The revered Nagapooshani Amman Temple situated in Nainativu (Manipallavam), Northern Province, Sri Lanka is dedicated to Goddess Parvati and one of the 51 Shakti Peeth Temples. Within its walls stands four grand gopurams ranging from 20–25 feet in height with the tallest, Raja Raja Gopuram soaring at 108 feet high. Here lies Shiva under his moniker Nayinaar alongside Parvati who takes on her alias as Nagapooshani or Bhuvaneswari for all devotees to revere and worship.
Situated 36 kilometers from the former stronghold of Jaffna, Nallur stands home to a revered temple where legends declare Lord Indra himself venerated and consecrated the murti of Goddess. Inside are idols depicting Devi as Indrakschi and Shiva as Rakchaseswara; adding more significance to this holy place is that it also houses one of India’s 51 Shakti Peetas – 4 being Adi Shaktipeethas and 18 Maha Shakti Peethas specifically.
Constructed with Dravidian Hindu Architecture, the temple boasts a magnificent sculpture collection of about 10,000 pieces as well as oil paintings. It has four gopurams: Raja Raja Gopuram and East, West, South Gopurams – each one providing its own unique beauty to this captivating religious space.
This temple is renowned for its spectacular and historic beauty, resulting in it being always filled with visitors. On average days you can find around 1000 people here, but during festivals the number of attendees often surpasses 100,000! If you are visiting in June/July (Aani month), make sure to plan your trip accordingly so that you don’t miss out on the 16-day Mahotsav (Thiruvizha) which is celebrated with enthusiasm and adoration.
The sacred Shakti Peethas were locations of worship for the Goddess. In order to please Shakti and Shiva, Lord Brahma conducted a yajna ritual, resulting in the emergence of Goddess Shakti who assisted him with creating the universe. Knowing that she should be reunited with Shiva, Daksha – Brahma’s son- held several celebrations to receive her back as his daughter Sati. However, upon learning about her marriage to Shiva ,Daksha refused to call them both on one of his upcoming ceremonies . Even though against it at first ,Shiva consented after Sati insisted on returning home for a visit . Daksha insulted Shiva, which caused Sati to set herself afire in protest of her father’s disrespect towards her husband. In his enraged state, Shiva took the form of Veerabhadra and destroyed the yagna before killing Daksha. As he was overcome with sorrow while carrying Sati across Aryavartha, his wrathful emotions manifested as an immense Tandav – a celestial dance of destruction. Lord Vishu, with the aim of stopping the Tandav, used his Sudarshana Chakra, which cut through the Sati’s corpse. The parts of Sati body fell at varroas spots all through the Indian and neighboring country and these Sacred sites came to be called Shakti Peethas .
Best way to reach:
As Srilanka is an island, one needs to reach Colombo and then reach to Jaffna and then to Nagapooshani Amman Kovil.
Route 1 : Begin your journey in Kurunegala, then make a stop in Dambulla. After further exploration of Anuradhapura, continue on to Vavunia before arriving at Jaffna and finally the grand Temple.
Route 2: Begin your journey in Puttlam, then make your way to the historical city of Anuradhapura. Then travel onward through Vavunia and eventually arrive at Jaffna before ending with a visit to Temple!
Both above routes is around 432 Kms. among which Colombo to Jaffna is around 400 Kms. and then around 32 kms.
