Naguleswaram Temple
नागुलेश्वरम मंदिर
One of the Pancha Ishwaram, the five ancient Shiva temples of Sri Lanka, where the lord is worshipped as the lingam Naguleswaram beside the healing Keerimalai springs
Keerimalai, Northern Province, Sri Lanka
Nāgulēśvaram (Kīrimalai)Also known as: Naguleswaram Kovil, Keerimalai Naguleswaram, Keerimalai Shiva Temple
Naguleswaram Temple
नागुलेश्वरम मंदिर
युग
One of the Pancha Ishwaram, among the most ancient Shiva shrines of Sri Lanka; the present temple has been rebuilt after destruction in the Portuguese period and again after the civil war
वास्तुकला
A Tamil Shaiva temple in the South Indian Dravidian idiom, rebuilt on an ancient coastal site beside the Keerimalai springs
विशेष
The temple keeps the daily worship of Shiva as the lingam with its rounds of puja and abhishekha in the Tamil Shaiva manner. Timings are set by the temple and vary with the ritual calendar, above all around Maha Shivaratri and the Aadi Amavasai bathing at the Keerimalai springs; they should be confirmed locally.
पवित्र कथा · पवित्र कथा
On the northern coast of Sri Lanka, at Keerimalai near Kankesanthurai and north of Jaffna, stands Naguleswaram, one of the Pancha Ishwaram, the five ancient Shiva temples that ring the island and are held among the most venerable Shaiva shrines of the land. Here Shiva is worshipped as the lingam, Naguleswaram, the lord of the Nagas, and beside the temple the famous Keerimalai springs rise, freshwater welling up at the very edge of the salt sea, held from of old to cure the ailments of those who bathe in them. The antiquity of the site reaches deep into Tamil Shaiva tradition, where Naguleswaram is remembered among the northern shrines of the lord, and its name, Keerimalai, the mongoose hill, is carried in a legend of a sage whose mongoose-like face was healed when he bathed in the springs. To this the tradition joins the story of the princess Maruthapuravalli, whose affliction was cured at the same waters and who is remembered as a benefactor of the shrine, so that the healing of the springs and the sanctity of the lord are woven together in a single memory. Naguleswaram has known destruction and rebuilding across the centuries, damaged in the Portuguese colonial period and again during the Sri Lankan civil war, and rebuilt each time by the devotion of the people, while the Keerimalai springs beside it have remained a great place of pilgrimage bathing through every upheaval, above all at the Aadi Amavasai, the new moon of the month of Aadi, when pilgrims gather to bathe and to remember their ancestors. It is a temple where the deep antiquity of the island's Shiva worship, the healing waters of the coast, and the endurance of a shrine rebuilt out of ruin are all held in one place.
Sacred Designationपवित्र पदनाम
Sacred Origin Storyपवित्र उत्पत्ति कथा
Source: The Tamil Shaiva tradition of Sri Lanka and the legends of the Keerimalai springs
Naguleswaram is worshipped as one of the Pancha Ishwaram, the five ancient temples of Shiva that stand about the coasts of Sri Lanka and are held to be among the oldest and holiest Shaiva shrines of the island. At Naguleswaram the lord is present as the lingam, called Naguleswaram, the lord of the Nagas, of Nagula, and the sanctity of the place is joined in the tradition to the healing springs of Keerimalai that rise beside the sea.
The name Keerimalai, the mongoose hill, is carried in a well-loved legend. A sage, in some tellings named Naguleswara, is said to have borne a face and body marked as though by a mongoose, an affliction he had carried through his austerities, and coming to this coast he bathed in the freshwater springs that well up at the shore. The waters cured him, restoring his form, and in gratitude and wonder the springs and the hill above them were held sacred, and the lord worshipped there took the name of the shrine. So the healing of the sage and the holiness of the lingam are told together, the springs the sign of the lord's grace made visible in the water.
