Ketheeswaram Temple, Mannar, Srilanka

Ketheeswaram Temple, Mannar, Srilanka

Ketheeswaram Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva located at Mannar, Northern Province Sri Lanka. Thirukketisvaram is one of the Pancha Iswarams dedicated to the Hindu deity Shiva and is venerated by Shaivas throughout the continent. It is located in Manthota, an old port town of Mannar District and which is a few Kms North from Mannar town. Presiding Deity is called as Thiruketheeswarar and Mother is called as Gowri Ambal.

Literary and inscriptional evidence of the post classical period (300BC-1500AD) attests to the upkeep of the temple during the ancient period by kings of the Pallava, Pandyan Dynasty and Chola dynasties who contributed to its development up to the late 16^th century. In 1575, Thirukketisvaram was largely destroyed by Portuguese colonials, with Pujas terminating at the shrine in 1589. Following an appeal by Arumuga Naavalar in 1872, the temple was rebuilt at its original site in 1903.

Throughout its history, the temple has been administered and frequented by Sri Lankan Hindu Tamils. Its famous tank, the Palavi tank, is of ancient antiquity and was restored from the ruins. Thirukketisvaram is one of the 275 Paadal Petra Sthalams of Shiva glorified in the poems of the Thevaram. This is the 274^th Devaram Paadal Petra Shiva Sthalam and 2^nd Shiva Sthalam in Eezha Nadu, the present Sri Lanka. Tirugnanasambandar and Sundarar has sung hymns in praise of Lord Shiva of this temple.

Legends

For brief details, please refer below link;

https://hindutemples-india.blogspot.com/2018/10/ketheeswaram-temple-mannar-legends.html

History

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https://hindutemples-india.blogspot.com/2018/10/ketheeswaram-temple-mannar-history.html

The Temple

For brief details, please refer below link;

https://hindutemples-india.blogspot.com/2018/10/ketheeswaram-temple-mannar-temple.html

Literary Mention

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. This is the 274^th Devaram Paadal Petra Shiva Sthalam and 2^nd Shiva Sthalam in Eezha Nadu, the present Sri Lanka. Tirugnanasambandar and Sundarar has sung hymns in praise of Lord Shiva of this temple. For this temple’s Devara Thirupathikam meanings are written by Sri Ponnambalam Pillai, the son in law of Sri la Sri Arumuga Naavalar.

Prayers

Thiruketheeswaram, near Mannar, is the Sthalam where thousands gather on Shivaratri night for veneration of Lord Shiva. They perform their sin dispelling ablutionary Theertham baths in the sacred waters of Pal Theertham, the following morning. Theertha Kavadi is a special ritual here. To be permitted to perform Linga abishekam is the greatest aspiration of any pious Hindu. This is possible only in Kasi and Thiruketheeswaram.

Connectivity

The Temple is located at about 1.5 Kms from Manthai Junction Bus Stop, 1.5 Kms from Thiruketheeswaram Junction Bus Stop, 10 Kms from Mannar CTB Bus Station, 12 Kms from Mannar Railway Station, 75 Kms from Vavuniya, 113 Kms from Anuradhapura, 170 Kms from Trincomalee, 235 Kms from Kandy, 307 Kms from Colombo and 278 Kms from Colombo Airport.

By Road:

Tourists can board the bus traveling to Mannar at the Colombo Fort Bus Station or Colombo Central Bus Stand in Pettah. The Temple is located at about 1.5 Kms from Thiruketheeswaram Junction Bus Stop and 10 Kms from Mannar CTB Bus Station.

By Train:

Tourists can take Trains 5452 (08.50 AM) and 5067 (07.40 PM) from Colombo Fort Railway Station to reach Mannar. These Trains are daily trains. The Temple is accessible from Mannar Railway Station by means of local Buses, Taxis and Autos.

By Air:

Nearest Airport is Colombo International Airport (278 Kms).

