kohomba kankariya

Sri Lankan devil dance

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June 30, 2026

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The Kohomba Kankariya is a significant ritualistic dance in Sri Lanka, rooted in pre-Buddhist beliefs focused on healing and purification. It is performed to cure individuals afflicted by disease, dementia, or misfortune attributed to malevolent spirits. The ceremony also aims to appease demons and deities, thereby inviting good fortune.1

The dance involves professional male dancers who wear distinctive costumes, including a red cloth headpiece with palm-leaf ribbons, a chest strip, a skillfully wound white cloth around their hips, and ankle bells. Their appearance is a blend of male and female characteristics. The ritual includes mime, magical actions, drumming, and singing, culminating in dancers wielding flaming torches and forming circles of fire around themselves. Masks representing various demons are worn, and the chief exorcist plays the role of Vesamuni, the king of demons. The climax involves the exorcist confronting the demon possessing the patient, using various methods to persuade it to leave and heal the victim. The Kohomba Kankariya is particularly important for ensuring prosperity and warding off pestilence.1

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South Asian arts
Tovil dance
…picturesque and important are the kohomba kankariya (or “ritual of the god Kohomba”), performed to ensure prosperity and to rout pestilence, and the bali, danced to propitiate the heavenly beings.
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…picturesque and important are the kohomba kankariya (or “ritual of the god Kohomba”), performed to ensure prosperity and to rout pestilence, and the bali, danced to propitiate the heavenly beings.
Read More