Koneswaram temple of Trincomalee

Koneswaram temple of Trincomalee Thirukonamalai Konesar Temple - The Temple of a Thousand Pillars and Dakshina-Ona Kailasam (Southern / Ancient Kailash) is a traditional-medieval Hindu temple in Trincomalee, a Hindu pilgrimage center in Eastern Province, Sri Lanka . The most sacred of Pancha Ishwarams of Sri Lanka, built during the reign of the early Cholas and the Five Dravidians of the Early Pandyan Kingdom on the top of Konesar Malai, a promontory that overlooking the Trincomalee District, Gokarna bay and the Indian Ocean. Its Pallava, Chola, Pandyan and Jaffna design reflects the continuity of the Tamil Saivites in the Vannimai region from the classical period. The monument has its main temple to Shiva in the form of Kona-Eiswara, shortened to Konesar. Connected to the mouth of the River Mahawelli Ganga at the foot of Shiva in Sivan Oli Padam Malai at the source of the river, the temple is crowned symbolically the flow of the River Ganges from Shiva's head of Mount Kailash to his legs.

Developed from 205 BC, the original kovil combined important elements to create its basic Dravidian temple plan, such as its thousand hall - "Aayiram Kaal Mandapam" - and the Jagati expanded by King Ellalan Manu Needhi Cholan. Considered to be the finest building of its age for its architecture, decorative female sculptures adorned a black marble base while expanding the many gopuram towers. gold plating in ancient times. One of the three major Hindu temples on the hill with a large gopuram tower, it stood prominently on the highest point of the Cape.

The journey for pilgrims in the city begins at the opening of Konesar Road and follows a path in the courtyard of the courtyard of the deities of Bhadrakali, Ganesh, Vishnu Thirumal, Surya, Raavana, Ambal-Shakti , Murukan and Shiva preside over the promontory's. high. The annual festival of the Koneswaram Temple Ther Thiruvilah includes the Bhadrakali temple of Trincomalee, the Pavanasam Theertham at the holy well of Papanasuchunai reserve and the back of the Sami Bay (Theertham Karatkarai) around Konesar Malai .

The Sinhalese king Gajabahu II who ruled Polonnaruwa from 1131 to 1153 AD is described in the Konesar Kalvettu as a devoted devotee of Lord Shiva and a patron of the Konamalai temple. He spent his last days in the place of Brahmin contact is Kantalai.

The complex was destroyed in colonial religious attacks between 1622 and 1624 and a tower was built on the site from its ruins. A temple built in 1632 located far from the city contains some of its original idols. Interest was renewed all over the world after the discovery of its underwater and underground, statues and Chola bronzes by explorers and Arthur C. Clarke. It was saved through restoration, most recently in the 1950s. Allowing the ownership of villages within its borders to form Trincomalee District, the village of Trincomalee is located on the tip of the campus. Income from the temple provides services and food to the local people.

Koneswaram has many strong historical institutions. The temple is described in the Vayu Purana, the Konesar Kalvettu and Tevaram hymns by Sambandhar and Sundarar as a Paadal Petra Sthalam with its west side Ishwaram is Ketheeswaram the temple, Mannar, and was praised for its traditions of Arunagirinathar during his visit. The works of Dakshina Kailasa Puranam and Manmiam are called Dakshina / Ona Kailasam (Mount Kailash of the South) for its long and high position, it lies directly east of Kudiramalai in the west of the Hindu town, but the the easternmost part of the city. There are five ancient Ishwarams of Shiva on the island.

Mentioned as a famous bay temple of the island in the Mahabharata, Ramayana and Yalpana Vaipava Malai, the Mattakallappu Manmiam proves 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 be the place where Yoga started; some scholars have said that the worship of the all-powerful god Eiswara on the summit is the oldest form of worship in existence.

History

The time of construction of Koneswaram was determined by comparison between the designs carved on the ruins of the temple, inscriptions on the temple and inscriptions commonly used in royal books from the 5th to the 18th century. Koneswaram seems to have been established before 400 B.C. although the exact date of birth is not clear. The existing evidence confirms the traditional nature of the temple. The construction of Hindu temples was possible because of the popular belief among the local people and traders in the region during the Sangam period. date of birth around 1580 BC Archaeologists have identified its first phase as consisting of a rock cave, multilayer brick temple style that was popular with Tamil deities of many faiths during the Sangam period (see Religion in the ancient Tamil country).

