Muththumari Amman Temple, Valvettithurai (Photo credit: Google Street View)
Sri Muththumari Amman Temple (Tamil: ஸ்ரீ முத்துமாரி அம்மன் ஆலயம்; Sinhala: වැල්වැටිතුරේ ශ්රී මුත්තුමාරි අම්මාන් කෝවිල) is a Hindu shrine situated in Valvettithurai in Jaffna District, Sri Lanka. It is dedicated to the goddess Muthumari Amman, the Hindu goddess of rain and fertility. The annual festival of this temple is considered one of the most notable Hindu festivals in the Valvettithurai area.
History
The religious establishments in the Valvettithurai area are traditionally related to the days when Karunakara Thondaiman, a general under ruler Kulatunga Cholan I (1070-1118 A.D.) came to Jaffna to produce and export salt to his home country (Arumugam, 1991). However, the Muththumari Amman temple at Valvettithurai is said to have been built or restored during the period of the revival of Hinduism, about in the year 1795 (Arumugam, 1991).
Folklore
A story describes how this temple originated. According to it, an old lady who demanded passage to Valvettiturai from boatmen sailing from South India had finally arrived at this place and disappeared (Arumugam, 1991). The folk in the area adore the arrival of thus of Muthumari Amman from India to dwell in their midst (Arumugam, 1991).
See also
References
1) Arumugam, S., 1991. More Hindu temples of Sri Lanka. London. p.64.
Location Map
This page was last updated on 4 May 2023
