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A small 10-kilometre island off the Jaffna coast, Nainativu (Nagadeepa) Island is home to two important temples in Jaffna for Buddhists and Hindus: Nagadeepa Buddhist Temple and Nagapooshani Amman Hindu Temple.
Accessible by local ferry, this island has a fascinating history associated with the “Naga” or Cobra snake tribe of ancient Lanka, evident in the names of the religious sites and the various “Naga” symbols.
First mentioned in historical texts by Ptolemy, the famous Greco-Roman geographer, in the 1st century B.C., Nagadeepa’s history and relevance for the island’s Buddhist and Hindu population go even beyond when the island was inhabited by Naga (Snake) and Yaksha (demon) tribes.
Lord Buddha visited the island more than 2,000 years ago to settle a dispute between two Naga kings over a throne seat. After teaching them the path of nonviolence, the kings gifted the disputed throne to the Buddha, who gave it back to them as a relic and symbol of his visit. A banyan tree planted next to the Sacred Bo-tree at the temple is believed to have been a parasol used by a local deity to provide cover from the sun to the Buddha during his visit.
Nagapooshani Amman Temple, also known as a “Shakthipeetha,” is a devoted female shrine. There are only 64 in India, 62 in India and two in Sri Lanka, one here at Nagapooshani Amman Kovil and the other in Trincomalee’s Shankari Kovil.
The Kovil is dedicated to Lord Shiva and Parvati, consort of Lord Shiva. Locally, Parvati is called Nagapooshani, the same name the temple is named after.
The towering entrance gates, or gopurams, are studded with intricate, colourful sculptures akin to those found in Hindu shrines in southern India. The Raja Raja Gopuram is the tallest and most impressive, and three other gopurams face the south, east, and southeastern directions.
The present temple and silver stupa were built with donations from the Burmese government in the 1950s. However, ancient stone inscriptions from King Parakramabahu the Great tell a story of this site being patronised by kings centuries before. The beautiful murals detail the story of the Naga kings’ dispute over the star-studded throne.
Nainativu (Nagadeepa) Island
Nagadeepa Buddhist Temple and Nagapooshani Amman Kovil
Accessed via local Ferry from Kurrikaduwan Jetty
Open: Nagadeepa Temple Daily 9:00 am – 4:30 pm / Nagapooshani Amman Kovil Daily 6:30 am -12:30 pm and 4:30 pm -7:30 pm
Nagapooshani Kovil Tel: +94 213 207 785
Nagadeepa Temple Tel: +94 213 213 356
Ticket: No Tickets required for entry as of October 2024
