Sashtanga Namaskara

P.Natarajan.

Prostration:-

We prostrate before parents, guru and elders to show our respects. The act of prostration is to throw oneself forward on the ground or lying or bent with face on the ground. We prostrate in full length before the deities seeking grace and also to atone for the sins committed or good acts omitted.

Prostration is an act that has to be done in an exceptional or singular manner. One can not see side wards or back or in short dither his attention anywhere else except to bend his head towards the ground and fall on his knees and then flat on the ground. When a person is pushed to shame, he bends his head timidly but when he lowers his head on his own will to convey reverence to others, his self esteem shines or gets lifted, in the presence of the august gathering.

Deeds that attracts attention of  others  are carried out outwardly or in an open fashion. In other words, when a person lies flat face open to sky, he, no doubt , is seen by the people around. Prostration , whereas, necessarily deviates the mind from the mundane and worldly matters, when the head is lowered in conveying Namaskar. The doer is silent and does not attract any outsider’s attention. Neither it is his intention.

To show one’s back may be deemed as cowardliness but the question of honor arises only when the egoistic ‘I’ raise its head. Subjects like ‘I’, honor or dishonor, shame or respect, compassion or intolerance are unavoidable during the span of one’s life. A person can be a king like or king once he liberates himself overcoming all these qualities or gunas.. Here the expression ‘king’ is to be understood as one who had mastered himself to an exalted position as ‘Jeevan Muktha’. There is no need of prostration in that elevated state.

Whereas as we conduct or carry on life with the ‘gunas’ like ‘ahankara, bala, darpa,  kama. kroda and avarice,  अहङ्कारं बलं दर्पं कामं क्रोधं लोभं   we pretend to show ourselves in an unrealistic manner or untrue to oneself.

We discard the weight of ‘I’ in the presence of learned people, ‘mahan's’, acharyas’ or before the deities of worship. We throw ourselves forward on the ground or lye with face bent which is known as ‘ Sashtanga Namaskara’ - meaning all the eight limbs of the physical body touching the ground. We realize we are not ‘masters’ or understand clearly that we are subordinates only or second to some one else. We may fall at their feet but we gain self esteem while doing so.  We forget ourselves and show our obeisance to the other person for all reasons known or unknown. This is the first step towards victory of oneself. This exercise needs to be adhered to at all times to help to gain self esteem and also to bring credit to oneself. It might also make others wonder ‘ what we are upto ' !

Prostration or Namaskara is one of the known forms of ‘ shodashopachara ‘ - 16 steps of worshiping the deity. Surya Namaskar - salutation to the Sun or Surya the solar deity of Hindus is an asana practised for keeping one ' fit as a fiddle '.!

नक्षत्रग्रहताराणामधिपो विश्वभावनः। तेजसामपि तेजस्वी द्वादशात्मन् नमोऽस्तु ते॥ १५॥

A person regularly performing surya namaskar can achieve sadhana which incorporates asana, pranayama, mantra and chakra meditation. A popular subhashithani quotes ;- “NAMASKARA PARIYO BHANU:“      नमस्कार प्रियो भानु: ( अलङ्कार प्रियो विष्णु: जलधारप्रियो शिव:) meaning Surya god likes devotees prostrating number of times. KRISHNA likes to be decorated in fine and ornamental dress, Lord Shiva likes to be bathed ( Abhisheka) !

If someone prostrates before us, we feel a sense of elation.When we prostrate before learned and devout elders, we get blessed. Sashtanga namaskara is a form of surrender to the Almighty when we seek pardon and pray for his blessings to lead a healthy life.

pn

Sri Lanka Ramayana Trail - Part 6 / Day 6

Sri Lanka Ramayana Trail -  Part 6 /Day 6

24-09-2015 ( Thursday )

( Shankari Devi )

September 24, 2015 was the concluding day of our tour of Sri Lanka.  The schedule for the day was to reach Trincomalee (100 K.M.)  to visit Shankari Devi and Thirukoneswaram temples  and then leave for Colombo ( 275 K.M.) to catch the return flight to India.

We had a few hours of sleep only as we got back from Jaffna by 2 A.M., after completing successfully the visit to Nainativu in Jaffna the day before. However we were ready by half past 6 A.M. itself. We packed our bags and left them at the Heritage Hotel lobby. As we had some time before breakfast, we walked up to the Tissa Wewa lake and were able to see the three Buddhist Stupas more clearly as there was no fog like the previous day.

