The Nallur Kandaswamy Kovil ( ) is a
Hindu temple
A Hindu temple, also known as Mandir, Devasthanam, Pura, or Kovil, is a sacred place where Hindus worship and show their devotion to Hindu deities, deities through worship, sacrifice, and prayers. It is considered the house of the god to who ...
, located in
Nallur,
Northern Province, Sri Lanka. The presiding deity is
Murugan
Kartikeya (/ kɑɾt̪ɪkejə/; ), also known as Skanda ( /skən̪d̪ə/), Subrahmanya (/ sʊbɾəɦməɲjə/, /ɕʊ-/), Shanmukha ( /ɕɑnmʊkʰə/) and Murugan (/ mʊɾʊgən/), is the Hindu god of war. He is generally described as the ...
(Kartikeya) in the form of the divine spear
vel in the sanctum, the primary shrine, and in other forms, namely, Shanmugar, Muthukumaraswami, Valli Kanthar with consorts
Valli and
Deivayanai, and Dandayuddhapani, sans consorts in secondary shrines in the temple.
Origins – The earlier shrines of Kandaswamy in Nallur
The original, Kandaswamy Temple was founded in 948 CE. According to the ''
Yalpana Vaipava Malai'', the temple was developed at the site 13th century by Puvenaya Vaku, a Minister to the Jaffna King
Kalinga Magha
Kalinga Magha or Gangaraja Kalinga Vijayabahu (, , ) was an invader from the Kingdom of Kalinga (historical region), Kalinga who usurped the throne from Parakrama Pandyan II of Polonnaruwa in 1215. A massive migration followed of Sinhalese peop ...
.
Sapumal Kumaraya (also known as in
Tamil) an adopted son of
Parakramabahu VI
Parâkramabâhu VI (, ) was the first king of Kingdom of Kotte, Kotte, ruling from 1410 until his death in 1467. He is the last great king in Sri Lanka who managed to unite the island under one flag. His rule is famous for the renaissance in Sri ...
, who ruled the
Jaffna kingdom
The Jaffna kingdom (, ; 1215–1619 CE), also known as Kingdom of Aryachakravarti, was a historical kingdom of what today is northern Sri Lanka. It came into existence around the town of Jaffna on the Jaffna peninsula and was traditionally t ...
on behalf of the Kotte kingdom is credited with building the third Nallur Kandaswamy temple.
[Peebles, ''History of Sri Lanka'', p. 34] Nallur served as the capital of the Jaffna kings, with the royal palace situated very close to the temple. Nallur was built with four entrances with gates.
There were two main roadways and four temples at the four gateways.
The present rebuilt temple that exists now does not match their original locations which instead are occupied by churches erected by the Portuguese.
The center of the city was ''Muthirai Santhai'' (market place) and was surrounded by a square fortification around it.
There were courtly buildings for the kings, Brahmin priests, soldiers, and other service providers.
The old Kandaswamy temple functioned as a defensive fort with high walls.
In general, the city was laid out like the traditional temple town according to Hindu traditions.
''Cankilian Thoppu'', the facade of the palace of King
Cankili II, can still be found in Nallur.
[Kunarasa, K ''The Jaffna Dynasty'', p. 4] The third temple was destroyed by the
Potuguese conqueror of the Jaffna Kingdom
Filipe de Oliveira in 1624 CE. The original kovil was located where St. James' Church, Nallur is located today. Part of the original Shivalingam of the Nallur Kandaswamy Temple was located in the Vicarage till 1995 when it was destroyed during the recapture of Jaffna by Sri Lanka armed forces and the platform where the shiva lingam was mounted on can still be seen in the hallway of the vicarage.
Present Temple
The fourth and the present temple was constructed in 1734 CE during
Dutch colonial era by 'Don Juan' Ragunatha Maapaana Mudaliyar, who served as a Shroff in the Dutch Katchery, in a place identified then as the 'Kurukkal Valavu. Krishnaiyar, a Brahmin, served as the first priest of the temple.
Initially, the temple was built using bricks and stones and had a cadjan roof, enshrining a 'vel' in the middle. The original shrine had only two small halls.
Ragunatha Maapaana Mudaliyar's descendants continued to administer the temple as custodians of the temple over the past centuries and to date many additions have been made.
The start of the 'Golden Period' in the history of Nallur Temple is recorded as post-1890, soon after the taking over the temple administration by Arumuga Maapaana Mudaliyar, the 7th Custodian. The first Bell tower was erected by him in 1899 and he made many improvements to the temple including the main Sanctum, renovating it using granite to pave the floor of the Sanctum in 1902. The first enclosing wall was erected in 1909 by him. Likewise, the temple has been gradually renovated from time to time by its successors to date. After the year 1964, the year the present and the 10th Custodian, Kumaradas Maapaana Mudaliyar took over office, extensive improvements have been made to-date, virtually rebuilding the entire complex and making it physically the largest Hindu Temple Complex in the country. The custom of the annual 'Thiruppani', introduced by him, has seen the temple growing into its present splendor. Today the temple has four Gopurams and six Bell Towers, along with its fortified walls, giving it an appearance of a citadel in Nallur.
The temple has the main entrance facing the east. It has an ornately carved five-story tower or
gopuram
A ''gopuram'' or ''gopura'' ( Tamil: கோபுரம், Telugu: గోపురం, Kannada
Kannada () is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka in southwestern India, and spoken by a minority of th ...
in the
Dravidian architecture style at the main entrance.
