The Four Hela Clans — Yakka, Nāga, Deva & Raksha: The Real People Behind the “Demons” of Lanka

A BuddhaOfLanka Research Edition

For thousands of years, Sri Lanka’s oldest peoples — Yakka, Nāga, Deva & Raksha — have been portrayed as demons, spirits, gods, snake-people, and mythical races.
But archaeological evidence, epigraphy, genetics, folklore, and textual analysis all reveal something very different:

These were real ancient tribes of the Hela civilization — the original peoples who shaped Lanka long before Vijaya.

Their story is deeply connected to:

Ravana’s lineage
The origins of the Sinhala people
Early metallurgy
Clan-based kingdoms
Buddhist-era restructuring
The later disappearance of clan identities
And finally, how colonial & Indian narrators turned them into “myths”

This article reconstructs the full picture — grounded, logical, and culturally authentic.

1. The Four (or Five) Hela Clans: A Real Ancient Civilization

Before any “Sinhala,” “Tamil,” or “Indian” identities existed, the island was home to four major tribal groups:

1. Yakka (Yaksha)

Mountain clans, iron-workers, forest guardians.

2. Nāga

Maritime clans, seafarers, pearl divers, serpent-totem people.

3. Deva

Sky/royal clans, priestly nobles, scholars, administrators.

4. Raksha (Rakkhasa)

Warrior elite, formed from mixed Deva + Yakka bloodlines.

Some traditions also speak of a 5th group — Gandharva / Manu clans — absorbed early.

Together they formed the ancient Hela people, remembered later as Sīw Hela (Four Hela).

2. Evidence That These Clans Were Real (Not Myths)

This is the strongest part of the article.
Here is all known evidence from multiple sources:

A. YAKKA – Iron Workers & Highland Tribes

• 2nd Century BCE Brahmi Inscription (Tāmketiya, Kaltota)

Contains the term “Yagasha / Yaksha”, indicating a real Yaksha people, not demons.

• Archaeological Iron Smelting Zones (Balangoda–Wellawaya–Ohiya belt)

Sri Lanka’s earliest iron industries are located exactly where Yakka folklore places them.

• Folklore & Family Memory

Highland blacksmith clans still claim Yakka ancestry.

• Pali Texts

Mahāvamsa treats Yakkhas as people, not evil beings.

B. NĀGA – Maritime Clans, Not Literal Snakes

• Brahmi inscriptions with Nāga names

Names like “Naga,” “Naganika,” “Naga-kula” appear as donors.

• Nāgadīpa (Jaffna)

Ancient writers (Pali, Tamil, Greek) describe it as land of the Nāga people.

• Serpent Totem = Symbol, Not Biology

Like the eagle for Rome or dragon for China.

• Maritime archaeology

Prehistoric settlements show advanced seafaring, matching Nāga identity.

C. DEVA – Noble Clan of Scholars & Rulers

• Inscription evidence

“Deva” appears frequently in Brahmi donor records as clan or lineage.

• Royal traditions

Early Sri Lankan kings carried Deva-linked names.

• Ravana’s own father

Vishrava Muni was a Deva-clan sage (more below).

D. RAKSHA – Warrior Elite, Not Demons

• Folklore

Raksha masks in ritual dances preserve stylized clan memory.

• Ravana dynasty

Raksha = offspring of Deva father + Yakka mother.

• Place names

“Raksagala,” “Rakshapana,” etc. indicate old settlements.

• Oral histories

Families in the south claim Raksha lineage.

3. Ravana’s True Genealogy — The Union That Formed the Raksha Clan

This is one of the most important foundations of Hela civilization memory.

According to Lankan traditional genealogy, Ravana descends from two of the greatest Hela clans — Deva and Yakka — with Sumali, the great Yakka king, anchoring the maternal royal line.

Paternal Lineage — The Deva Clan (Priestly & Scholarly Nobility)

• Father: Vishrava Muni (Deva Clan)

A renowned sage, scholar, and spiritual figure belonging to the noble Deva clan — known in ancient Hela society as a lineage of teachers, healers, administrators, and ritual specialists.

• Grandfather: Pulasthi Rishi (Pulastya)

Ancestral patriarch of the Deva lineage.
Associated with Lanka’s earliest scholarly families.
His lineage forms the intellectual backbone of Hela civilization.

This side gives Ravana and his siblings their education, scientific knowledge, spiritual mastery, and intellectual power.

Maternal Lineage — The Yakka Clan (Royal Mountain & Iron-working Power)

• Maternal Grandfather: Sumali — The Great Yakka King

One of the most powerful Yakka rulers of ancient Lanka.
His dynasty controlled:

mountain regions
iron-working centers
early fortified settlements
herbal and healing knowledge traditions

Sumali represents the peak of Yakka political authority.

• Mother: Kaikeshi / Kaikasi (also known as Pushpothkatha)

Princess of the Yakka royal bloodline, daughter of King Sumali.
She symbolizes the matrilineal power of the mountain clans — strength, resilience, craft, and ancient tribal sovereignty.

This side gives Ravana unmatched physical power, strategic war ability, and access to Yakka iron, mountain knowledge, and sacred sites.

