Sri Lanka, April 3 -- The sight of a cemetery would spontaneously bring fear and trepidation to anyone's heart, and only rarely would one have an iota of thought about the realities it symbolises. The gloomy ambiance of graveyards and the bizarre mythological beliefs that dominate peoples' minds produce fear.

This compels them to perform rites and rituals to dispel any possible evil from the dead transformed into malefic creatures. It is customary for those haunted with such beliefs to perform rites and rituals with the idea of appeasing or subjugating them. Particularly the legends in Sinhalese folklore are rich in stories about the frightful influence of the dead reincarnated as spirits. Even now, there are people who would not dare t...