Modern writers such as S. Pathmanathan and Paul E. Peiris suggest that the temple of Koneswaram has a record from 300, when it is mentioned in the Vayu Purana. Peiris called it Koneswaram one of the five famous Iswaram of the Hindu god Shiva in ancient Lanka. the sixth century B.C.; a well-known place of worship of the gods long before the legend of the captive Vijaya arrived in the island, originated in the period 543-505 BC Koneswaram is the eastern temple of Iswarams, others are Naguleswaram (Keerimalai), Thiruketheeswaram (Mannar), Munneswaram (Chilaw) and Tenavaram (Tevan Thurai) legend royal families on the island like Kuveni before the arrival of exile. Pathmanathan differs from Peiris in his view of the birth of the temple, however, saying that the Koneswaram temple is likely to have been established as a Hindu mosque by traders who frequented the island from the fourth century. . BC The Kalinga region of India, where another temple dedicated to Shiva in the form of Gokarnasvamin is found in the Mahendra mountains. The Yalpana Vaipava Malai, an 18th century Tamil epic relates the image of Vijaya and his seven hundred followers to the temple, and says that they repaired it extensively. the five Iswarams when they arrived on the island, before mixing with the tribes of the country on the island formed matrimonial relations with the Tamil kingdom through Pandyan queens. The Encyclopædia Britannica now seems to follow this view, although in volume 10 of the encyclopedia, published in 1974, the establishment of the temple is attributed to Tamil immigrants.

The Koneswaram temple and the Kantalai Tank, which supplied water to the shrine's surrounding plains, underwent substantial renovations in 205 B.C. by King Ellalan Manu Needhi Cholan and the prince Kulakottan of the Chola Dynasty. Alternate dates place the rule of the latter between 1580 B.C. and 1250. The temple thrived throughout the first decades of the First Millennium as a result of royal support by successive Tamil kings from the early classical to the medieval era. At least three large stone temples with gopuras were constructed by Hindus on Swami Rock during the height of Koneswaram, one to the goddess and two to Vishnu-Thirumal and Lord Shiva respectively.

Festivals

The Koneswaram temple is well renowned for hosting events for Sivarathri, Navaratri, and the traditional Ther chariot festival. The purpose of the twenty-two-day Ther Chariot Festival, which takes place in April, is to get the people and gods ready for Puthandu, the Tamil New Year. While Sivarathri is focused on Siva, Navaratri is a nine-day celebration of the numerous facets of the presiding goddess. Visitors to the temple come to participate in the daily pujas and make donations. Outside, vendors set up booths to sell food, beverages, brassware, pottery, clothing, and sacred objects. Hindus are primarily drawn to the temple for these purposes.

The main event is Thirukoneswaram Ther Thiruvilah Festival, a twenty-two-day car festival that begins with the hoisting of the Nandi temple flag. Then in the temple procession Lord Konesar and his wife Mathumai Ambal, were mounted and pulled in a decorated temple car while the deities Pillayar and Murugan and his two companions Valli and Theivayanai being carried forward in two other decorated chariots. This is done in the entire district of Trincomalee, and following the Kulakottan stone inscriptions that describe how Hindus in Tamil villages such as Sambaltivu, land that was historically a temple, are entitled to hold poojahs as their Upayam during the annual festivals. Until April 1624 the Koneswaram Ther Festival happened in Puthandu in April every year with five chariots and this tradition was revived in April 2003, three hundred and seventy nine years later.

The Theertham Thiruvilah (holy bath) bath is held every year at the age-old holy well Papanasachunai (Papanasam Theertham) on the Swami Rock during the festival period of Ther. The deity and other sacred things are bathed in the water of the well in the holy place of the house. Devotees are charged with holy water following the Theertham. The Theppath Thiruvilah Boat Festival consists of Lord Konesar and Goddess Mathumai Ambal taken in a boat around the temple from Swami Rock through the Back Bay Sea to the Dutch Bay Sea. Religious talks and cultural events are held all night before Puthandu on the Dutch Bay Sea shore. Later, the gods were taken to the temple the next morning at Puthandu on the way to the gate of Fort Frederick. The Trincomalee Bhadrakali Amman Temple and other Hindu temples have held their Theertham festivals to cut water in the Back Bay Sea (Theertha Kadatkarai) for centuries.

An annual three-day procession following Maha Sivarathri Day, celebrated every year since 1951 after the recovery of the bronze idols in 1950. It is held in three parts, on each day of festival, the images of the great god Konesar, the presiding wife goddess. Mathumai Amman, Ganesh and Murugan are brought from Swami Rock to the entrance of Fort Fredrick in decorated temple cars before going around the entire Periyakadai of Trincomalee town. Chariots are pulled by devotees in an elaborate procession while singing hymns. Devotees keep Poorna kumbham outside their houses on the road and worship while the procession moves. On the second day of the festival there is a procession to the Pathirakalai Ambal Temple where the images are kept for the evening. On the last day of the festival, huge chariots are pulled back to Koneswaram on a route through Trincomalee, accompanied by the traditional music of Nadeswaram and Thavil.

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