Location | Photos

Koneswaram Temple, Trincomalee, Srilanka

Koneswaram Temple, Trincomalee, Srilanka

Koneswaram Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva located at Trincomalee in Eastern Srilanka. Koneswaram Temple is also called as Dakshina Kailasa.  Presiding Deity is called as Thirukoneswarar and Mother is called as Mathumayal. The temple is situated atop Konesar Malai, a promontory that overlooks the Indian Ocean, the nearby eastern coast (the Trincomalee District), as well as Trincomalee Harbour or Gokarna Bay. Koneswaram is revered as one the Pancha Iswarams, of Sri Lanka for long time. Being a major place for Hindu pilgrimage, it was labelled "Rome of the Gentiles / Pagans of the Orient" in some records. Koneswaram holds a significant role in the religious and cultural history of Sri Lanka, as it was likely built during the reign of the early Cholas and the Five Dravidians of the Early Pandyan Kingdom.

Pallava, Chola, Pandyan and Jaffna designs here reflect a continuous Tamil Saivite influence in the Vannimai region beginning during the classical period. The river Mahavali is believed to be risen at Sivanoli Patha Malai, Mount of Shiva's glowing feet, and meets the sea near Koneswaram Rock. This formation is the basis of the myth that it is comparable to Ganges, in that it symbolically crowns the flowing of river from Shiva's head to his feet. Developed from 205 B.C., the original temple combined key features to form its basic Dravidian temple plan, such as its thousand pillared hall – "Aayiram Kaal Mandapam" – and the Jagati expanded by King Ellalan Manu Needhi Cholan. Regarded as the greatest building of its age for its architecture, elaborate sculptural bas-relief ornamentation adorned a black granite megalith.

In the medieval period, its multiple gold plated gopuram towers were expanded. The Koneswaram Temple is one of three major Hindu shrines on the promontory with a colossal gopuram tower, but it stands distinctly on the cape's highest eminence. The complex was destroyed by the Portuguese Empire in colonial religious attacks between 1622 and 1624, and Fort Fredrick was built at the site from its debris. In 1632 Ati Konanayakar Temple was built, and housed some of its original idols, but was located away from the city.

Worldwide interest was renewed following the discovery of its underwater and land ruins, sculptures and Chola bronzes by archaeologists and Arthur C. Clarke. They were preserved through restorations, most recently in the 1950s. The modern temple has been a source of conflict between the majority Sinhalese and minority Tamils due to its position in a geostrategically important area. Revenue from the temple provides services and food to local residents. Dr. Paul E. Pieris declared in 1917, at a meeting of the Royal Asiatic Society (Ceylon Branch), there was in Lanka five recognized 'Eeswararns' of Siva, which claimed and received adoration of all India. These were Thiruketheeswaram near Mahathitha, Munneswaram, Thondeswaram, Naguleswaram and Tirukoneswaram.

Koneswaram has many strong historical associations. The shrine is described in the Vayu Purana, the Konesar Kalvettu and Thevaram hymns by Sambandhar and Sundarar as a Paadal Petra Sthalam along with its west coast counterpart Ketheeswaram temple, Mannar, it is the birthplace of Patanjali, the compiler of the Yoga Sutras and was praised for its tradition by Arunagirinathar upon his visit. The Dakshina Kailasa Puranam and Manmiam works note it as Dakshina / Then Kailasam (Mount Kailash of the South) for its longitudinal position and pre-eminence, it lies directly east of Kudiramalai west coast Hindu port town, while it is the easternmost shrine of the five ancient Iswarams of Shiva on the island.

Mentioned as a widely popular bay temple of the island in the Mahabharata, Ramayana and Yalpana Vaipava Malai, the Mattakallappu Manmiam confirms its sacred status for all Hindus. Kachiyappa Sivachariar's Kanda Puranam compares the temple to Thillai Chidambaram Temple and Mount Kailash in Saivite esteem. Konesar Malai may have been the site where Yoga originated; some scholars have suggested that the worship of the almighty god Eiswara on the promontory is the most ancient form of worship existing.