Anuradhapura where we halted is a major city in Sri Lanka. It is one of the ancient capitals of Sri Lanka and famous for its well preserved ruins of ancient Lanka. The city, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was the centre of Theravada Buddhism for many centuries. It is on the banks of the historic Malvathu Oya. It was founded in 10th century B.C. Excavations have uncovered information about the existence of prehistoric habitation of human in the citadel. The city gained prominence after the introduction of Buddhism when the great buildings era began. The city contains rich collection of archeological and architectural wonders, enormous dagobas, soaring brick towers, ancient pools, crumbling temples that were built during the thousand years of rule of Anuradhapura over Sri Lanka. Today several of the sites remain as holy places and temples and taken care of.

We walked under the shade of mature trees around the hotel inhaling the smell of the wet soil and grass as the overnight dew was evaporating in the warmth of the rising sun . It reminded us of Rudyard Kipling’s quote, “ The first condition of understanding a foreign country is to smell it ”. We had   breakfast by 7.30 A.M. The menu was not much different from the previous day. Rice cakes  (instead of rice noodles ) looking like doklas were included which we relished along with butter, coconut milk, green chutney and baked beans. We finished the b/f with hot Ceylon tea /  Nescafe. We bought some trinkets like crystal beaded chains, silver bangles and small statues of Buddha from a local vendor who had exhibited the items near the hotel reception. He preferred Indian currency towards the cost of items we bought, as he was planning to visit Madurai and other pilgrimage centers in South India.  We felt happy and obliged him.

Bye bye Hotel Heritage                         Our Team in The Trail

         

We were seated in the chartered vehicle by 8.30 A.M.  Mr.Madhavananda Dasa welcomed us with the greeting ‘Jai Shriram’  enthusiastically. We chanted  after him the Narasimha Stuti in chorus. He outlined the day’s schedule again and narrated the various puranic references connected with the place of visit i.e. Trincomalee or Tirukkona malai where the Shankari  Devi Shakti Peetha is located. It was very much interesting to listen to Mr.Dasa narrating the mythological background of Tirukkonamalai (a triangular hill).

The first amongst,  the 18  Maha Shakthi Peethas strewn across, is Shankari Devi in Sri Lanka where the groin of Sati Devi is said to have fallen and the place is hailed as one of the sacred places for worship. As an authentic reference, the first verse of Adi Sankara’s Ashta dasa Shakthi Peeth sloka commences as  “ Lankayam Shankari Devi “, meaning Shankari Devi in Sri Lanka is the first.

The Legend (1) :-  In Tretha Yuga, Parvati Devi desired to have a beautiful palatial mansion to reside and requested Shiva to arrange for it. Shiva who is extolled as the yogi of yogis, was not in favor of any personal possession. Parvati remained firm that she was asking for the good of the world, Shiva realized the thought behind Shakti’s request and gave his assent finally. Shiva asked Vishwakarma to locate a place and build a best palace ever seen in the world so that Uma can have her desire fulfilled.

Vishwakarma chose a beautiful spot in the island of Lanka where he raised a magnificent structure gleaming with gold, gems, cooled with fountains and filled with the smell of many divine flowers in the garden - in short a palace that can be qualified as worthy residence for the mother of three worlds. Devi was extremely pleased with the outcome and desired to employ the best brahmin to perform the Griha Pravesh ceremony. Shiva and Parvati came to Lanka to look for a brahmin when they heard a lustrous and powerful voice chanting ‘ Om Namah Shivaya’. It was Ravaneswaran who was performing the austere tapas invoking Shiva.It dawned on her that Ravana was immensely qualified to perform the gruha pravesh as he was proficient in all the four vedas and was the son of  great saint Vishravas. She invited Ravana to perform the ceremony. Ravana gladly accepted Shakti’s invitation and performed the ceremony in a splendid manner, ritualistic in the true sense and adhering to the rules of Sastras. Parvati too pleased, favoured Ravana to ask for a boon of his choice. Shiva interrupted to say that a brahmin should not ask for Dakshina and it is left to the ‘Kartha’ to decide. However since Shakthi had made the offer, he told Ravana to ask whatever he pleased. Ravana in a clear tone asked for the magnificent palace itself built by Vishwakarma so meticulously. Parvati smiled at the play of fate and granted Ravana’s wish. Ravana felt guilty for robbing Parvati the palace,and pleaded with Shakti Devi to remain in Lanka. Shakti Devi accepted that her spirit would remain in Lanka so long as Ravana remained free from misdeeds. When Ravana refused to free Sita Piratti, Shakti left Lanka. It was Vibheeshana who succeeded as the King of Lanka after Ravana, prayed to Shakti to return to Lanka and Shankari Devi acceded to his fervent prayer.