To this the tradition joins the memory of the princess Maruthapuravalli, who is said to have suffered an affliction, in some accounts a horse-like or disfigured face, and who was healed when she bathed in the same Keerimalai springs. In her gratitude she is remembered as a patron of the shrine, endowing and honouring the temple and the sacred tank, so that the healing legends of the sage and the princess together fix the character of Keerimalai as a place where the waters cure and the lord is worshipped. The springs, freshwater rising at the very edge of the salt sea, are themselves held a marvel and a mercy, and the bathing in them, above all at the new moon of Aadi, is joined to the worship of Naguleswaram as the double blessing of the place.
उद्धृत स्रोत:
- Tamil Shaiva tradition of the Pancha Ishwaram
- Local tradition of the Keerimalai springs
- Legend of the sage and the princess Maruthapuravalli
अन्य परंपराएँ · अन्य परंपराएँ
The tradition of the Pancha Ishwaram and the varying legends of the springs
विद्वत संदर्भ
Naguleswaram at Keerimalai is counted among the Pancha Ishwaram, the five ancient Shiva temples of Sri Lanka, a grouping that fixes the island's principal historic Shaiva shrines as a set standing about its coasts. It is the northernmost of the five, on the coast north of Jaffna, and is held among the most ancient of the island's Shiva shrines, its worship reaching, in the tradition, into the deep past. The temple's identity rests on the lingam of Naguleswaram, Shiva as lord of the Nagas, and on its place in Tamil Shaiva tradition, where the northern shrines of the lord are remembered. Bound to it is the sacred bathing site of the Keerimalai springs, freshwater rising beside the sea, whose curative reputation is carried in the legends of the sage healed of his mongoose-marked form, from which the name Keerimalai, the mongoose hill, is drawn, and of the princess Maruthapuravalli healed at the same waters. The springs are among the most famous sacred bathing places of the Tamil north, and the association of pilgrimage bathing with the worship of the lord is central to the character of the site. The history of Naguleswaram is marked by destruction and rebuilding: the temple was damaged in the Portuguese colonial period, when many Hindu shrines of the region were destroyed, and again during the Sri Lankan civil war of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, being rebuilt after each. Through these upheavals the Keerimalai springs have remained a great pilgrimage bathing site, above all at the Aadi Amavasai, the new moon of Aadi, when large numbers gather to bathe and to perform rites for the ancestors. Eternal Raga presents the commonly cited traditions of the shrine and the springs, noting the variation in the legends, and treats Naguleswaram as one of the ancient Shiva temples of Sri Lanka within the Pancha Ishwaram.
Historyइतिहास
Naguleswaram at Keerimalai is one of the Pancha Ishwaram, the five ancient Shiva temples of Sri Lanka, and stands on the northern coast of the island, north of Jaffna near Kankesanthurai. Held among the most ancient Shiva shrines of the island, it is worshipped as the lingam Naguleswaram, the lord of the Nagas, its sanctity remembered in Tamil Shaiva tradition and bound to the healing springs of Keerimalai that rise beside the sea.
The antiquity of the shrine reaches beyond record, and its early history is carried in tradition rather than in dated monuments. The legends of the Keerimalai springs, of the sage healed of his mongoose-marked form, from which the hill takes its name, and of the princess Maruthapuravalli healed at the same waters, fix the character of the site as a place where the waters cure and the lord is worshipped, and the springs became one of the most famous sacred bathing places of the Tamil north.
Naguleswaram's later history is marked by destruction and rebuilding. In the Portuguese colonial period the temple was damaged, in the era when many Hindu shrines of the region were destroyed, and it was rebuilt in the times that followed. In the later twentieth and early twenty-first centuries the temple suffered again during the Sri Lankan civil war, which fell heavily on the Tamil north, and it has since been rebuilt by the devotion of the community. Through every upheaval the Keerimalai springs beside it have remained a great place of pilgrimage bathing.
Today Naguleswaram is a living Shaiva shrine once more, its worship kept in the Tamil Shaiva manner and its year marked by Maha Shivaratri and the temple's festivals, while the Keerimalai springs draw pilgrims through the year and above all at the Aadi Amavasai, the new moon of Aadi, when large numbers gather to bathe and to remember their ancestors. It joins the deep antiquity of the island's Shiva worship, the healing waters of the coast, and the endurance of a shrine rebuilt out of ruin.
