Selva Sannithi Murukan Temple, also known as Selva Sannidhi Kovil (Tamil: செல்வச்சந்நிதி முருகன் கோயில்; Sinhala: සෙල්ව සන්නිදි කෝවිල), is a Hindu shrine situated in Thondaimanaru in Jaffna District, Sri Lanka. It is dedicated to God Murukan (or Kartikeya or Kataragama), one of the deities of the Hindu pantheon. The temple is famously known among its devotees as the "Kataragama (or Sella Katirkamam) of the North".
Folklore
The temple is located near the bank of Thondaimanaru Aru Stream. This stream is said to have been excavated under the supervision of Karunakara Thondaiman who had been sent here for procurement of salt supplies, by South Indian Chola King Kulottunga I [(1070-1122 A.D.) Krishnapillai, 1998]. The temple located by the side of this newly cut waterway is believed to be the place of worship of the settlement that got founded in the locality (Krishnapillai, 1998). However, the temple was devastated by foreigners during the 16th century (Krishnapillai, 1998).
The present temple was established at the site later, during the era of the revival of Hinduism in Jaffna.
See also
Attribution
1) This image (Jaffna Trip 2017 Nov) has been released into the public domain by its creator, Samantha Weerasinghe.
References
1) Krishnapillai, V., 1998. Vel worship in Sri Lanka. The article is available at http://kataragama.org/research/krishnapillai.htm.
Location Map
This page was last updated on 4 May 2023