Legend (2):-  There is a reference in Vayu Purana to ‘Trikonamale’. Once Adisesha and Vayu had a bitter fight to know who was mightier. Adisesha coiled himself around Mount Kailash and challenged Vayu to attack the Kailash Parvath. Vayu turned into a hurricane and attacked the mountain. Shiva asked Brahma to create another Kailash in the South. Brahma chose Lanka and created the second Kailash. Shiva came to Lanka to reside since then it became Dakshina Kailash.

When Adisesha lifted his three hoods out of 1000 hoods to listen to Shiva, Vayu blew over the three peaks of mount Kailash. Those three pieces fell in three places (1) in Srikalahasti (Thondai Nadu) , (2) Tiruchirapalli (Chola Nadu ) Rock Fort Temple or Thayumanavar Swamy and  (3) Trikona Male in Lanka. Trikona Male lies in the same longitude as that of Kailash (like Kataragama, Sri Lanka).

Legend (3):- In Koneswaram the temple teertha , the Mavali Ganga, bubbles up from a well at the western portion of the hill there, goes around the hill and empties into the Indian Ocean. It is believed that Parvati once examined Shiva’s matted locks and she caught sight of a woman’s face for a fleeting second. The terrified Ganga froze into an ice cube. Shiva scooped it up and dropped into the sea in three places. This formed the Mavali Ganga or Mahabali Ganga in Trincomalee, Manik Ganga in Kataragama and Kaveri Ganga in Thiruketheeswaram.

Mr. Dasa involved us by eliciting answers to related questions. Whenever our attention deviated he used “Hare Krishna ‘ as wake up call which we too echoed. Mr.Dasa demonstrated  that storytelling is an excellent art  !!  

 

           Lakshmi Narayana Perumal Temple ---                              bell tower

At 11:00am we reached Sri Lakshmi Narayana Perumal Kovil in Nilaveli on the way to Thirukonamalai. It is a beautiful temple structure visible from quite a distance across the plains.

The outer walls painted in sky blue reflecting the dome of sky above and sparkling gold embellished with intricate carvings is very attractive.The tall bell tower in front of the temple is also painted in golden yellow. The temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu was constructed in 2011. It is an exact replica of South Indian temples and has been made with the help of South Indian craftsmen. The prakaram around the sanctum sanctorum has small sannidhis for deities like   

Hayagriva, Mahalakshmi, Lakshmi Narasimha, Ashtalakshmi(s), Dasavatharam idols, Dhanvantri, Andal, Kuberan and so on..

We were in front of the main deities at aarati time. When the curtains opened we had darshan of  Goddess Lakshmi and Sri Narayana bedecked with rich jewels . It was a divine sight to see the Goddess of wealth and Protector of the Universe side by side.

After darshan we left for our next destination Thirukonamalai to visit the Shankari Devi temple.

The temple is located on the N. E. coast of Sri Lanka in a city known as Trincomalee (Thirukonamalai). It is reached by a steep hike up the Konamalai also called as Swami Rock.  We parked our bus in the parking area  near the beach and rushed to the temple by autos. We had to elbow our way through the crowded shopping area .

 

Temple Entrance

We were inside the temple right at the aarati time. We offered our sincere prayers to the Goddess.  We viewed some mural paintings depicting scenes from the puranas as well as from the history of the temple.

2000 years back the ancient temple was destroyed by the Buddhist king Mahasena Vijaya  who built a monastery and dagoba (dome shaped stupa) in that place .Later the Chola King Kullakottan, a descendent of the legend King Manu Needhi Cholan of Thiruvarur restored the Koneswaram temple at Trincomalee and the Kantalai Tank after finding the ruins. He was the son of Vara Rama Thevan, who had been a prolific benefactor of the Konesar temple.

Kullakottan visited the Munneswaram temple on the west coast  before going to Koneswaram. He brought  the ancient Vanniyars to settle down in the  the east of the island. According to the chronicles, he extensively renovated and expanded the shrine, lavishing much wealth on it. He was crowned with the epithet Kullakottan, meaning builder of tank and temple.  He also brought about agricultural and economic developments.

There is a stone edict of Kullakotta Chola  with the inscription-- the brahmins in his court had predicted that Yavanas would destroy the temple. On 14th April 1624, the Portuguese in the guise of brahmins entered the temple and looted the gold, pearls and gems collected over thousands of years and destroyed the thousand pillared temple using cannons. Only one pillar survived the damage. The broken building materials were used in the construction of the nearby Frederick Fort.  The present Koneswaram temple is located within the fort. Some of the artefacts from the demolished temple were kept in the Lisbon museum. People worship the lone pillar standing at the top of the hill as the remnant of the ancient Shankari temple.

