Nallur Kandaswamy Kovil

Nallur Kandasamy Kovil is Jaffna's premier place of Hindu worship. Nallur Kandasamy Kovil is characterised by a golden arch and elaborate gopuram attracts hundreds of pilgrims and worshippers. . Its sacred deity is Murugan (or Skanda), and during cacophonous puja – at 5am, 10am, noon, 4.15pm (small puja), 4.30pm (‘special’ puja), 5pm and 6.45pm. The temple was originally founded in 948 AD. However, it reached fame when it was rebuilt in the 13th century by Puvaneka Vaahu, a minister of the Jaffna King Kalinga Maha. The Nallur Kandaswamy Temple was built for a third time by Senpaha Perumal (a.k.a Sapumal Kumaraya) who was the adopted son of the Kotte king. Nallur served as the capital of the kings of Jaffna, and was a highly defensive fort and city. There were courtly buildings, the palaces, businesses and much more. The third built temple was destroyed by the Portuguese in 1624 AD; and many churches built over the ruins. The location of the original temple is now covered by the St James Church, Nallur The current temple was built in 1734 AD by Don Juan. However, the ‘Golden Era’ of the Nallur Temple began in the latter 1890s with the takeover of the temple administration by Arumuga Maapaana Mudaliyar; who started renovating it-to bring it back to its earlier magnificence. Don't forget to try out ice creams from the famous ice cream shop (Lingam Cool bar) nearby when you visit there. The Nallur kovil is about 1Km from the Jaffna town. District : Nothern Province,Jaffna Location : Nallur,Tamileelam Daily Ceremony : There are ceremonies throughout the day, but from what I’ve heard the best time is 4 – 5 pm. I personally arrived at 4 pm and watched the ceremony for about 30 minutes. Women must have their legs and shoulders covered and men are required to take off shirts before entering the temple. No photography inside the temple.

District: Jaffna

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Category: TEMPLES IN EELAM

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