Ukanthamalai Murugan Kovil (also known as Ukanthai Murugan Kovil, Okanda Devalaya) (, ) is the well known ancient

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

temple situated in the

Okanda Okanda (; ) is a small hamlet in the eastern coast of Sri Lanka within the Ampara District. It is known for its shrine dedicated to the Hindu deity Murugan, known as Ukanthamalai Murugan Kovil, and for surfing. Pilgrims from the Eastern Province a ...

Ampara District Ampara District (; ) is one of the 25 Districts of Sri Lanka, districts of Sri Lanka, the second-level administrative divisions of the country. The district is administered by a District Secretariat headed by a Government Agent (Sri Lanka), Distric ...

of Eastern Sri Lanka, about 145 km south of

Batticaloa Batticaloa (, ''Maṭṭakkaḷappu'', ; , ''Maḍakalapuwa'', ) is a major city in the Eastern Province, Sri Lanka, and its former capital. It is the administrative capital of the Batticaloa District. The city is the seat of the Eastern Univers ...

town. This alluring temple dedicated to

Lord 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 th ...

in the heart of Kumana forest is a main stand for the devotees performing pilgrimage to

Katirkamam Kataragama temple (, ) in Kataragama, Sri Lanka, is a temple complex dedicated to Buddhist guardian deity Kataragama deviyo and Hindu War God Murugan. It is one of the few religious sites in Sri Lanka that is venerated by the Buddhists, Hindus, ...

through dense jungle. In places like Pânama and Kumana, which are close to Ukantai, Tamils and Sinhalese lived in harmony even down to the present day.

Folklore

Since Lord Murugan is always linked with mountains, Some

Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...

folklore tell that ukanthamalai got its name as it is the most "ukantha" (உகந்த, litt. "congenial") place of Lord Murugan. According to another folklore this place is believed to be the location where Skanda Kumara landed on the shore of Okanda with

Valli Valli () is a devi, Hindu goddess, and the second consort of the deity Murugan. An incarnation of the goddess Sundaravalli, daughter of Vishnu, Valli is born on earth as the daughter of a chieftain, leading a life of a huntress. Murugan, the god ...

Amma in a golden boat. The boat is said to be turned into a rock known as the "Ran Oru Gala" which still visible on the Okanda beach.

History

So many folklores bring the antiquity of Ukanthai Temple to

. It attracted the Katirkamam pilgrims from immemorial time. The top of the hillock has been cited as one of the places where a divine katir /

Vel Vel () is a divine spear associated with Murugan, the Tamil Hindu god of war. Significance According to Shaiva tradition, the goddess Parvati presented the Vel to her son Kartikeya(also known as Murugan), as an embodiment of her shakti, in ...

from Lord Skanda struck.

Veddas The Vedda ( ; (''Vēḍar'')), or Wanniyalaeto, are a minority indigenous group of people in Sri Lanka who, among other sub-communities such as Coast Veddas, Anuradhapura Veddas and Bintenne Veddas, are accorded indigenous status. The Vedda ...

preserved the sanctity of the place with a simple shrine of stick and ola leaves. According to another myth, the third spear from the hand of Lord Murugan reached here and came to rest on this hilltop, making it a favorite site for Murukan worship. There is yet a third myth according to which, Murugan and his sweet heart Valli arrived in stone boats (which still rest on the beach) to reside on top of the Ukanthai Malai. There was a small hut made with loose stones for the "Vel" at the top of the hill from very long time. British diaries confirm that this was a notable Hindu shrine even in the 1800s. It is believed that, a Hindu sage named "Giri", from North India looked after this temple. A famous merchant from

Jaffna Jaffna (, ; , ) is the capital city of the Northern Province, Sri Lanka, Northern Province of Sri Lanka. It is the administrative headquarters of the Jaffna District located on a Jaffna Peninsula, peninsula of the same name. With a population o ...

"Markkandu Mudaliyar" lived in

erected a small building for housing the Vel in 1885. "Muthiyanse Bandara Mahataya" from Panamai was appointed by him, as the "Vannakkar" (litt. Caretaker) of the temple along with the priest "Kaliyappan", from Kolavil village. A pilgrims' rest was also built by Markkandu Mudaliyar which was burnt many years ago. Temple faced to its first "Kumbapishegam" (Baptism of

temple) in 1908 followed by two other Kumbapishegams in 2002 and 2014.

Temple structure

The main shrine of Lord Murugan is situated in the bottom of the Ukanthai with a majestic sanctum pagoda surrounded by small chapels dedicated to

Pillaiyar Ganesha or Ganesh (, , ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in the Ganapatya sect. His depictions are found throughout India. Hi ...

, Naga Tambiran,

Navagraha The navagraha are nine heavenly bodies and deities that influence human life on Earth according to Hinduism and Hindu mythology. The term is derived from ''nava'' ( "nine") and ''graha'' ( "planet, seizing, laying hold of, holding"). The nine part ...

m and Vairavar. The golden spear of Lord Murugan standing in the sanctum cannot be ever seen as the sanctum is always covered with a screen. Ukanthai is divided into two hillocks called as Swamimalai and Vallimalai since they have two shrines for

swami and Valli Amman at top of them respectively. Naturally formed seven excavations are in these two hillocks and the "Saravana poigai" - the natural spring in front of Valli Amman Kovil is esteemed by the devotees and they believe that this spring was formed by the "Vel" of Lord Murugan. In the bottom of the Swamimalai, there is another chapel for Pillaiyar. Okanda Beach is about 100 m southwards of the main shrine of Murugan and there was a boat - like rock is situated in the shore which i.s already mentioned above. Another hillock near the beach called as "Kallu vacha Malai" (கல்லு வச்ச மலை - litt. "Stone placing mountain") is another place of worship where devotees place a "kallu" - stone with prayers for fulfilling their wishes. the naturally formed foot - like excavations are believed to belongs to Murugan and Valli.

Annual Festival

Annual Festival of Ukanthai is simultaneously occurring with Katirkamam festival falling on mid July - August Full moon day. " Teerta

Utsavam Utsava (), also referred to as Utsavam, generally means a festival or celebration or any joyous occasion, mostly associated with Hinduism. It also carries the meaning of delight, merriment and pleasure. The Sanskrit word ''utsava'' comes from ...

" (the final Sea bathing cult of festival) is carried out during Tiruvonam star of Hindu

panchangam A panchāngam (; ) is a Hindu calendar and almanac, which follows traditional units of Hindu timekeeping, and presents important dates and their calculations in a tabulated form. It is sometimes spelled ''Panchāngamu, Pancanga'', ''Panchan ...

References

External links