The Lone Pillar

The temple priest carried the idols of Swayambhu Linga and Shankari Devi and hid them in a silted well. In 1952 Arthur C. Clarke , a British researcher retrieved the Swayambhu Lingam from the ocean and found the Shankari Amman idol also from a well. After a gap of almost 450 years  (after the Sri Lankan Independence) some Sri lankan Tamil Hindu people of Trincomalee came together to build the present temple in 1952.

The present temple is of modest dimension as compared to the ancient one.

Besides Shiva Linga, Koneswaram has shrines of Ganesha, Subramanya, and other deities around the central Garbhagriha which enshrines ‘Thirukoneswar’ ( ‘Asura Linga’ - another name in the context of Ravana’s severe worship of Shiva) ) as the main deity. The temple offers a spectacular view of the Indian ocean stretching beyond infinity. By the edge of the cliff stands an ancient and sacred Bilva tree under which Rama is said to have meditated.

The panchaloha idols of Koneshwar, Mathumai ambal, Chandrashekar, Trishul, Ganesha, Veera Sakthi , Annapakshi (bird) were retrieved when excavations were carried out and later consecrated in 1953 and housed in the Vasantha Mandapam.

We had darshan of Koneswara Linga and came out of the main temple.

Cave Entrance--Markandeya Puranam

Scene from Pittukku Mann Sumantha Perumal Episode

             

Sthala Vriksha               Trishul                            Ganesha

Ravana asking for pardon--Shiva Linga

Shiva Parivar

We then entered a stone arch and walked through a narrow path which looked like a cave, there we saw colorful idols depicting the story of Markandeya purana, ‘Pittukku mann sumantha Perumal’, Ravana begging pardon in front of a Shiva Linga,  and Shiva Parivar. We had a view of the Indian Ocean from the top of the cliff.

In front of the temple, there is a humongous idol of Shiva with a Nandi (Bull) at the side.

We then came to the spot Ravana Vettu, 350 feet above the sea level.

Ravana Vettu                                                                       

Ravana and his mother were great devotees of Koneshwar. Apparently when his mother was suffering from ill-health, the king wanted  Shiva and his consort to visit Ravana’s mother. When they refused Ravana tried to take the Koneswaran hill to her. As he was lifting the rock, Shiva had made him to drop his sword which created a great  cleft in the hill. This is known as Ravana’s cleft or ‘Ravana Vettu” in Tamil. We can see the two sharp edges of the cleft created by the sword of Ravana.

We further came across an idol of a Nandi (excavated) , Statue of Kulla kutta Chola and a beautiful scene depicting the mango episode in the Shiva Parivar on the rock.

      

                                         Nandikeshwara Idol

                  

 Kullakutta Cholan                     Mango Episode       

Koneswaram is the easternmost shrine of the 5 ancient Iswarams (temple locations) of Lord Shiva on the island. The others are Naguleswaram in Keerimalai, Thiruketheeswaram in Mannar, Munneswaram in Puttalam and Tenavaram in Tevan Turai.

The heat was oppressive and the hot sand literally scorched our feet.( we felt we should have worn socks) . We had  King coconut juice on the way, got into the autos  to reach the parking area.

Ocean view Trincomalee----Chamith and Sangeeth with our team member

We went to Sri Wari Balaji Vegetarian Restaurant adjacent to the Lakshmi Narayan temple for lunch.  We had hot and simple meals -  rice ,dal, greens subzi prepared with coconut, brinjal bhaji, curds and rasogolla (MTR).

By 3:30pm  we went to the nearby Kanniya Hot Water Wells - கன்னியா வெந்நீரூற்று in Tamil. The seven hot water springs are square in shape. As the depth is 3 to 4 feet only, the bottom of the wells can easily be seen. The temperature is fairly high and vary from one spring to the other. When 10-15 buckets of water is taken out, the wells dry out of water.

Entrance to Kanniya Wells--Hot water wells--------- Old Buddhist Temple

In Ramayana, there is reference to Kanniya hot water springs. Ravana started performing his mother’s rites at this spot. Ravana stuck the earth with his sword in several spots and fountains sprang from those spots. A fee of Rs.10/- is collected which is used for the maintenance of the hot water springs. They are enclosed in a rectangular structure, protected by high raising walls. Small stalls at the entrance sell food items and fancy goods. There are newly excavated sites seen of late. These reveal the base of ancient pagoda belonging to old Buddhist temple complex that existed in historical time. Hot water spring wells are crowded. Using soaps is prohibited. There are separate dressing rooms for men and women. Hindus visit nearby Shivalaya Temple after bathing in the spring wells. Ravana used to worship Shiva in the temple near by which is now not in sound condition.

