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Thiruketheeswaram Kovil – Mannar

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Thiruketheeswaram is an ancient Hindu temple in Manthota, about seven miles north of Mannar Town. According to legend, it was at this ancient temple that Kethu Bhagavan worshiped Lord Siva. Hence the shrine acquired the name of Thiruketheeswaram.

This temple dedicated to the worship of the God Siva has been the most venerated for centuries and the holy waters of the Palavi Tank by its side are venerated in the sacred hymns of two great Saivite saints, Thirugnana Sambandhar and Sundarar, who lived in the 7th and 8th Centuries respectively. This is one of the five main kovils scattered around the country dedicated to God Siva.

Although there is no record of the origin of the temple, Hindus believe that this temple was built in pre-Christian times. Since the port of Manthota in Mannar has been in use long before Christ and has been the main entry port to Sri Lanka from India, this may well be true.

The invasion of Portuguese Catholic Colonists in 1505 created the darkest era in the country for Buddhists and Hindus. The Portuguese blinded by faith and greed for wealth plundered and destroyed temples taking all valuables with them. Countless Buddhist and Hindu temples were destroyed and razed to the ground leaving no sign of any structure in the name of God. The Tiruketeeswaram Kovil too faced this wrath and the building material of the Kovil as well as Buddhist temples was used to build the Fort of Mannar, the churches, and the Hammershield Fort at Kayts.

Almost 400 years later, the exact location of the destroyed temple was traced in 1894 and some restoration work was done in the early part of the 20th Century. A small temple was re-consecrated in June 1903. The central shrine was reconstructed and re-consecrated around 1921. The temple has gone through several facelifts and additions until 1970s and the Palavi Tank was rebuilt in 1949.

With the emergence of LTTE terrorists in the 1980s, this area became inaccessible to regular pilgrims. But now after the defeat of this terror group, the temple is accessible once again to pilgrims with the protection of the Sri Lankan security forces and Police.

Pathway to Palavi Tank @ Tiruketeeswaram Kovil

Changing rooms near Palavi Tank @ Tiruketeeswaram Kovil

Massive highly decorated wooden carts @ Tiruketeeswaram Kovil – Mannar

Carvings of massive highly decorated wooden carts @ Tiruketeeswaram Kovil – Mannar

On the route to the Tiruketeeswaram Kovil

Massive highly decorated wooden carts - more under construction @ Tiruketeeswaram Kovil

Map of Thiruketheeswaram Kovil – Mannar

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Travel Directions to Thiruketheeswaram Kovil

Route from Colombo to Thiruketheeswaram Kovil	Route from Anuradhapura to Thiruketheeswaram Kovil
Through : Negombo – puttam – Eluwankulama Distance : 260 km Travel time : 6 hours Driving directions : see on google map	Through : Madawachchiya Distance : 110 km Travel time : 2 hours Driving directions : see on google map