Historical Timelineऐतिहासिक कालक्रम
Naguleswaram at Keerimalai is established in tradition as one of the Pancha Ishwaram, the five ancient Shiva temples of Sri Lanka, the northernmost of the set and among the most ancient Shiva shrines of the island.
The Pancha Ishwaram, the five Shiva temples about the island, are given as Naguleswaram, Koneswaram, Munneswaram, Thondeswaram and Ketheeswaram.
Shiva is worshipped at the site as the lingam Naguleswaram, the lord of the Nagas, and the shrine is remembered in Tamil Shaiva tradition among the northern shrines of the lord.
In the well-loved legend of the springs, a sage bearing a mongoose-marked face is healed by bathing in the freshwater Keerimalai springs, and from this the hill takes its name, Keerimalai, the mongoose hill.
The sage is named in some tellings as Naguleswara; the details of the legend vary between accounts.
The princess Maruthapuravalli is healed of her affliction at the Keerimalai springs and is remembered as a benefactor of the shrine, endowing the temple and the sacred tank.
The princess's affliction and her patronage are told in varying forms across the local tradition.
The shrine of Naguleswaram flourishes as a centre of Shaiva worship in the Tamil north of the island, its lingam and its healing springs drawing devotees and pilgrims.
The temple is damaged in the Portuguese colonial period, in the era when many Hindu shrines of the region were destroyed, and its worship is disrupted.
The Portuguese period saw the destruction of numerous Hindu temples in the north of Sri Lanka.
Naguleswaram is rebuilt in the times following the colonial destruction, the worship of the lingam restored and the sacred bathing at the Keerimalai springs continuing.
The temple and its precincts are developed and maintained through the twentieth century as a principal Shaiva shrine of the Tamil north, the Keerimalai springs a great pilgrimage bathing site.
The temple suffers damage during the Sri Lankan civil war, which fell heavily on the Tamil north, its worship again disrupted by the conflict.
The prolonged civil war in the north of Sri Lanka damaged many temples and displaced the region's communities.
After the civil war the temple is rebuilt by the devotion of the community, its worship restored, while the Keerimalai springs beside it continue as a great pilgrimage bathing site.
Naguleswaram is a living Shaiva shrine once more, worshipped as the lingam Naguleswaram in the Tamil Shaiva manner, with Maha Shivaratri and the temple's festivals marking its year.
The Keerimalai springs draw large numbers through the year and above all at the Aadi Amavasai, the new moon of Aadi, when pilgrims gather to bathe in the curative waters and to perform rites for their ancestors.
What You'll Seeदर्शन में
Shiva is worshipped at Naguleswaram as the lingam, the aniconic form in which the lord is present in the Shaiva temple, called here Naguleswaram, the lord of the Nagas, of Nagula. The lingam is the controlling object of worship, bathed in the abhishekha of the daily rite, anointed and adorned, and it is before the lingam that the devotee comes to the lord. As at the Shiva temples of the Tamil tradition, the worship is centred on the lingam in its sanctum, the lord present in the simple upright form that holds the fullness of Shiva.
The name Naguleswaram, joining the lord to the Nagas, the serpent powers, marks the character of the shrine, and the association of Shiva with the serpent, worn about his neck and honoured in the Naga tradition, is fitting to a coastal shrine of deep antiquity. The temple keeps the forms of the Tamil Shaiva shrine, with its sanctum of the lingam, its Nandi the bull before the lord, and the other deities of the Shaiva household in their shrines about the temple.
Bound to the iconography of the lord is the sacred water of the Keerimalai springs beside the temple, freshwater rising at the edge of the sea, held to carry the lord's grace made visible in the healing of those who bathe. The controlling image of Naguleswaram is thus the lingam of Shiva worshipped beside the curative springs, the lord present in the aniconic form and his grace present in the water, the two joined in the single sanctity of the coastal shrine.
Distinctive Practicesविशिष्ट परंपराएँ
Abhishekha of the Lingam
लिंगम् की अभिषेक
Daily, at the temple, and above all at Maha Shivaratri
The central worship of Naguleswaram is the abhishekha of the lingam, the ceremonial bathing of the lord with water, milk, curd, honey and other substances, followed by the anointing with vibhuti, the sacred ash, and the offering of bilva leaves, in the Tamil Shaiva manner of the worship of Shiva.