Nilaveli Beach :- We made good use of the time before starting our journey to Colombo. We visited Nilaveli Beach by 5.00 p.m. on the Indian ocean. Soft white sand, clean water and

sizable crowd, make the beach as a tourist attraction. The beach is free of vendors.

  Nilaveli Beach------------Waiting for the next  huge  wave  !!!

We stood in the water and like little children enjoyed the current of the tides washing our feet.It brought the nostalgic feeling in us . Few kids were playing in the sand building towers and many were seen bathing in the sea. Reluctantly we returned to the vehicle to begin our return journey to Colombo airport. We collected our dinner packets  from Balaji restaurant containing Roti, dal and curry. It was 6.30 p.m. when we finally departed from Trincomalee with a heavy heart. We maintained silence during the travel towards Colombo, probably for this reason and also as we were exhausted.  At 8.30 p.m  we stopped on the way to have  dinner. By 1.00 A.M. on Friday, the 25th we reached Bandaranaike International Airport.                                        

We finished the formalities and waited for the Spicejet SG 2 which got delayed by an hour. In turn our arrival at Chennai International airport too was delayed. We collected our baggage, after customs clearance rushed to the Domestic Terminal. The Spicejet staff helped us in an exemplary manner by taking care of the luggage to be checked in the flight SG 3301 bound for Bangalore  and directing us in the quickest route to board the connecting flight. The aircraft landed safely at Bangalore airport by 8 A.M. Since our baggage was booked in the next flight due to shortage of time at Chennai we waited for an hour more. We finally bid farewell to our team members and  also thanked Sri madhavananda Dasa for conducting the tour efficiently,  and left for home, sweet home.

The World is a Book and those who do not travel read only a page. We proved this saying by travelling and we have the satisfaction of reading many pages in the book of Sri Lanka. The travelogue what we have written in 6 parts is exhaustive and carries minute details of places visited replete with as many pictures including references from puranas and history.In this  trail we had covered about  2000 km.

We humbly dedicate this travelogue to our Guru Smt. Shantha Viswanathan who is our inspiration. With genuine interest she took the initiative and was instrumental in finding the  able coordinator for the spiritual theme‘ Sri Lanka Ramayana Trail’. In this tour we have gained spiritually and more. .

We wander for distraction, but we travel for fulfilment. One’s destination is  never a place, but a new way of seeing things.Travel and change of place impart new vigour to the mind..The mind can never break off from the journey - the voyage never ends but is played out over and over again in the secret chambers. There are no yesterdays on the road. .A ship is safe in the harbor, but that's not what ships are built for.

Jai Shri Ram !

--- Natarajans  ( participants of the Trail )

Sri Lanka Ramayana Trail - Part 5 / Day 5

23 September 2015  ( Wednesday )

                                          

( Nagapooshani Amman, Nainativu )

As day 5 of our Sri Lanka tour dawned, the sky was clear and we had a song in our heart as we could foresee the long journey planned for the day would go smooth. We would be travelling 240 KM. to Jaffna to visit Indrakshi Amman temple and return to Heritage Hotel (240KM) at Anuradhapura for night stay. We had free time before breakfast as there was no need to pack our bags as we used to do in the days that went past.

Heritage hotel is located on the banks of Tissa Wewa lake which is visible from the room balcony. We strolled up to the shore as  morning walk. We could view three Buddhist stupas across the water on the opposite side. The garden around was a feast to the eyes as we saw greenery all around and well grown plants. The swimming pool was quite large with clear

water reflecting the quietude of the surrounding.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

After a short walk around the garden we marched towards the dining hall to have breakfast.

The dining hall opened  by 7.30 a.m. A buffet b/f  was waiting for us. We quickly took an overview of the items kept on the long table. We started with bread, butter and marmalade jam along with watermelon / lemon juice. Next we filled our bowls with cereal, milk, and chocolate sauce. Rice noodles with coconut milk, baked rajma beans, dosas we had with variety of chutneys, hot sambar. Then we chose cut fruits and bananas.  We finished the b/f with hot Nescafe / refreshing Ceylon Tea.

