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Kovil is the Tamil equivalent of shrine or temple. All Hindu temples in Tamil Speaking region are generally known as Thirukkovils adding the prefix 'Thiru' which means great or sacred. The inhabitants of Eastern Sri Lanka praise that it is unusual to apply the sacred term "Thirukkovil" to not only a specific temple but to its whereabout too. [4] "
Thirukkovil or Tirukovil is a town in the Ampara District of Sri Lanka, situated along the eastern coast of the island. It is 30 km (19 mi) north of Pottuvil and 35 km (22 mi) south of Kalmunai. In Tamil the name translates to God's-temple. It was affected by 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.
Early Tamil texts mention that the temple was the centre of the city and the streets happened to be radiating out like a lotus and its petals. The temple prakarams (outer precincts of a temple) and streets accommodate an elaborate festival calendar in which processions circumambulate the temple complex. The vehicles used in the processions are ...
The temple's folklore is connected to the later stories of Kannagi, a legendary Tamil woman who, after leaving the Pandya capital Madurai, traveled to Kerala and eventually arrived in the prosperous land of Sri Lanka. Vatrapalai is an important Kannagi pilgrimage site in Sri Lanka, second only to the Mangala Devi Kannagi Kovil in Kerala. [1] [2]
The temple is believed to have been constructed after the arrival of Pattini cult by Gajabahu I during 113-135 CE. [2] Another myth tells that the idols of three goddesses - Kannaki, Kali and Chenbaga Nachi arrived east coast of Ceylon through a merchant vessel from Tamilakam and three temples were built for them wherever they stopped.
Arunagirinathar was a 15th-century Tamil poet born in Tiruvannamalai.According to regional tradition, he spent his early years as a rioter and seducer of women. After ruining his health, he tried to commit suicide by throwing himself from the northern tower of Annamalaiyar Temple, but was saved by the grace of god Murugan. [3]
Medieval Tamil sources, compiled in Mattakkalappu Purva Sarithiram, claim that Megavarnan, the son of Chola princess Thampathi nallāḷ and Kalinga prince Puvaṉēka kayavāku, renovated the Thirukkovil Temple and constructed a memorial tank in the name of his mother, Tampativil (lit. Pond of Tampati).
Tamil Nadu is home to more than 400,000 Hindu temples and is aptly called "the land of temples" by the media. Many of these temples are over 800 years old and are spread across the state. Many of these temples are over 800 years old and are spread across the state.