The Union That Created the Raksha Clan

The marriage of Vishrava Muni (Deva) and Kaikeshi (Yakka) united two major Hela clans:

Deva → intellectual, spiritual, scholarly authority
Yakka → tribal, military, metallurgical, mountain authority

From this union emerges a new elite warrior-noble lineage:

Raksha = the fusion clan of Deva wisdom and Yakka strength.

This is the REAL meaning of “Raksha” —
not demons, not monsters —
but a superior mixed-blood Hela ruling dynasty.

Children of Vishrava & Kaikeshi — The First Raksha Generation

Ravana
Kumbhakarna
Vibhishana
Suparnaka

These four siblings are remembered not as supernatural beings, but as the first generation of the Raksha royal house, combining:

✓ Education & wisdom → from Deva father

✓ Strength & martial tradition → from Yakka mother

✓ Maritime alliances → through Nāga connections

✓ Royal political legitimacy → through Yakka–Deva fusion

✓ Strategic power → inherited from King Sumali’s Yakka kingdom

This explains why Ravana is described as:

unmatched in knowledge
unmatched in physical capability
unmatched in political authority
ruler of a unified Hela state (Sīw Hela)

None of this fits the “myth” or “demon” narrative.
But it perfectly fits a real inter-clan aristocratic dynasty within the ancient Hela civilization.

4. Ravana’s Rule: The Unification of the Four Clans

Lankan folk histories remember Ravana as:

The king who unified the Four Hela clans into a single nation: Sīw Hela.

Under him:

Yakka = iron & mountain power
Nāga = maritime & coastal networks
Deva = scholarly, ritual, administrative elite
Raksha = warrior + royal authority

This created the first large-scale Hela state.

Some legends even say:

Ravana conquered or ruled parts of ancient Bharatha.
Or that Hela kings held influence in South India.

This leads to the next part…

5. Why Bharatha (Ancient Indian) Versions Demonized the Hela Clans

This is a universal pattern:

When a rival nation is powerful → you demonize them in your stories.
Greeks did it to Persians.
Romans did it to Carthaginians.
Indians did it to Hela clans.

So Indian storytellers recast:

Yakka → demons
Raksha → monsters
Nāga → snake-people
Deva → gods (elevated mythically)
Ravana → demon king of Lanka

This was political propaganda for children, not history.

It later travelled into:

Sanskrit epics
Hindu Puranas
Post-Vedic literature
Medieval storytellers
Colonial English translators

By then, the original meaning was forgotten.

6. How Hela Clans Became “Myths” — Only After Buddhism Was Shifted to India

This is the most important part for the BuddhaOfLanka perspective.

When colonial writers declared:

Buddha was born in India (Nepal–North India region)

…they needed Lanka to be:

the land of mythical demons,
not a real civilization,
not a cultural center,
certainly not Buddha’s homeland.

So the Indian demon-stories were accepted as “history,” and Lanka’s own clan memory became:

superstition
myth
legend
fantasy
folklore
demonology

But if Buddha is restored to his original Hela context:

The Hela clans become historical peoples again.

✔ Yakka = iron-working tribes

✔ Nāga = maritime clans

✔ Deva = noble administrators

✔ Raksha = warrior aristocracy

✔ Ravana = real mixed-clan ruler

✔ Sīw Hela = actual ancestral structure

✔ Sinhala = descendants of Hela clans

Everything makes sense.

7. How We Know These Clans Became Today’s Sinhala People

A clear timeline:

Prehistoric

Balangoda Man + early tribal groups

Early Hela Period

Yakka, Nāga, Deva, Raksha form independent identities

Ravana Era

Clans unify → Sīw Hela

Early Buddhist Era

Clan borders dissolve → all people = “Hela”

Post-Vijaya Era

Hela + other groups → “Sīhala”

Medieval Era

Sīhala → Sinhala

By this stage, Yakka/Nāga/Deva/Raksha names faded from everyday life.

This fading allowed:

Indian demonization
Colonial mythology
Misidentification of Ravana
Replacement of Hela heritage
Shift of Buddha to India
“Demons of Lanka” narrative

to take over.

8. Why Restoring the Hela Clans Matters for BuddhaOfLanka

Because BuddhaOfLanka suggests:

Buddha was not Indian — he was born in Hela lands.

Once the Buddha is placed inside Lanka’s indigenous cultural frame:

Hela clans become real human ancestors
Ravana becomes a real Lankan king
Lanka becomes a fully developed civilization
Pali texts fit Sri Lankan geography
Historical memory aligns
Demon stories collapse
The Pali Canon’s directional clues re-point to Lanka
Archaeology matches clan locations
The whole Buddhist world map shifts back to the island

In this model:

What India called “demons” → becomes our ancient people.
What India called “myth” → becomes anthropology.
What India called “Lanka” → becomes the true Buddhist homeland.

This is the power of recovering Hela clan history.

Conclusion: When Buddha is Hela, Lanka Becomes History — Not Myth

The existence of Yakka, Nāga, Deva, and Raksha clans is not fantasy.
It is the deep cultural foundation of the island.

When the Buddha’s life was moved to India:

these clans were downgraded to monsters
Ravana became a demon king
Lanka became a mythical island

But when the Buddha returns home to Hela civilization:

the clans regain historical identity
Ravana becomes a real leader
Sīw Hela becomes our ancestral map
and Sri Lanka becomes the birthplace of the world’s greatest spiritual tradition

This article marks a step toward restoring our own story — our own roots — our own ancestors.