 At 8.15 a.m. we were seated in our chartered vehicle and took the road towards Jaffna. Jaffna  located north of Sri lanka is almost on the opposite end of Dondra, the southern tip.  Mr.Dasa greeted us with ‘Jai SriRam’ and chanted Narasimha Stotra and Stuthi. We recited in chorus after him. He explained that we would be travelling 240 K.M. one way to visit Bhuvaneswari Amman Temple, one of the two Shakti Peetha Temples at Sri Lanka.

Mr.Dasa narrated in a lucid and interacting manner the legends connected with Shakti Peethas and informed that Nainativu and Trincomalee are the two locations of Shakti Peetha Temples in Sri Lanka.  He brought home in a vivid manner that the Shakti Peetha

is a place of worship consecrated to the Goddess Shakti or Sati and the Goddess worshiped at each location is a manifestation of Dakshayani (Sati), Parvati and Durga. The Puranas mention as many as 108 Shakti Peethas though the number is disputed and confined to 51, 56 or 64 which are sprinkled throughout the Indian subcontinent. The Goddess Shakti is accompanied by Lord Bhairava ( a manifestation of Lord Shiva) in all the Peethas. Shiva Purana and Devi Bhagavatam recognises the 4 major Shakti Peethas as ’Adi Shakti Peethas’  two of them are in Orissa and one each in Kolkata and Assam. There is a mention in ‘Ashta Dasa Shakthi Peetha’ Stotram composed by Adi Shankara about 18 Maha Shakti Peethas.

Legend 1

Sri Madhavananda Dasa next narrated the Daksha Yagna story. Sati, the consort of Shiva was the daughter of Daksha Prajapati, a descendant of Brahma. Sati had married Shiva against the wishes of her father. The vain Daksha performed a great sacrifice (yagna) with the sole aim of insulting Shiva, to which he invited all of the Gods and Goddesses except his son in law Shiva. Against Shiva's wishes, Sati attended the yagna  and found herself insulted by her father. Unable to bear the insult, Sati immolated herself.

Enraged by the insult and the injury, Shiva through Veerabhadra, destroyed Daksha's sacrifice ( yagna ), cut off Daksha's head and replaced it with that of a goat, as he restored him to life. Still crazed with grief, he picked up the remains of Sati's body, and danced the dance of destruction throughout the Universe. The other Gods intervened to stop this dance, and the Sudarshana Chakra of Maha Vishnu cut through the corpse of Sati, whose different parts of the body and ornaments fell at several spots all through the Indian subcontinent and formed the sites of Shakti Peetha

Bhuvaneswari Amman Temple is located at Nainativu in the Nallur district, Jaffna. The Silambu of Goddess Sati fell on this spot transferring it as a Shakti Peetha.

Nainativu Bhuvaneswari temple is also better known as Nainativu Nagapooshani Amman Temple. The temple is dedicated to Parvati who is called as Bhuvaneswari or Nagapooshani and her consort Shiva is called as Nayanar.

The temple’s fame is accredited to Adi Shankara who identified it as one of the 64 prominent Shakti Peethas. The temple is a significant symbol of worship for Tamil people. It also finds a place in Tamil literatures like Manimekalai and Kundalakesi. The present temple was built during 1720 to 1790 after the  Portuguese destroyed it in 1620.

Nearly 1000 devotees visit this temple in a day and  more than 5000 visit during festivals. 100000 people visit during annual mahotsav ( Thiruvizha in Tamil) in the Tamil month Aani (June/July).

Legend 2

The Nagapooshani Temple is believed to be originally built by Lord Indra while seeking alleviations from the curse of Gautama Maharshi who cursed Indra to have 1000 marks

resembling  the yoni all over his body for desiring Maharshi’s wife Ahalya. Indra went in exile unable to bear the humiliation caused by his misdeed. He created, consecrated and worshiped Bhuvaneswari  Amman here and prayed for atoning his sins. Bhuvaneshwari Amman satisfied with Indra’s utmost devotion, appeared before him and transformed the yonis in his body into eyes.  Thus she got the name Indrakshi. (giver of eyes to Indra).