The abhishekha is the heart of the worship of Shiva as the lingam, the pouring over the lord of the pure substances by which the devotee honours and cools him, and receives the water flowed over the lingam as the sacred teertha of his grace. To bathe the lingam is to serve the lord present in the aniconic form, and the anointing with vibhuti and the offering of the bilva leaf, dear to Shiva, complete the rite. At Naguleswaram the abhishekha of the lingam is offered daily and with the fullest devotion at Maha Shivaratri, the great night of the lord.
Sacred Bathing at the Keerimalai Springs
कीरिमलै झरनों पर पवित्र स्नान
Through the year, and above all at the Aadi Amavasai
Pilgrims to Naguleswaram bathe in the Keerimalai springs beside the temple, the freshwater welling up at the edge of the sea, held from of old to cure ailments, taking the sacred bath before or with their worship of the lord, in a practice that joins the healing waters to the shrine.
The Keerimalai springs are held a place where the water carries a healing power, remembered in the legends of the sage and the princess cured of their afflictions there, and the sacred bath is taken as both a purification before the worship of the lord and a seeking of the grace held present in the water. Freshwater rising beside the salt sea is itself a marvel, read as a sign of the sanctity of the place, and to bathe at Keerimalai is to come to the lord Naguleswaram through the waters of his grace, the healing of the body joined to the worship of Shiva.
Rites for the Ancestors at Aadi Amavasai
आदि अमावसै पर पूर्वजों के लिए अनुष्ठान
The new moon of the month of Aadi (Jul-Aug)
At the Aadi Amavasai, the new moon of the month of Aadi, pilgrims gather in large numbers at the Keerimalai springs to bathe and to perform tarpanam, the rites of offering water to the departed ancestors, the sacred waters of the coast made the setting of remembrance and observance for the dead.
The new moon is held an especially fitting time for the rites of the ancestors, and the sacred bathing places are the settings for the tarpanam by which the living offer water to the departed and remember them. At Keerimalai the fame of the springs and the sanctity of the shrine draw great numbers at the Aadi Amavasai to bathe and to perform these rites, joining the duty owed to the ancestors to the grace of the lord's coast, so that the new moon of Aadi is among the great days of the year at the springs.
The Wearing of Vibhuti and Rudraksha
विभूति और रुद्राक्ष धारण
In the worship of the lord
Devotees of Naguleswaram wear the vibhuti, the sacred ash, upon the brow, and the rudraksha bead, both dear to Shiva, receiving the vibhuti from the worship of the lingam as the sign of the lord's blessing, in the Shaiva manner of the devotion of Shiva.
The vibhuti, the sacred ash, marks the Shaiva devotee as belonging to Shiva and recalls the truth that all is reduced to ash before the lord, worn upon the brow as the sign of his grace and of the renunciation to which he calls. The rudraksha, the bead sacred to Shiva, is worn in the same devotion. To receive the vibhuti from the worship of the lingam of Naguleswaram and to wear it is to carry the lord's blessing from the shrine, the ash and the bead the outward marks of the inward devotion to Shiva.
Did You Know?क्या आप जानते हैं?
Naguleswaram at Keerimalai is one of the Pancha Ishwaram, the five ancient Shiva temples of Sri Lanka, and is the northernmost of the set, on the coast north of Jaffna.
Tamil Shaiva tradition of the Pancha Ishwaram
The Pancha Ishwaram are Naguleswaram in the north, Koneswaram at Trincomalee, Munneswaram near Chilaw, Thondeswaram in the south, and Ketheeswaram near Mannar, standing about the island as its ancient Shaiva shrines.
Tamil Shaiva tradition of the Pancha Ishwaram
Beside the temple rise the famous Keerimalai freshwater springs, welling up at the very edge of the salt sea, held from of old to cure the ailments of those who bathe in them.
