are built of young fresh coconut fronds and plantain stems. Fresh flowers are offered and lamps lighted in these places before the Gods are invoked.