What is "kuveni"

Kuveni also known as Sesapathi or Kuvanna, was a Yakshini queen in Sri Lanka mentioned in the ancient Pali chronicles Mahavamsa and Dipavamsa of the Sinhalese people. The primary source for her life-story is the Mahavamsa. She is venerated as Maha Loku Kiriammaleththo by the Veddas. Other names for her varying with Veddas habitats are Indigolle Kiriamma, Unapane Kiriamma, Kande Kiriamma, Divas Kiriamma, Wellasse Kiriamma, Kukulapola Kiriamma and Bili Kiriamma.

Kuveni was a wife of Sri Lanka's first recorded king Vijaya and she had two children, a son named Jivahata and the daughter as Disal. According to the genesis myth of the Sinhala people, recorded in the Mahavansa, the Veddas - Sri Lanka aboriginal population are descended from Kuveni's children. Kuveni, on the other hand, is regarded as a descendant of the Rakshas of the Ramayana and of Ravana, who also dwelled in Lanka.

According to Dayananda Binaragama another prevalent legend about Kuveni among the Veddas is that she is the elder sister of deity Saman. For the Veddas, Devas too were and are another living tribe.