Dictionary of Pali Proper Names v1.c16.602

v1.c16.602

**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,”¹ to shoot arrows to the four quarters.² 2. Cittarāja.—A Yakkha whom Paṇḍukābhaya honoured by giving him a settlement at the lower end of the Abhaya tank. On festival days the Yakkha occupied a seat beside the king. The Mahāvaṃsa¹ says that Cittarāja 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.