                                                

                                                 Front View of Bhuvaneswari Amman Temple          

Legend-3

Another legend states that, many centuries later, a cobra (Nagam) was swimming across the sea towards Nainativu from the nearby island of Puliyantivu with a lotus flower in its mouth, for the worship of Bhuvaneswari Amman (who had already been consecrated by Indra). An eagle (Garuda) spotted the cobra and attempted to attack and kill it. Fearing harm from the eagle, the cobra wound itself around a rock (referred to in Tamil as; Paambu Sutriya Kal ‘the Rock around which the Snake wound itself’), and the eagle stood on another rock (‘ Garudan Kal’ the Rock of the Eagle) in the sea about half a kilometer distance from the Nainativu coast. A merchant by the name of Manikan from the Chola kingdom who was himself a devotee of Sri Bhuvaneswari Amman, was sailing across the Palk Strait to trade with the ancient Naka Nadu noticed the eagle and the cobra perched upon the said rocks. He pleaded with the eagle to let the cobra go on it's way without any harm. The eagle agreed on one condition that the merchant should construct a beautiful temple for Sri Bhuvaneswari Amman

on the island of Nainativu and that he shall propagate her worship in the form of Sri Nagapooshani Amman for universal peace, prosperity and for the good of humanity. He agreed and built a beautiful temple accordingly. The eagle took three dips into the ocean to atone for its sins against the Nagas in the Mahabharata, and thus Garuda and Naga resolved their longstanding feuds.

It is also stated that Rama and Ravana both had paid their obeisance to Goddess Bhuvaneswari in this temple.

Mr. Dasa finished his narration by chanting the Indrakshi kavacham which we too recited faithfully.

 

 ( Deserted area of Vavuniya)

By this time we were passing through Vavuniya District one of the 25 districts of SL which is in the northern province.  The population of the district is mostly Sri Lankan Tamil which like the rest of the north and east of SL, has been heavily affected by the civil war.Several  hundred Sri Lankan Tamils who emigrated to west or to the capital city Colombo have returned to their native place at the end of the civil war.

War Memorial (A damaged Tank)

Next we crossed Kilinochchi one of the places which bore the brunt of the civil war. A water tank which had been destroyed  stands as a proof of the ravages of war.

A sign board with the message for peace was really overwhelming.  We could only pray for continued peace in those areas.

        

                           

We halted at Iranamadu for refreshment. We could see cannons used in the war and a few soldiers patrolling the area. Elephant Pass which forms the Gateway to Jaffna  is the place we came across further. It is the spot where the civil war came to an end after the third battle at Elephant Pass. It gets the name as this is a narrow strip of land with just enough space for an elephant to pass and also because goods were carried to Jaffna and other places on elephants.

We saw a Victory Memorial Structure on our right (from the bus) heavily guarded by the army.

By 12:30 pm we entered Jaffna City  which is the ( Tamil: யாழ்ப்பாணம் Yalpanam ) capital city of the Northern Province of Sri Lanka. It is the administrative headquarters of the Jaffna district located on a peninsula of the same name with a population of 88,138. Jaffna is  SL’s 12th largest city. In Jaffna city Dutch Fort is an imposing structure followed by many Dutch era homes, churches, civil buildings most of which were spoiled during the civil war. There are a number of British colonial era buildings.  Almost all Hindu temples in Jaffna including the socially important  Nallur Kandaswamy temple were reconstructed during the Dutch and British period.

                                            

                                                                                      

We reached the busy market area by 12:30pm and went to a vegetarian hotel for lunch. We had boiled rice with curds/buttermilk with fried mor milagai. Other members chose dosa, vada and thali meals. This was the simplest meal we had so far yet was satiating.

Diagonally opposite to the hotel  there is a Siva temple with a beautiful Gopuram.

Immediately after lunch we left for Bhuvaneswari Amman temple.

We crossed the Dutch fort once again.

To reach Nainativu which is on Bay of Bengal  we had to cross three islands, Mannaiyatamativu, Puliantivu and Pungudutivu. The first two islands are connected by road over the sea and to reach the third one we had to take a boat.

 

   

Our bus moved slowly over the island road and a narrow strip of land stood between us and the sea.  Widening of road is undertaken enroute. The sea showed different ranges of color from pale to dark green because of the algae underneath. Some birds were seen perched on the fishing net poles ready to dive for the fish that surfaced above. We saw many tiny islands, a church and so on.  After half an hour or so we got down from the bus to walk up to the Kurikka Duva Pier at 100m. distance. We had to show our passports as we were foreigners in that place. We picked up the yellow life jackets only to find that they were either undersized or otherwise with no belts to tie around. It was a mockery as we were looking like clowns clutching the so called life jackets by one hand lest they should slip from our body. It is a rule enforced as we were to cross the sea by boat and since we are law abiding citizens we obliged. We climbed into the boat with some help as the boat was wobbling in the waves.