Local tradition of the Keerimalai springs
The name Keerimalai, the mongoose hill, is drawn from the legend of a sage whose mongoose-marked face was healed when he bathed in the springs.
Legend of the Keerimalai springs
Naguleswaram has known destruction and rebuilding, damaged in the Portuguese colonial period and again during the Sri Lankan civil war, and rebuilt each time by the devotion of the people.
History of the shrine
At Naguleswaram Shiva is worshipped as the lingam, called Naguleswaram, the lord of the Nagas, of Nagula, the serpent powers honoured in the name of the shrine.
Tamil Shaiva tradition
The princess Maruthapuravalli is remembered as having been healed at the Keerimalai springs and as a benefactor of the shrine, joining her story to the healing of the sage.
Legend of the princess Maruthapuravalli
Through every upheaval the Keerimalai springs have remained a great pilgrimage bathing site, above all at the Aadi Amavasai, the new moon of Aadi, when pilgrims gather to bathe and to remember their ancestors.
Current pilgrimage at Keerimalai
The freshwater rising beside the salt sea is itself held a marvel and a sign of the sanctity of the place, joining the healing of the springs to the worship of the lord.
Local tradition of the Keerimalai springs
Visitor Accessप्रवेश जानकारी
The temple is open to devotees, and traditional dress and conduct are expected as at a working Shaiva shrine. Footwear is removed at the temple, and men are often asked to remove the upper garment before entering the sanctum, in the Tamil Shaiva manner. Naguleswaram is worshipped in the Tamil Shaiva tradition, its year marked by Maha Shivaratri and the temple's festivals, while the Keerimalai springs beside it draw pilgrims through the year and above all at the Aadi Amavasai. The bathing tanks at the springs are the setting of a great pilgrimage bathing and of rites for the ancestors, and their own customs of use should be observed. The temple and the springs lie on the northern coast near Kankesanthurai, north of Jaffna, in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka. As the region has passed through a long conflict now ended, travellers should follow current local guidance; timings are set by the temple and vary with the ritual calendar, and current arrangements should be confirmed locally, especially around the great festivals and the Aadi Amavasai.
आध्यात्मिक आधार
The sanctity of Naguleswaram rests on its being one of the Pancha Ishwaram, the five ancient Shiva temples of Sri Lanka, where the lord is present as the lingam Naguleswaram, and on the healing power held to dwell in the Keerimalai springs beside it. The customs of dress and conduct, the removing of footwear and of the upper garment before the sanctum, follow the Tamil Shaiva manner of the worship of Shiva, the ordering of the body a mark of reverence before the lord present in the lingam. The restrictions on the sanctum and the customs of the bathing tanks reflect the character of the place as a working Shaiva shrine and a great bathing site, where the worship of the lord and the sacred bath in the curative waters are held together. To come to Naguleswaram is to come to an ancient seat of Shiva on the northern coast, where the lord is worshipped as the lingam and his grace is held present in the healing springs.
समकालीन संदर्भ
Naguleswaram is a living Shaiva shrine once more, rebuilt after the damage of the civil war and worshipped as the lingam Naguleswaram in the Tamil Shaiva manner. Beside it the Keerimalai springs draw pilgrims through the year and above all at the Aadi Amavasai, the new moon of Aadi, the great day of bathing and of rites for the ancestors. The temple and the springs lie on the northern coast near Kankesanthurai, north of Jaffna, in a region that has passed through a long conflict now ended and is again open to pilgrims and visitors. Naguleswaram's standing as one of the Pancha Ishwaram gives it a place among the principal Shaiva shrines of the island and of the wider Tamil world, and it draws both the devotion of the local community and the interest of those who follow the ancient Shiva temples of Sri Lanka.
व्यावहारिक मार्गदर्शन
Naguleswaram lies on the northern coast near Kankesanthurai, north of Jaffna, easily reached from Jaffna town by road, and Kankesanthurai has its own railway station. Dress traditionally and remove footwear at the temple; men may be asked to remove the upper garment before the sanctum. Follow the customs of the bathing tanks if you take the sacred bath at the Keerimalai springs. Come on an ordinary day for an unhurried darshan and bath, or at Maha Shivaratri and the temple's festivals, and above all at the Aadi Amavasai, for the fuller life of the shrine and the springs, when the crowds are large. As the region has passed through a long conflict now ended, follow current local guidance on travel, and confirm the temple's timings and the festival calendar locally before visiting.