Etymology

For brief details, please refer below link;

https://hindutemples-india.blogspot.com/2018/10/koneswaram-temple-trincomalee-etymology.html

Legends

For brief details, please refer below link;

https://hindutemples-india.blogspot.com/2018/10/koneswaram-temple-trincomalee-legends.html

History

For brief details, please refer below link;

https://hindutemples-india.blogspot.com/2018/10/koneswaram-temple-trincomalee-history.html

The Temple

For brief details, please refer below link;

https://hindutemples-india.blogspot.com/2018/10/koneswaram-temple-trincomalee-temple.html

Festivals

For brief details, please refer below link;

https://hindutemples-india.blogspot.com/2018/10/koneswaram-temple-trincomalee-festivals.html

Literary Mention

For brief details, please refer below link;

https://hindutemples-india.blogspot.com/2018/10/koneswaram-temple-trincomalee-literary-mention.html

Contact

Thiru Koneswaram Temple

Trincomalee, Sri Lanka

Phone: +94 26 222 6688 / 26 326 7588 / 26 320 4382

Phone: +94 77 127 0292 / 77 967 0057

Email: webmaster@koneswaram.com

Connectivity

For brief details, please refer below link;

https://hindutemples-india.blogspot.com/2018/10/koneswaram-temple-trincomalee-connectivity.html

Location | Photos

Kedarnath Temple, Uttarakhand

Kedarnath Temple, Uttarakhand

Kedarnath Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, located on the Garhwal Himalayan range near the Mandakini river in Kedarnath, Uttarakhand in India. Lord Shiva manifested in the form of Jyotirlinga or the cosmic light. This temple is the highest among the 12 Jyotirlingas. Due to extreme weather conditions, the temple is open only between the end of April (Akshaya Tritiya) to November (Kartik Purnima - the autumn full moon). During the winters, the vigrahas (deities) from Kedarnath temple are brought to Ukhimath and worshipped there for six months.

Lord Shiva is worshipped as Kedarnath, the 'Lord of Kedar Khand', the historical name of the region. The temple is not directly accessible by road and has to be reached by an 18 Kms (11 mi) uphill trek from Gaurikund. Pony and manchan service is available to reach the structure. According to Hindu legends, the temple was initially built by Pandavas, and is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, the holiest Hindu shrines of Shiva. Pandavas were supposed to have pleased Shiva by doing penance in Kedarnath.

The temple is one of the four major sites in India's Chota Char Dham pilgrimage of Northern Himalayas. Kedarnath was the worst affected area during the 2013 flash floods in North India. The temple complex, surrounding areas and Kedarnath town suffered extensive damage, but the temple structure did not suffer any "major" damage, apart from a few cracks on one side of the four walls which was caused by the flowing debris from the higher mountains. A large rock among the debris acted as a barrier, protecting the temple from the flood. The surrounding premises and other buildings in market area were heavily damaged.

The shrine of Kedarnath is very scenically placed, and is surrounded by lofty, snow - covered mountains, and during summer grassy meadows covering the valleys. Immediately behind the temple, is the high Kedar dome peak, which can be sighted from great distances. The sight of the temple and the peak with its perpetual snows is simply enthralling. It is one of the 275 Paadal Petra Sthalams, expounded in Thevaram. The source of the river Mandakini is situated near Kedarnath. Mandakini River joins Alagananda at Rudraprayag.

Legends

For brief details, please refer below link;

https://hindutemples-india.blogspot.com/2018/10/kedarnath-temple-uttarakhand-legends.html

History

For brief details, please refer below link;

https://hindutemples-india.blogspot.com/2018/10/kedarnath-temple-uttarakhand-history.html

The Temple

This temple, over a thousand years old is built of massive stone slabs over a large rectangular platform. Ascending through the large gray steps leading to the holy sanctums, inscriptions in Pali can be found on the steps. The temple is 85 feet high, 187 feet in length and 80 wide. Its walls are 12 feet thick and built from extremely strong stones and stands on a six-foot high platform. The presiding image of Kedarnath in the form of lingam is of irregular shape with a pedestal 3.6 m (12 ft.) in circumference and 3.6 m (12 ft.) in height.