After 20 minutes of sailing in the Bay of Bengal  we reached the shore on the other side, (sometimes the boat might take a detour up to  Nagadeepa Maha Vihara if there are passengers to go to the Buddhist Monastery there), walked a small distance and reached the Bhuvaneswari Shakti Peetha temple (also called as Indrakshi Amman / Nagapoosani Amman Temple). The Temple has 4 main gopurams.  

Raja Raja Gopuram

We entered through the Raja Raja Gopuram, 108 feet high which seems to scrape the sky stands as one of the tallest  gopurams in SL. It has 2000 intricately sculpted and painted figures on all four sides. It has nine passages and nine golden kalashas. This was constructed (2010-2012)  with the help of artists from Tamil Nadu. It is a sight to behold !!

Inside the temple there is a huge statue of Nandi facing the main deities. On the left side naga idols are installed around the Sthala Vriksha (??). On the right, we saw  other deities.

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The temple was closed  when we reached. On special request from our tour organiser it was opened for darshan. First we went round the huge prakaram viewing the paintings depicting stories from puranas.

In 16th Century Indrakshi Amman temple was destroyed in Portuguese attack. At that time the main idol was hidden by the temple priest in a well. Many years later the Goddess

appeared as a snake from the tree hole.  The idol which is seen in the sanctum sanctorum has the form of a hooded snake with the small worn out  idol of the Goddess embedded in the chest portion  (vakshasthala) of the serpent. It is said the idol feels soft and leathery to touch like the snake skin. The Goddess is also called Nagapoosani since all the snakes  in Nagadeepa have become her ornaments, interesting information. A unique feature of this temple is that Nayanar Swami and Nagapooshani Amman are installed together as if they are one, granting darshan to devotees as Shiva-Shakti  (the primeval energies of the cosmos).

In 1985 the temple was once again destroyed, this time by the Sri Lankan army. In 2012 the temple was renovated and consecrated.  The Maha Kumbabhishekam was held in January 2012 which was attended  by over 200000 devotees as far from India, Europe, N. America and Australia. We did complete pradakshina before entering the main prakara. There we performed archana, received kumkum, vibhuti and lemons as prasad and also sweet pongal. After depositing our offerings in the hundi we left the temple  immensely happy having fulfilled our long cherished desire of visiting this famous temple in SL.

 

At 4:30pm we took the boat  back and reached the bus and proceeded towards Nallur. We planned to have darshan at Nallur Kandaswamy Temple but to our great disappointment the temple was closed by 5:30pm itself and we realized that we were late by 1/2 an hour. We stood in front of the  Northern Gopura and had darshan of the Gopura and took photos as mementos

“Gopura Darshan sarva papa vimochanam “

Nallur Kandaswamy or Murugan Kovil founded in 948 AD is the most significant Hindu temple in Jaffna District. The presiding deity is Lord Muruga in the form of Vel. The temple was constructed three times and the third temple was destroyed by the Portuguese in the 16th Century. The fourth and current temple was constructed in 1749 AD during the Dutch colonial era by Krishna Subba Iyer and Raghunatha  Maapanna mudaliar in ‘Kurukkal Valavu’ the  original temple premises.

A new gopuram was unveiled on 4-9-2015  facing north.It is known as ’ Kubera Vasal Gopuram’. Local people believe that the newly constructed Kubera Gopuram would bring wealth to the people of Jaffna peninsula.

We then went to a nearby popular vegetarian restaurant by name Mangos for dinner though the time was only 6.30p.m. Mr.Dasa suggested an early dinner as we had to travel 240 k.m. which means it would be past midnight by the time we reach our place of stay at Anuradhapura. The menu was simple and consisted of vegetable pulao, raita and salad; the items were spicy, hot and tasty. We finished the dinner with a glass of lemon juice.

We left Mangos by 7.15 p.m. and slept throughout our return journey. Our sarathy Chamith drove the vehicle with full control. It was 2.00 a.m. when we reached Heritage Hotel. We wished good day to everyone and moved to our rooms to catch a few hours of sleep.

We noted in our diary that Day 5 proved to be fruitful by the grace of the great Divine Mother and we felt ‘empowered’ by having darshan of Adi Parasakthi at Shakti Peetha in Sri Lanka. It was certainly a day to remember for long time to come.

ॐ का॒त्या॒य॒नाय॑ वि॒द्महे॑ कन्यकु॒मारि॑ धीमहि । तन्नो॑ दुर्गिः प्रचो॒दया॓त् ॥ ॐ शान्तिः॒ शान्तिः॒ शान्तिः॑ ॥

• Natarajans  ( end of part 5 and to be continued with  the concluding part 6 )

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