Festivalsत्योहार
Maha Shivaratri
महाशिवरात्रि
Feb-Mar (Magha/Phalguna)
The great night of Shiva, the foremost festival of the lord, observed at Naguleswaram with the night-long worship of the lingam, its abhishekha and vigil, when the shrine keeps the highest devotion of the Shaiva year.
Aadi Amavasai
आदि अमावसै
Jul-Aug (new moon of Aadi)
The new moon of the month of Aadi, the great day of bathing at the Keerimalai springs, when pilgrims gather in large numbers to bathe in the curative waters and to perform tarpanam, the rites of offering water to the departed ancestors.
The Temple Festival (Mahotsavam)
मंदिर उत्सव (महोत्सवम्)
Set by the temple calendar
The annual festival of the temple, kept over its days in the Tamil Shaiva manner with the processions and worship of the lord, marking the great celebration of Naguleswaram in its year.
Navaratri
नवरात्रि
Sep-Oct (Ashwin)
The nine nights of the goddess, observed at the temple in keeping with the Shaiva household, when the Devi in the shrines about the lord is worshipped over the days of the festival.
Thai Pongal and the Tamil New Year
थै पोंगल और तमिल नववर्ष
Jan (Thai) and Apr (Chithirai)
The Tamil harvest festival of Thai Pongal and the Tamil New Year are marked at the temple in the manner of the Tamil Shaiva community, joining the shrine's worship to the great days of the Tamil calendar.
Traditional Offeringsपारंपरिक अर्पण
प्राथमिक अर्पण
Bilva (bel) leaves
बिल्व (बेल) पत्र
Bilva-patra
The three-lobed leaf of the bilva tree is the offering dearest to Shiva, laid upon the lingam in the daily worship; the three lobes are read as the three eyes or the trident of the lord, and the leaf is held to please Shiva above all other offerings.
Abhishekha of the lingam
लिंगम् की अभिषेक
Abhiṣeka
The ceremonial bathing of the lingam with water, milk, curd, honey and other pure substances is the central offering to Shiva, by which the lord is honoured and cooled and the water flowed over the lingam is received as the sacred teertha of his grace.
Vibhuti (sacred ash)
विभूति (पवित्र भस्म)
Vibhūti / Bhasma
The sacred ash, applied to the lingam and received by the devotee upon the brow, marks the worship of Shiva, recalling that all is reduced to ash before the lord and worn as the sign of his blessing and of the renunciation to which he calls.
Rudraksha
रुद्राक्ष
Rudrākṣa
The rudraksha bead, sacred to Shiva and held to arise from the lord himself, is offered and worn in his worship, the mark of the Shaiva devotee and an aid to the repetition of his name.
Lamps, incense and the Shiva stotras
दीप, धूप और शिव स्तोत्र
Dīpa
Lamps and incense are offered in the daily worship of the lord, and the recitation of the Shiva stotras, above all the Panchakshara, the five-syllabled Om Namah Shivaya, and the Lingashtakam, is held a high offering, the lord worshipped in sung praise as in leaf and light.
Sacred water and the offering of the bath
पवित्र जल और स्नान की भेंट
Jala
Water is central to the worship of Shiva as the lingam, poured in the abhishekha and offered to the lord, and at Naguleswaram the sacred bath in the Keerimalai springs is joined to this, the water of the coast held to carry the lord's grace in its healing.
इस मंदिर की विशेषता
The Sacred Bath at the Keerimalai Springs
कीरिमलै झरनों पर पवित्र स्नान
What is particular to Naguleswaram among the Shiva temples is the sacred bath in the Keerimalai springs beside the shrine, the freshwater rising at the edge of the sea, held from of old to cure ailments. The offering the devotee makes here is not only the bilva leaf and the abhishekha of the lingam but the taking of the sacred bath, the coming to the lord through the waters of his grace. The bath is taken as a purification before the worship of the lord and as a seeking of the healing held present in the water, remembered in the legends of the sage and the princess cured there. At the Aadi Amavasai, the new moon of Aadi, the bath is joined to the rites for the ancestors, the tarpanam offered at the sacred waters. So the offering at Naguleswaram unites the worship of Shiva as the lingam with the sacred bath in the curative springs, the leaf and the ash and the water of the coast met in the single devotion of the shrine.
