Koneswaram temple
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Koneswaram temple also Thirukoneswaram is a Hindu temple which is located in the town Trincomalee, Sri Lanka. It is dedicated to main deity in Shaivism namely Lord Siva and is one of the five ancient Sivan temples around the island.
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[edit] Origins
It is believed to have been built at least 1300 years ago. Many inscriptions found in the surrounding area speak of Indian Pallava, Chola and even Pandya kings making contributions to the upkeep of the temple indicating an origin in antiquity. Local legend has it that it was renovated by a Tamil Chola king from South India named Kulakottan. This temple is one of the four important Saivite temple connected to the revival of Hinduism in Sri Lanka. The other three being situated in Ketheeswaram, Muneeswaram and Galle.
Trincomalee is a natural deep-water harbor that attracted great sea farers like Marco Polo, Ptolemy and Sea Traders China and East Asia from the ancient times. The local name Thirukonamalai means "Holy East Hill'. Kona is a derivative of the 1st Century Tamil word Kuna meaning East. Trinco as it is commonly called, has been a sea port since the days of the ancient Kings and one of the British Empire's most important ports in Asia during the second world war. From 1941-45, Trinco had been the headquarters of Lord Louis Mountbatten Allied Southeast Asia commander.
The Thirukoneswaram temple [1] attracted pilgrims from all parts of India. This celebrated shrine was demolished in 1622 by the Portuguese (who called it the Temple of a Thousand Columns), who fortified the heights with the materials derived from its destruction. (Some of the artefacts from the demolished temple were kept in the Lisbon Museum. The stone inscription by Kulakottan (Kunakottan), the last king. It has a dual fish emblem and is engraved with a prophesy stating that after 1500s the westerners with different eye colors will be ruling the country for the ensuing 500 years and at the end of it, the rule will revert back to Vadugus.) It was next held by the Dutch, and subsequently by them and the French alternately, till the capture of Sri Lanka by the British in 1795.
The hill face is rugged and is called 'Ravanan Veddu'. As Trinco is full of seismic and volcanic activity as seen in Kanniya Hot Springs area, this rugged face of rock is a reminder of the movement of Earth's crust in this area.
[edit] Mentioned in Tevarams
Along with Ketheeswaram in Mannar this temple was mentioned by one of the Bhakti era Tevaram literature by one of the Nayanmars namely Suntarar in South India indicating it's popularity even in India. There is evidence that indicates at least some of the later Sinhalese Buddhist kings too maintained the temple although Buddhist King Mahasena was reported to have destroyed it and built a Buddhist temple and Dagoba in its place.
[edit] Destruction by the Portuguese
Aftter 1505 A.D along with countless Buddhist and Hindu temples around the island, it was destroyed by Portuguese colonialists while the main statue was taken out to town for a festive occasion. At this time Portuguese soldiers entered into the temple dressed as Iyer priests and robbed the temple. The temple was destroyed and its building materials were used in the construction of a nearby fort by the Portuguese.
The present statues were found when digging a well in Trinco. Since the time of Portuguese rule the statues were kept in hiding in a silted well and later was forgotten. at indep[endence the ancient statues were finally discovered.
[edit] Reconstruction
After a gap of almost 450 years in 1952 after the independence of the Sri Lanka some Sri Lankan Tamil Hindu people of Trincomalee came together and built the present temple. In size it's very small compared to the original temple.
Thirukonasala Vaipavam, written by the poet V. Akilesapillai is an important literary work in Tamil on the history of this historic Koneswaram Temple.