There is a small pillared hall in front of the temple, that has images of Parvathi and of the five Pandava princes. There are five temples around namely Badari-kear, Madhya Maheswara, Tunganatha, Rudranatha and Kallesvara. The first hall inside Kedarnath Temple contains statues of the five Pandava brothers, Lord Krishna, Nandi, the vehicle of Shiva and Virabhadra, one of the guards of Shiva. Statue of Draupadi and other deities are also installed in the main hall.

An unusual feature of the temple is the head of a man carved in the triangular stone fascia. Such a head is seen carved in another temple nearby constructed on the site where the marriage of Shiva and Parvati was held. Adi Shankara was believed to have revived this temple, along with Badrinath and other temples of Uttarakhand; he is believed to have attained Maha Samadhi at Kedarnath. Behind the temple is the samadhi mandir of Adi Sankara.

The inner walls of the temple sanctum are adorned with figures of various deities and scenes from mythology. Outside the temple door a large statue of the Nandi Bull stands as guard. A triangular shaped rock is worshiped in Garbhagriha of the temple. Surrounding Kedarnath, there are many symbols of the Pandavas. Raja Pandu died at Pandukeshwar. The tribals here perform a dance called "Pandav Nrithya". The mountain top where the Pandavas went to Swarga, is known as "Swarga Rohini", which is located off Badrinath.

When Dharmaraja was leaving for Swarga, one of his fingers fell on the earth. At that place, Dharmaraja installed a Shiva Linga, which is the size of the thumb. To gain Mashisharupa, Shankara and Bheema fought with maces. Bheema was struck with remorse. He started to massage Lord Shankara’s body with ghee. In memory of this event, even today, this triangular Shiva Jyotirlinga is massaged with ghee. Water and Bel leaves are used for worship.

Traditional Route:

Tradition has it that pilgrims first visit Yamunotri and Gangotri and bring with them the holy waters from the sources of the rivers Yamuna and Ganga and offer Abhishekams to Kedareshwar. The traditional pilgrim route is Haridwar - Rishikesh - Devaprayag - Tehri - Dharasu - Yamunotri  - Uttar Kashi - Gangotri - Triyuginarayan - Gowrikund and Kedarnath. Alternatively, the route to Kedar from Rishikesh is via Devaprayag, Srinagar, Rudraprayag and Ukhimath.

Administration

The temple was included in the Uttar Pradesh state government Act No. 30/1948 as Act no. 16,1939, which came to be known as Shri Badrinath and Shri Kedarnath Mandir Act. The committee nominated by the state government administers both temples. The act was modified in 2002, which provisioned adding additional committee members including Government officials and a Vice chairman. There is a total of seventeen members in the board; three selected by the Uttaranchal Legislative Assembly, one member each by the Zilla Parishads of Garhwal, Tehri, Chamoli and Uttarkashi, and ten members nominated by the state government.

On the religious side, there is a Rawalji (chief priest) and three other priests: Nayab Rawal, Acharya / Dharmadhikari and Vedpathi. The administrative structure of the temple consists of a chief executive officer who executes the orders from the state government. A deputy chief executive officer, two OSDs, an executive officer, an account officer, a temple officer and a publicity officer assist the chief executive officer.

Priests

The head priest (Raval) of the Kedarnath temple belongs to the Veera Shaiva community from Karnataka. However, unlike in Badrinath temple, the Raval of Kedarnath temple does not perform the pujas. The pujas are carried out by Raval's assistants on his instructions. The Raval moves with the deity to Ukhimath during the winter season. There are five main priests for the temple, and they become head priests for one year by rotation. The present (2013) Raval of Kedarnath temple is Shri Vageesha Lingacharya. Shri Vageesha Lingacharya who belongs to the Village Banuvalli of Taluka Harihar of Davanagere district in Karnataka. During Pooja of Lord Shiva at Kedarnath the mantras will be pronounced in the Kannada language. This has been a custom from hundreds of years.

