Nainativu Nagapooshani Amman
Temple – History
References in ancient Texts:
Geographia:
Claudius Ptolemy, a Greek
cartographer from Alexandria in the Roman province of Egypt,
describes the temple and the surrounding Tamil territory including islands
around the Jaffna peninsula as Nagadibois in the 1st century
CE in his work Geographia. Naga people were snake-worshippers, a Dravidian custom,
and spoke Tamil based on Ptolemy's description of the Naga people.
Sangam Tamil Buddhist Epics:
Naga Nadu was the name of the
whole Jaffna peninsula in some historical
documents. There are number of Buddhist myths associated with the interactions
of people of this historical place with Buddha. The
two Sangam Tamil Buddhist epics; Manimekalai and Kundala
Kesi describe the islet of Manipallavam of Naga Nadu which is
identified with Nainativu islet of the Jaffna peninsula.
Manimekalai describes the ancient island of Manipallavam from where merchants
came to obtain gems and conch shells.
These objects are revered still today by Hindus.
The protagonists of the Silapathikaram
by Ilango Adigal visited the island. In
the latter poem by Seethalai Sathanar, the sea goddess
Manimekala brings the heroine to the island, where she worships Lord Buddha.
She is also told of the petrosomatoglyph atop the mountain of the main island
and a magic bowl Amudha Surabhi (cornucopia bowl) that appears once every year
in a lake of the islet.
The Manimekalai and
the Mahavamsa both describe Buddha settling a dispute between two
Naga princes over a gem set throne seat on an island known
as Manipallavam or Nagadeepa, identified as Nainativu by several
scholars. Furthermore, Manimekalai directly states that the island is home to
Goddess Manimekala Dheivam (Manimekalai Devi).
Inscriptions:
The 12th century
CE Tamil language inscription of the
temple by Parakramabahu I states that foreign
merchants must land at Uraturai (Kayts) before entering the island of Nainativu.
This undoubtedly refers to merchants and pilgrims from South India.
Furthermore, it states a fourth of the cargo must go to the treasury if ships
carrying elephants, horses and merchandise are ship wrecked.
Nagas:
Naga people were
snake-worshippers, spoke earlier form of Tamil based
on Ptolemy's description of the Naga people. The
Nagas were a branch of the early Tamils and were part of the Chera
kingdom of ancient Tamilakam. Archaeological excavations and
studies provide evidence of Paleolithic inhabitation in the Tamil
dominated Northern and Eastern Sri Lanka and in Tamil Naadu and Chera Naadu
(Kerala region). The findings include Naga idols and suggest that serpent
worship was widely practised in the Dravidian regions of India
and Sri Lanka during the megalithic period.
The Nagas lived among the Yakkha, Raksha and Deva in Ceylon
according to the Manimekalai and Mahavamsa. Cobra worship, Tamil
speech and Keralan cuisine extant in Jaffna
Tamil culture from the classical period attests to the Naga's heritage. Sangam
literature details how the ancient Tamil people were divided
into five clans (Kudi) based on their profession during the
Sangam period, where the Naga clan, who were in charge of border
security guarding the city wall and distant fortresses, inhabited the Coromandel
Coast - South Tamil Nadu, East Tamil Nadu and North Sri Lanka.
The name Naga was either a
corrupted version of the word Nayinar or may have been applied to this
community due to their head covering being the shape of a hydra-headed cobra in
reverence to their serpentine deities. British historian and author of
"Ancient Ceylon" considers the Naga to be an offshoot of the Nayars of
Kerala. Ancient Tamil epic Manimekalai and the Sri Lankan history book Mahavamsa both
mention a dispute between two Naga kings in northern Sri Lanka. Some scholars
derives the origin of the Pallava
dynasty of Tamilakam
from an marriage alliance of the Cholas
and the Naga from Jaffna
Peninsula. This incident is mentioned in the Tamil
epic, Manimekalai.
They continue to worship their
patron Nayinar deity (a five headed cobra) and Nagapooshani Amman even today
within the sanctum sanctorum of the Nainativu Nagapooshani Amman Temple.
The name Naga as either a corrupted version of the word Nayanar or may have
been applied to this community due to their head covering being the shape of a
hydra-headed cobra in reverence to their serpentine deities; Sri Nayinar Swami
and Sri Nagapooshani Amman. The rulers and society of Nainativu are
described as an advanced civilization in the Vallipuram gold
plate inscriptions.
Naga Tivu / Naga Nadu:
Naga Tivu / Naga Nadu was the
name of the whole Jaffna
peninsula in some historical documents.
Sakthi Peethas:
The temple's fame is accredited
to Adi Shankaracharya, a 9th century
Hindu philosopher, for identifying it as one of the prominent 64
Shakti Peetams in Shakti Peetha Stotram and its mention in
the Brahmanda Purana.
Invasions:
The original temple was looted
and destroyed by the Portuguese in
1620 CE. The modern-day structure was restored and re-established in 1788. The
temple was later attacked, burnt, and sustained severely damaged, in June 1958,
and in March 1986 by the Sri Lankan armed forces.
The Nagadeepa Buddhist Vihara which
is a few meters away from the temple, was established in the 1940s by a
resident monk with the help of local Tamils.
The original temple was looted
and destroyed by the Portuguese in 1620 CE. The modern day structure was restored
and re-established in 1788. The temple was later attacked, burnt, and sustained
severely damaged, in June 1958, and in March 1986 by the Sri Lankan armed
forces. The Nagadweepa Buddhist Vihara which is a few meters away from the
temple was established in the 1940s by a resident monk with the help of local
Tamils.
No comments:
Post a Comment