Vannai Varatharaja Perumal Kovil

Perumal Kovil (Photo credit: Google Street View)

Vannai Sri Venkatesa Varatharaja Perumal Kovil is a Hindu temple situated in Kannathiddy in Jaffna District, Sri Lanka. It is dedicated to God Visnu, one of the popular deities in the Hindu pantheon. The annual festival of the temple is held in September and October.

According to popular belief, the history of this place goes back almost 600 years (Kandiah, 2014). It is believed that this temple was established to provide facilities for Vaishnava worship for the migrants who arrived in Sri Lanka from India to work in the weaving industry (Kandiah, 2014). Some historical sources reveal that the Jaffna Ariya Chakravarthy ruler, Segarajasekaran IV (or Kuna Pooshana Singhai Ariyan) erected this temple in 1347 and invited people especially those proficient in fine weaving from Andra Nad, Karikal and Kanchipuram in South India to settle in Jaffna (Kandiah, 2014; Pushparatnam, 2014).

The seven-tiered Gopuram of the temple that was constructed in 1978 is said to be the tallest of its kind at the time in the country (Kandiah, 2014). The five-tiered Gopuram at the southern entrance of the temple was constructed in 2003.

References

1) Kandiah, T, 2014. Ancient Hindu temples of Sri Lanka. pp.60-62.

2) Pushparatnam, P., 2014. Tourism and monuments of archaeological heritage in Northern Sri Lanka. Author Publication. ISBN: 978-955-0811-08-3. pp.112-113.