Offerings at Naguleswaram follow the Tamil Shaiva tradition of the worship of Shiva as the lingam, with bilva leaves, the abhishekha, vibhuti, rudraksha and the Shiva stotras central, joined to the sacred bath in the Keerimalai springs. Eternal Raga presents these practices as a devotional tradition; specific arrangements should be confirmed at the temple.
How to Reachकैसे पहुँचें
Naguleswaram stands at Keerimalai on the northern coast of Sri Lanka, near Kankesanthurai and north of Jaffna, in the Northern Province.
By air: Bandaranaike International Airport at Colombo is the main international gateway to Sri Lanka, from which the Jaffna region is reached by road, rail or the domestic airport at Palaly near Kankesanthurai.
By rail: Kankesanthurai (KKS) railway station, a short distance from the temple, is the northern terminus of the line to Jaffna and Colombo, and Jaffna itself is a major station on the route.
By road: Naguleswaram is reached by road from Jaffna town, a short journey to the coast at Keerimalai near Kankesanthurai, served by buses and taxis; the temple and the springs lie together on the coast.
Pilgrims following the Pancha Ishwaram, the five ancient Shiva temples of Sri Lanka, take Naguleswaram as the northernmost of the set, and it is easily combined with a visit to Jaffna and the sacred sites of the Tamil north.
Plan Your Visitयात्रा की योजना
🌤 सर्वोत्तम मौसम
The northern coast of Sri Lanka is warm through the year, and the drier months, roughly from about February to September, are generally the most comfortable time to visit, though the region's weather should be checked before travelling. The Aadi Amavasai, the new moon of Aadi in July or August, is the great day of bathing at the Keerimalai springs, the most vivid though also the busiest time at the site. Maha Shivaratri, in February or March, and the temple's own festival are the great occasions of the shrine's worship. Mornings and evenings, around the temple's puja and the abhishekha of the lingam, are the most atmospheric times for darshan, and the early hours are pleasant for the bath at the springs.
👘 पहनावे का नियम
Traditional and modest dress is expected at the temple, as at a working Shaiva shrine. Footwear is removed at the temple, and men are often asked to remove the upper garment before entering the sanctum, in the Tamil Shaiva manner. Simple respectful attire is appropriate for the worship of the lord and for the bath at the springs.
📱 फोन और फोटोग्राफी
Photography is generally restricted within the sanctum; follow the posted rules and the directions of the temple, and keep phones silenced within the shrine and appropriate at the bathing tanks.
🏨 आवास
Jaffna town, a short distance from the temple, offers a range of hotels and guesthouses for pilgrims and visitors, and is the natural base for a visit to Naguleswaram and the sacred sites of the Tamil north. Simpler accommodation may be found nearer Kankesanthurai. Demand rises around the Aadi Amavasai and the great festivals, when the site and the region fill with pilgrims, and booking ahead is advisable at those times.
Sacred Soundsपवित्र ध्वनि
क्या आप जानते हैं? · Did You Know?
वही अनुवाद त्रुटि जिसने हिन्दू धर्म में '33 कोटि' को '33 करोड़' बनाया, बौद्ध धर्म में भी हुई। बौद्ध ग्रन्थों के चीनी अनुवाद ने 'सप्त कोटि बुद्ध' (7 श्रेष्ठ बुद्ध) का अनुवाद '7 करोड़ बुद्ध' कर दिया। तिब्बती अनुवाद ने सही किया: 7 प्रकार, 7 करोड़ नहीं। एक संस्कृत शब्द, दो प्रमुख विश्व धर्मों में गलत पढ़ा गया, ने दो एकसमान भ्रम स्वतन्त्र रूप से उत्पन्न किए।
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