In Theravādin chronicle tradition (as summarized from the Mahavamsa in modern sources), Maliyadeva is presented as a monk who lived in Sri Lanka in the period given as the 2nd century BCE and who attained nirvana. Within that chronicle-derived framing he is described as one of the last well-known arahants in Sri Lanka; modern summaries record that Buddhism in Sri Lanka is said to have declined after his period. Beyond this chronicle-based placement, local legends attach further devotional narratives to his figure, such as an account that he brought four Buddha statues from India to Sri Lanka.
Sources identify Maliyadeva by his role and locations rather than by a physical portrait: he is described as a Buddhist monk and arahant in chronicle summaries. No systematic contemporaneous physical description (height, complexion, dress beyond monastic identity) is recorded in the cited material. Instead, the tradition preserves places connected to him—his meditation chamber at Arankale, his dwelling at Guharamaya, and folkloric association with Ravanagoda in Kotmale—as focal points of his memory.
According to modern summaries of the Mahavamsa, Maliyadeva attained nirvana and is described in that tradition as possessing high psychic powers (Abhiññā; Sinhala gloss අභිඥ්ඥාලාභී අරහතුන් වහන්සේ). The available sources do not enumerate specific supernatural feats beyond this summary claim; a distinct legend recorded in secondary summaries attributes to him the action of bringing four Buddha statues from India to Sri Lanka. No other miracles, powers, or behavioral descriptions are preserved in the provided material.
Anuruddha
Anuruddha is presented in the supplied sources primarily as a personal name borne by two overlapping non‑supernatural figures: (1) Anuruddha the Theravādin elder — one of the Buddha’s eminent disciples appearing in suttas and Vinaya anecdotes; and (2) Anuruddha the ruler — a chronicle figure in Pali/Thai histories associated with the Dvaravati cultural sphere and Arimadhanaburi (Nakhon Pathom). The materials do not treat Anuruddha as a spirit or other supernatural creature.
Arhat
An arhat (Sanskrit: arhat; Pāli: arahant) is in Buddhist traditions a human practitioner who has gained insight into the true nature of existence, attained nirvāṇa, and been liberated from the cycle of rebirth. The status and valuation of arhatship vary by school: some traditions equate it with full liberation, while others treat it as distinct from or inferior to the bodhisattva/buddha ideal.
Aṅgulimāla
Aṅgulimāla is a figure from early Buddhist literature: a notorious human brigand who wore a 'finger necklace' and, after an encounter with the Buddha at Sāvatthī, renounced violence, ordained as a monk, and is presented in the tradition as attaining liberation. In later South and Southeast Asian popular religion he is also invoked as a protector in childbirth and associated with fertility.
Mala'ika
Mala'ika are angels — heavenly, created spiritual beings described in the supplied sources as created by God from a luminous origin and primarily known from Qur'anic and later Islamic literature; the provided materials do not supply Coptic-language forms or Coptic-specific folklore details.
Malebranche (Divine Comedy)
In Dante Alighieri’s Inferno the Malebranche are a squad of clawed, quarrelsome demons charged with policing Bolgia Five of the Eighth Circle (Malebolge). They act as vulgar, treacherous warders who seize sinners from the boiling pitch, prevent escape, quarrel among themselves, and interact deceptively with Dante and Virgil under the leadership of Malacoda.
Maleficent
A fictional, high-powered supernatural female figure from modern popular-media retellings of the Sleeping Beauty tale (notably Disney’s 1959 animated film and the 2014 live-action film). She is portrayed as a powerful fairy who issues binding curses, commands animal familiars and forces, and whose motives range from unambiguous wickedness (1959) to a morally complex protector seeking revenge (2014).
Malin Kundang
A figure from an Indonesian folktale, transformed into stone as a result of his disobedience and retribution. He represents the consequences of one's actions, emphasizing filial piety and obedience. (Note: 1. Power tier should be assigned based on the entity's abilities; since it doesn't have any mentioned abilities, this might not be applicable. 2. Appearance should be added to describe Malin Kundang's)
Maliu
Maliu is not documented in the provided sources as a supernatural being; rather the token 'Maliu' appears in Samoan-language news meaning 'death'/'to die', as a phrase in Hawaiian song titles and lyrics ('E Maliu Mai'), and as a personal name in Polynesian contexts. No mythological origin, appearance, powers, or rituals associated with a spirit named Maliu are attested in the supplied materials.
Malkuth (מַלְכוּת)
Malkuth is the tenth sefirah on the Kabbalistic Tree of Life, the lowest sphere representing the manifest world or 'Kingdom'. It functions as the receiving endpoint of the divine emanations, the realm of material existence (the World of Assiah), and a symbolic locus for humility, embodied action, and the Shekhinah in Zoharic material.
Mallinātha
Two distinct historical/religious figures share the name Mallinātha in the supplied sources: (1) Mallinātha Sūri, a medieval South Indian Sanskrit commentator known for Sanjivani commentaries on the five mahākāvyas; and (2) Mallinātha (Mālliṇātha), the 19th tīrthaṅkara in Jain tradition, listed as a ford-maker born at Mithilā into the Ikshvaku lineage.
Mallku (mountain condor spirit)
The provided source does not describe a supernatural Mallku; it records Mallku as an epithet or name used by a modern Bolivian political figure, Felipe Quispe Huanca. There is insufficient information in the source to characterize Mallku as an entity within Inca or Andean cosmology.
Malphas
Malphas is a named infernal officer in early modern European grimoire tradition, described as a high-ranking Great President of Hell who commands forty legions and who appears to conjurers in ritual contexts, most commonly as a raven or, on request, as a hoarse-voiced man.
Community Record
- [1]Maliyadeva - Wikipedia summary. "Maliyadeva was a monk who is said to have lived in Sri Lanka during the 2nd century BCE and to have attained nirvana."; "According to the Mahavamsa... the last well-known arhat who had high psychic powers (Abiññalabhi...)"; "A legend says he brought four Buddha statues from India to Sri Lanka."; "His meditation chamber may be seen at Arankale and his dwelling place at Guharamaya... Ravanagoda, Kotmale."wiki
- [2]Maliyadeva College (institutional reference). Institutional use of the name: "Maliyadeva College (Sinhala: මලියදේව විද්යාලය ) is a national school... located in Kurunegala, Sri Lanka..."wiki
- [3]Vattarama Sri Arahatta Maliyadeva Rajamaha Viharaya - Philatelic Bureau item. Philatelic Bureau reference to a First Day Cover: "Vattarama Sri Arahatta Maliyadeva Rajamaha Viharaya."other
- [4]Maliyadeva Jubilee Digest - 75th Jubilee (archive). Commemorative institutional publication: Maliyadeva College 75th Jubilee Digest (archive item).other
- [5]Discussion: Why did Buddhism nearly become extinct in Sri Lanka? (stackexchange summary citing tradition). Secondary discussion referencing traditional claims that Buddhism declined after the era of prominent arahants such as Maliyadeva (as summarized from chronicle tradition).other