In the surrounding inner very or circumambulatory path, it has shrines for the deities
Ganesha
Ganesha or Ganesh (, , ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped Deva (Hinduism), deities in the Hindu deities, Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in the Ganapatya sect. His depictions ...
, Palliyarai,
Sandana Gopalar, Gajavalli Mahavalli, Vairavar, and
Surya
Surya ( ; , ) is the Sun#Dalal, Dalal, p. 399 as well as the solar deity in Hinduism. He is traditionally one of the major five deities in the Smarta tradition, Smarta tradition, all of whom are considered as equivalent deities in the Panchaya ...
with his consorts, and Vairavar.
There is also shrine for
Shivalingam and
Parvati
Parvati (, , IPA: /Sanskrit phonology, pɑɾʋət̪iː/), also known as Uma (, , IPA: Sanskrit phonology, /ʊmɑː/) and Gauri (, , IPA: /Sanskrit phonology, gə͡ʊɾiː/), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism, revered as the Devi, ...
In the southern part of this temple, the holy pond and Thandayudhapaani shrine can be seen. On the northern side, one finds the 'Poonthottam' the holy garden.
Social significance
The temple is a socially important institution for the
Sri Lankan Tamils
Sri Lankan Tamils ( or ), also known as Ceylon Tamils or Eelam Tamils, are Tamils native to the South Asian island state of Sri Lanka. Today, they constitute a majority in the Northern Province, Sri Lanka, Northern Province, form the pluralit ...
Tamil identity of the north
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
. In the
Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora
The Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora refers to the global diaspora of Sri Lankan Tamil origin. It can be said to be a subset of the larger Sri Lankan and Tamil diaspora.
Like other diasporas, Sri Lankan Tamils are scattered and dispersed around the g ...
, many temples have been built in
Europe
Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
and
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...
using the same name as Tamil cultural memory.
New Raja Gopuram Additions

On 21 August 2011, the temple unveiled its new Nine-storey Raja Gopuram, Named 'Shanmuha Raja Gopuram' with an entrance called 'Swarna Vaasal' (The Golden Entrance) at 7:00 am local time.
Another New Raja Gopuram was unveiled on 4 September 2015 at 7:00 a.m. local time, creating a new Northern entrance to the temple complex.
It is known as 'Gubera Raja Gopuram', and the entrance is named 'Kubera Vaasal'. This tower slightly overpowers the Southern tower and to date recorded as the biggest Gopuram on the island. 'Guberan' is the deity for wealth and he protects the Northern direction. It is believed by the local people that this Gopuram will attract more wealth to the people of the Jaffna peninsula.
Festivals
The temple hosts the annual festival which begins with the hoisting of the Holy flag – the Kodiyetram.
[ ] The cloth for hoisting is ceremonially brought to the temple in a small chariot from a family belonging to the
Sengunthar Kaikola Mudaliyar dynasty, for centuries.
The festival is spread over a period of twenty-five days during which various Yāgams Abishekams and special poojas are conducted.
The major religious festivals people flock to witness are the Manjam, Thirukkarthikai, Kailasavahanam, Velvimanam, Thandayuthepani it's a being, Sapparam,
Ther Ther may refer to:
* ''Thér.'', taxonomic author abbreviation of Irénée Thériot (1859–1947), French bryologist
* Agroha Mound, archaeological site in Agroha, Hisar district, India
* Therapy
A therapy or medical treatment is the attempte ...
festival procession, Theertham – the water cutting festival, and Thirukalyanam – The holy wedding. The Ther Thiruvila (chariot festival) is the most popular of all events is very colorful and commences at 6:15 am. The glamorously dressed Murugan and his consorts are carried out on a silver throne called the simhasanam, an intricately carved masterpiece created by the 7th Custodian, Arumuga Maapaana Mudaliyar in the year 1900.
The huge and heavy chariot carrying the statue of the deity Murugan and consorts is paraded along the streets of the temple.
See also
*
Northern Province, Sri Lanka
The Northern Province ( ''Vaṭa Mākāṇam''; ''Uturu Paḷāta'') is one of the nine Provinces of Sri Lanka, provinces of Sri Lanka. The province has an area of 8,884 km2, making it the 3rd largest province by area, and a population of 1,061,3 ...
*
Hinduism in Sri Lanka
Hinduism is one of Sri Lanka's oldest religions. , Hindus made up 12.6% of the Sri Lankan population. They are almost exclusively Tamils, except for small immigrant communities from India and Pakistan (including the Sindhis, Telugus and ...
*
Arumuka Navalar
*
Murugan
Kartikeya (/ kɑɾt̪ɪkejə/; ), also known as Skanda ( /skən̪d̪ə/), Subrahmanya (/ sʊbɾəɦməɲjə/, /ɕʊ-/), Shanmukha ( /ɕɑnmʊkʰə/) and Murugan (/ mʊɾʊgən/), is the Hindu god of war. He is generally described as the ...
References
External links
nallurkanthan.com*
Nalluran.ComNallur Kandaswamy Kovil in 3D viewrequires
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{{Authority control
10th-century establishments in Sri Lanka
1624 disestablishments in Asia
17th-century disestablishments in Sri Lanka
1749 establishments in Asia
18th-century establishments in Sri Lanka
10th-century religious buildings and structures
Buildings and structures demolished in the 17th century
Religious buildings and structures completed in 1749
Hindu temples in Jaffna District
Religious buildings and structures in Jaffna
Murugan temples in Sri Lanka
Religious buildings and structures completed in the 940s
10th-century Hindu temples
Nallur DS Division