Trincomale koneswaram temple





The Meaning of the Name

Koneswaram gains its name from the main deity of the temple, the Hindu God Shiva. Shiva, who is also called Eeshwar or Eeshwarar, reigns over the mountain of Holy Konam (Thirukonamalai (Tamil): Thiru – Holy; Konam- Name; Malai – Mountain) hence giving the name Thirukoneshwarar (Thiru-Kona -Eeshwarar). The name ‘Konam’ is believed to have come from the Old Tamil word meaning ‘peak’.
Another name given to the temple is ‘Dakshina Kailayam’; a Sanskrit name meaning ‘Mount Kailash of the South’. Some also call it ‘Aathi Koneswaram’, where ‘Aathi’ is the Tamil word for ancient.






The Meaning of the Name

Koneswaram gains its name from the main deity of the temple, the Hindu God Shiva. Shiva, who is also called Eeshwar or Eeshwarar, reigns over the mountain of Holy Konam (Thirukonamalai (Tamil): Thiru – Holy; Konam- Name; Malai – Mountain) hence giving the name Thirukoneshwarar (Thiru-Kona -Eeshwarar). The name ‘Konam’ is believed to have come from the Old Tamil word meaning ‘peak’.
Another name given to the temple is ‘Dakshina Kailayam’; a Sanskrit name meaning ‘Mount Kailash of the South’. Some also call it ‘Aathi Koneswaram’, where ‘Aathi’ is the Tamil word for ancient.


History and Legend
The beginning 

A 17th century stone inscription in the temple states that the temple began its history in 1580 BC. Though this is unconfirmed, the truth remains that the ancient cave shrine that lies beneath the pinnacle of the mountain points towards a history well predating the Sangam Period. It is also a confirmed fact that Koneswaram was a well established and popular temple during the arrival of the exiled Indian prince Vijayan during the 6th century BC.
On the other hand legend states that King Ravana, along with his mother, was a devout worshipper of Koneswaram. Ravana is also supposed to have created the hot springs of Kanniya as part of Thirukoneswaram, for the last rites of his mother. King Ravana was a legendary emperor of Sri Lanka who is believed to have lived over 5000 years ago. If this legend were to be true, then that would indicate that the temple was alive and thriving for over 5000 years.





The Rise of Koneswaram
Koneswaram was one of the five Eeshwarams that dominated the ancient landscape of Sri Lanka according to the 16th century Portuguese historian Diogo de Couto; along with Ketheeshwaram, Munneshwaram, Naguleshwaram and the now destroyed Tenavaram.The Indian exile and Sri Lankan royalty, Prince Vijayan, and his followers are also said to have renovated the temple on their arrival to the island; according to the 18th century Tamil historical chronicle, Yalpana Vaipava Malai.
The true rise of Koneswaram however occurred in 205 BC when the Chola king Elara Manu Needhi Cholan renovated the temple creating a temple complex that mirrored the Dravidian temple cities. The city was built as huge temple city with the Thirukoneswaram temple at its centre. The city was entered through gates that were housed in smaller temples, and the walls surrounded fields and various shrines in addition to the homes of occupants. The temple complex/city covered most of Trincomalee as it is now. The pilgrimage path was 225km long and was traditionally travelled by foot. There were separate shrines and temples for gods and goddesses like Ganesha, Padrakali, Vishnu/Thirumal, Shakthi, Suryan (Sun), Murukan and also King Ravana.
The main temple of Koneswaram was created, on the summit of the rocky promontory, with hard black granite (Karungal) which was skillfully carved with classical temple bas relief sculptures by Indian temple architects and sculptors. One of its finest features was its Thousand-Pillared hall which was used to host religious and cultural events. The hall was so famous that the Portuguese who visited temple called it the Temple of a Thousand Pillars.
The fame of Koneswaram continued to rise through the next millennium. The temple was one of only two non-Indian temples that were praised by the great 6th century AD Hindu poet-saint Sambandhar in his Tevarams, the other temple Thiruketheeshwaram also being in Sri Lanka. Records from the Kingdom of Anuradhapura in the 4th to 7th century AD and the Kingdom of Jaffna which rose between the 12th and 17th centuries AD; as well as records from the Chola, Pallava and Pandya Kingdoms of India show that kings from over a millennia both donated, contributed and made renovations for Koneswaram.
Another famous Hindu saint to pay homage to Koneswaram was the 15th century saint Arunagiri Nathar. The interesting fact about this is that Arunagiri Nathar primarily worshipped God Murugan, the Lord of Love and Beauty, and the son of God Shiva. Yet this was one of the very few instances where he praised and sang for another god.





Outside the Temple
In addition to these features within the temple, there are many interesting and exciting things to see out side. The temple has a small courtyard that is narrower towards the back, facing the sea. High, pillared wall surround it. Towards the back is the sacred tree of the temple, a Vilvam tree, which is completely overloaded with little wooden cradles hung by devotees wishing for children. The tree has one of the original pillars from the old temple near it, though it is not very obvious to see. In front of the main entrance, a few feet away, is a large rock up cropping. A slight ramp along the rock face leads to two gates. One is kept closed by order of the SLA (as mentioned previously), and has steps leading to the sacred bathing pool of the temple which is used to wash the idols during festivals. A small shrine with a stone lingam below the shade of a five- headed snake is visible through the metal grating of the closed gate.
To the right of that gate, penetrating through the rock itself is a path that is kept open. On passing through the cool shadows of the miniature tunnel, it quickly becomes visible that it is a very old section of the temple. The old rough-cut stone steps spiral around the rock face moving down shallowly. The most important thing to see here is a small natural cave with a truly old, painted stone sculpture featuring God Shiva. A close perusal of the dark and dusty walls of the cave reveals many ancient stone inscriptions. These are supposed to be parts of the earliest form of the temple. Other inscriptions are also carved into the rock face.
A little further down the stairs facing the temple from the ocean, a giant golden idol of King Ravana stands in worship of the Svayambu Lingam in the temple. The statue stands on a risible metal platform and has hundreds of coins scattered by devotees at its feet.
A few other smaller shrines are also carved into the rock face along the way, before the stone staircase climbs back to meet the temple courtyard slightly further from the tunnel type entrance of this secretive area.



Thank you
Shifa Ahamed


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