Nainativu Nagapooshani Amman Temple – History

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 1^st 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Naga Nadu was the name of the whole Jaffna peninsula in some historical documents.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 12^th 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 9^th 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.