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Cittarāja

1. Cittarāja.– A yakkha. It was the custom for ancient kings at the time of the Kattika Festival to deck themselves in great array and, standing on the bank of a lake “in the presence of Cittarāja,” (meaning, probably, in front of his statue) to shoot arrows to the four quarters. J.ii.372.

2. Cittarāja.– A yakkha whom Paṇḍukābhaya honoured by giving him a settlement at the lower end of the Abhaya reservoir. On festival days the yakkha occupied a seat beside the king. The Mahāvaṃsa (xi.4, 84, 87, 104) says that Citta-rāja was an incarnation of the herdsman Citta (7) who saved Paṇḍukābhaya’s life, but it is more likely that the Cittarāja mentioned here is identical with Cittarāja (1), and that the festival refers to the Kattika festival.