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Mihintale Slab Inscriptions and the Relic House (4වන මිහිඳු රජුගේ මිහින්තලේ පුවරු ලිපි)
The inscription of King Mahinda IV belonging to the tenth century is installed on the two sides of the entrance to this Vihara. The relic house is a square building. […]
Dambegoda Pillar Inscription in Maligawila (දඹේගොඩ ටැම් ලිපිය)
Established by King Mahinda IV (956-972) Dambegoda Pillar Inscription in Maligawila narrates the religious acts of the king and lays down rules for the administration of certain religious establishments. […]
Kotttapitiya Slab Inscription (කෝට්ටපිටිය පුවරු ලිපිය)
The Kotttapitiya Slab Inscription is considered one of the 14 valuable inscriptions of the Anuradhapura Era. The pillar inscription is believed to have been placed by King Mahinda IV (956-972) and is 6 feet in height and 1.5 feet wide. 45 lines of text have been inscribed on this pillar. […]
Ranawa Andiyagala Pillar Inscription (රණව ආඬියාගල ටැම් ලිපිය)
Placed by King Dappula IV in the early part of the 10th century, this Ranawa Andiyagala Pillar Inscription declares a sanctuary for Animal, Plants as well as Humans in the Namal Uyana area. Even royal guards were prohibited from entering this area to apprehend criminals. […]
Dutugemunu Pillar at Ruwanweli Seya (දුටුගැමුණු ශිලා ස්ථම්භය)
Many do not pay special attention to this pillar which is generally called "Dutugenumu Pillar" but the story behind this pillar is interesting as the construction of the Ruwanweli Seya itself. This pillar was installed by King Devanampiyatissa (250-210 BCE) on the advice of Mihindu Maha Thero. […]
Wadamunai (Wadamune) Megalithic Burial Site in Maduru Oya Valley
In this Wadamunai (Wadamune) Megalithic Cemetery, scattered across the landscape, lie between 15 to 20 graves. Unfortunately, the peaceful serenity of these resting places has been disrupted by thorn bushes, which have taken root amidst many of the tombs. Adding to the desecration, some graves have fallen victim to the destructive hands of treasure hunters, who have ransacked them in search of valuables. […]
Gurugalhinna Megalithic Burial Grounds
Gurugalhinna Megalithic Cemetery was initially uncovered and examined in 1896 by R. W. Levers. Subsequently, in the 1970s, Raja De Silva from the Department of Archaeology led excavations at Gurugalhinna. However, the burials at the site have not been scientifically dated. […]
Dalada Maligawa of Kurunegala Kingdom (කුරුණෑගල රාජධානියේ දළදා මාලිගාව)
The old city of Kurunegala Kingdom was spread between Kuruminigala and Ibbagala, bounded by Athugala. Even today ruins of the palace complex, the Temple of Tooth (Dalada Maligawa) and other buildings inside a semi-circular are found on this strip of land between Athugala and Kuruminigala. […]
Ritigala Uththupitiya Archaeological Site
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Ulpange : Queen’s Bathing Pavilion (උල්පැන් ගේ)
The Ulpange or the Queen’s Bathing Pavilion is situated partly in the waters of the Kandy Lake and the other part on land near the Temple of the Tooth Relic. […]
Bahirawa Kanda (බහිරව කන්ද)
Rising up above the Kandy town its just 2 km from the Dalada maligawa the temple of the Sacred tooth relic. The name “Bahirawa Kanda” means the gnome mountain. […]
Teldiniya Bambaragala Monastery (තෙල්දෙනිය බඹරගල රජමහා විහාරය)
A steep flight of stone steps leads to the summit of the Bambaragala rock cave temple, where halfway up is the priests’ residency (Avasa). […]
Degaldoruwa Raja Maha Vihara (දෙගල්දෝරුව රජමහා විහාරය)
The Kandyan king, Kirti Sri Rajasinghe (1747-1780) was a great patron of the arts. It was during his time that some of the best paintings in upcountry temples were created. Among them, the Degaldoruwa Raja Maha Vihara paintings stand out. […]
Asgiri Maha Viharaya and the Adahanamaluwa Gedige Viharaya in Kandy (මහනුවර අස්ගිරි රජමහා විහාරය)
North from the lake is situated the Asgiri Raja Maha Viharaya, the other monastic center of the Siyam Nikaya founded by Commander Siriwardhana at the inquest of Parakramabahu IV of Kurunegala (1305-1335 A.D.). […]
Uda Aludeniya Raja Maha Viharaya (උඩ අළුදෙනිය රජමහා විහාරය)
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Galmaduwa Viharaya (ගල්මඩුව විහාරය)
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Katupilagolla Ambalama (කටුපිලගොල්ල අම්බලම)
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Gadaladeniya Rajamaha Viharaya (ගඩලාදෙනිය රජමහා විහාරය)
Gadaladeniya Rajamaha Viharaya with an ancient monastery is found on the flat rock at Diggala in the district of Kandy. According to a inscription there this temple was built by King Buwanekabahu IV in the year 1344. […]
Minigamuwa Purana Tampita Viharaya (මිනිගමුව පුරාණ ටැම්පිට විහාරය)
Minigamuwa Purana Tampita Viharaya has been built during the reign of king Wimaladarmasuriya (1592 – 1604) of Kandyan kingdom for a priest called Buddhagammana thero. The Tampita Viharaya of the temple has been built by one of his students, Attadassi Thero. […]
Weligodapola Sri Dharmarama Pirivena Tampita Viharaya (වැලිගොඩපොල ශ්‍රී ධර්මාරාම පිරිවෙණ ටැම්පිට විහාරය)
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Map of Thiruketheeswaram Kovil – Mannar

Travel Directions to Thiruketheeswaram Kovil

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