Ketheeswaram Temple, Mannar – History

Ketheeswaram Temple, Mannar – History

The exact date of the Ketheeswaram temple's birth is not universally agreed upon. According to Dr. Paul E. Peiris, an erudite scholar and historian, Thirukketisvaram was one of the file recognized Eeswarams of Siva in Lanka very long before the arrival of Vijaya in 600 B.C. The shrine is known to have existed for at least 2400 years, with inspirational and literary evidence of the postclassical era (600BC – 1500AD) attesting to the shrine's classical antiquity. The buried ancient Tamil trading port of Manthottam (Mantotai / Manthai) in the Mannar District, where Ketheeswaram is located. It has provided historians extant remains of the culture of the area during the ancient period. This includes the vestiges of its ancient temple tank (the Pallavi tank), and the ruins of a former Hindu city built of brick, described by J.W. Bennet in 1843. 

During the ancient period, Maathottam was a centre of international trade, with Greeks, Romans, Phoenicians, Arabs, Ethiopians, Persians, Chinese, Japanese, Burmese and others vying with each other to monopolize the trade of North Ceylon with Tamil traders. Maathottam is currently viewed as the only port on the island that could be called a "buried city," with much of the ancient ruins under sand today. The existence of the Thiru-Ketheeswaram temple attests to the antiquity of the port. Maathottam finds mention as "one of the greatest ports" on the seaboard between the island and Tamilakam in the Tamil Sangam literature of the classical period (600 BCE – 300 CE). Hugh Nevill wrote in 1887 of the illustrious city of Maathottam “A renowned shrine grew into repute there dedicated to one Supreme God symbolized by a single stone, and in later times restored by a Saivite after lying long in ruins. The temple was dedicated as "Tiru-Kethes-Waram.”

One of the five ancient Iswarams of Lord Shiva on the island, Ketheeswaram joins Koneswaram (Trincomalee), Naguleswaram (Keerimalai), Tenavaram (Tevan Thurai) and Munneswaram (Puttalam) as a renowned and highly frequented pilgrimage site from before 600 BCE. In the 6^th - 9^th century CE, the temple was glorified in the Thevaram canon, becoming one of 275 Paadal Petra Sthalams, the holiest Shiva temples on the continent. The only other Paadal Petra Sthalam from Eela Nadu (the country of the temple as named in the Tamil literature) is Koneswaram. The temple was once under the control of Chingaiyaria Kings who also controls the Rameswaram of Tamil Nadu.

Built by Karaiyar:

Thiruketheeswaram initial construction is credited to the indigenous people of the Manthai port, the Karaiyar Naga tribe. The Karaiyar claimed to be related to several classical period public figures hailing from the international port town, including the creator of the oldest extant Tamil literature by an Eelam Tamilian, the Sangam poet Eelattu Poothanthevanar.

Thevaram Hymns:

Ketisvaram Temple and the waters of the Palavi tank by its side are heralded in the Saiva work Thevaram in the 6^th century CE by Sambandar. Along with Koneswaram temple on Swami Rock, Trincomalee, Ketisvaram Temple and its deity are praised in the same literature canon by the 8^th century CE Nayanmar, Sundarar. Thirukketisvaram henceforth is glorified as one of 275 Shiva Sthalams of the continent, part of the Paadal Petra Sthalam group. The only other Sthalam from Eelam is Koneswaram. Saint Tirugnana Sambandhar and later Saint Sundarar each offered a Patikam of Thevaram verses to the Lord of Thiruketheeswaram. There is epigraphic evidence of maintenance of the temple by the Pallava and Pandyan dynasties.

10^th Century:

Several Chola inscriptions from its medieval floruit refer to Ketisvaram and two Sinhala inscriptions of the 10^th century refer to the prohibition on slaughtering cows at the town.

12^th Century:

Dathavamsa, (12^th Century) speaks of a Hindu temple at Mantotai in the reign of King Meghavannan (301–328).

16^th Century destruction by the Portuguese:

After 1505 A.C.E along with countless Buddhist and Hindu temples around the island, it was destroyed by Portuguese Catholic colonialists. The historian Do Couto recounts that the attackers encountered no resistance from pilgrims or priests while the temple was destroyed. In 1589 C.E. the temple stones were used by them to build the Mannar Fort, a Catholic church and the Hammershield Fort at Kayts.

19^th / 20^th Century Reconstruction:

The original site of the Temple was traced in 1894. The Shiva Lingam of the old shrine together with several other finds were also unearthed in 1894. After a gap of almost 400 years in 1910s local Tamils, under the urging of Hindu reformer Arumuga Naavalar, came together and built the present temple. With the restoration of the ancient and holy Palavi Theertham or pond in 1949, a major effort was made to improve the temple environs. It was in October 1948 that an intensive agitation resulted in the formation of the Thiruketheeswaram Temple Restoration Society, which renovated the temple and performed Kumbabishekam in August 1952. The Thiruketheeswaram Temple Restoration Society did further renovation of the temple and another Kumbhabhishekam was held on July 4, 1976.

Current Situation:

As part of the civil war that has plagued the country since the Black July pogrom of 1983 currently the temple is occupied by the Sri Lankan Army. While granite work preparations were in progress the army took over the Temple and its environs in August 1990 and continued to occupy the site for several years. Although they have left the Temple premises their occupation of its environs is a cause of concern to the Restoration Society which has been urging the Government to remove the Armed Forces completely from the environs of the Temple and declare the site a sacred area.