Tondeswaram is one of the Pancha-Ishwaram temples of Sri Lanka. It is said that the Shiva Lingam at each of the Pancha Ishwaram temples were established by Ravana himself. A devotee of Shiva, beyond parallel in his times, Ravana was said to have sought protection to the island-nation with the blessings of Shiva, and thus, the five temples are found on the coast at various locations.
The Shiva Lingams that are said to have been established by Ravana are unique and different in form and shape. They are columnar and tall, almost in human size. The lingams at Tondeswaram and Muneeswaram are different in form from each other. Unfortunately, at both the locations, the lingams thought to be established by Ravana are not the sthala-lingams for prayers and ceremonies.
Tondeswaram has many unfortunate turns in its history. The Shiva temple, known to be a symbol of pride of the local community and seafaring traders from India and South East Asia, was destroyed repeatedly by the Portuguese rulers during their years of colonial presence in Sri Lanka. The plinth and the pre-ancient columns of the Shiva temple and Kartikeya temple at Tondeswaram are visible and exist in the premises. Today, there is a Vishnu temple on the earlier plinth of the Shiva temple. The Shiva Lingam, a pre-ancient one, thought and accepted by the local community as the sthala-lingam that could have been in the earlier Shiva temple is now located in the lawns of a Buddhist museum and temple complex and maintained decently and venerated and worshipped.
The Shiva Lingams that are said to have been established by Ravana are unique and different in form and shape. They are columnar and tall, almost in human size. The lingams at Tondeswaram and Muneeswaram are different in form from each other. Unfortunately, at both the locations, the lingams thought to be established by Ravana are not the sthala-lingams for prayers and ceremonies.
Tondeswaram has many unfortunate turns in its history. The Shiva temple, known to be a symbol of pride of the local community and seafaring traders from India and South East Asia, was destroyed repeatedly by the Portuguese rulers during their years of colonial presence in Sri Lanka. The plinth and the pre-ancient columns of the Shiva temple and Kartikeya temple at Tondeswaram are visible and exist in the premises. Today, there is a Vishnu temple on the earlier plinth of the Shiva temple. The Shiva Lingam, a pre-ancient one, thought and accepted by the local community as the sthala-lingam that could have been in the earlier Shiva temple is now located in the lawns of a Buddhist museum and temple complex and maintained decently and venerated and worshipped.
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