2013 Flash Floods

The Kedarnath valley, along with other parts of the state of Uttarakhand, was hit with unprecedented flash floods on 16 and 17 June 2013. On 16 June, at about 7:30 p.m. a landslide and mudslides occurred near Kedarnath Temple with loud peals of thunder. An enormously loud peal was heard and huge amounts of water started gushing from Chorabari Tal or Gandhi Tal down Mandakini river at about 8:30 p.m. washing everything away in its path. On 17 June 2013 at about 6:40 a.m. in the morning waters again started cascading at a huge speed from river Saraswathi and Chorabari Tal or Gandhi Tal bringing along with its flow huge amount of silt, rocks and boulders.

A huge rock got stuck behind Kedarnath Temple and protected it from the ravages of the flood. The waters gushed on both the sides of the temple destroying everything in their path. Even eyewitness observed that one large rock got carried to the rear side of Kedarnath Temple, thus causing obstruction to the debris, diverting the flow of river and debris to the sides of the temple avoiding damage. Another theory for the temple not being destroyed is because of its construction. 

Although the temple withstood the severity of the floods, the complex and surrounding area were destroyed, resulting in the death of hundreds of pilgrims and locals. Shops and hotels in Kedarnath were destroyed and all roads were broken. People took shelter inside the temple for several hours, until the Indian Army airlifted them to safer places. The Uttarakhand Chief Minister announced that the Kedarnath shrine would remain closed for a year for clearing the debris.

The experts, who were asked by the Archaeological Survey of India to examine the condition of the foundation in wake of the floods have arrived at the conclusion that there was no danger to the temple. The IIT Madras experts visited the temple thrice for the purpose. Non-destructive testing instruments that do not disturb the structure of the temple were used by the IIT-team for assessing the health of the structure, foundation and walls. They have submitted their interim report that the temple is stable and there was no major danger.

Literary Mention

It is one of the 275 Paadal Petra Sthalams, expounded in Thevaram. Four Himalayan shrines dedicated to Shiva have been glorified by the Tamil Thevaram Hymns composed by the Nayanmars of the 1st millennium CE. These shrines are Indraneela Parvatam in Nepal, Gowrikund, Kedarnath and Mount Kailash in Tibet. Although none of the Nayanmars visited Kedarnath, Sambandar sang its praises from Kalahasti. The Tamil hymns of the Nayanmars refer to Kedarnath as Tirukkedaram. Kedarnath is the fourth of the Thevara Sthalams hailed by the Tamil hymns of the Nayanmars, located outside of Tamilnadu/Kerala/Karnataka i.e. in Vada Naadu (the northern lands).

Best Time to Visit

At the approach of winters in the month of November, the holy statue of Lord Shiva, is carried down from Kedarnath to Ukhimath, and is reinstated at Kedarnath, in the first week of May. It is at this time, that the doors of the temple are thrown open to pilgrims, who flock from all parts of India, for a holy pilgrimage. The shrine closes on the first day of Kartik (Oct-Nov) and reopens in Vaishakh (Apr-May) every year. During its closure the shrine is submerged in snow and worship is performed at Ukhimath.

The ideal time or peak season to go for a Char Dham Yatra is from May to October, except monsoons. This is because; all the four sacred sites are perched in Garhwal Himalayas, which is prone to heavy snowfall. As a result, all the passage leading to the shrines are blocked. Moreover, during the monsoon season, there is undue threat of having landslides, which can further disrupt the journey.

Connectivity

The Temple is located at about 13 Kms from Gowrikund, 20 Kms from Sonprayag, 26 Kms from Triyuginarayan, 45 Kms from Guptkashi, 55 Kms from Kalimath, 58 Kms from Ukhimath, 93 Kms from Rudraprayag, 144 Kms from Nandaprayag, 122 Kms from Karnaprayag, 152 kms from Devaprayag, 181 Kms from Joshimath, 226 Kms from Rishikesh, 223 Kms from Rishikesh Railway Station, 246 Kms from Haridwar and 240 Kms from Dehradun Airport. The temple is not directly accessible by road and has to be reached by a 13 Kms uphill trek from Gaurikund. Pony and manchan service is available to reach the structure. Nearest Railway Station is located at Rishikesh and Nearest Airport is located at Dehradun.

Location