bharatayatra: part 1 - Sri Lanka: Muneeswaram

Muneeswaram temple is in a better condition than the Tondeswaram Pancha-Ishwaram temple. The location is in a small hamlet beyond the Negombo creeks, north of Colombo, east of Chilaw. Most webpages, references, and maps seem to indicate the Muneeswaram temple at Puttalam. This is not correct. Chilaw is almost mid-distance between Negombo and Puttalam. The temple is only about 10 kms east of Chilaw on a very easy approachable road. There are other temples around the Muneeswaram temple. There seems to be mention of four Ganesha temples in a quadrant as four vertices to the Muneeswaram temple.

The sthala-purana (= ancient story of the location) refers to the times of the Ramayana, of Ravana establishing the pre-ancient Shiva lingam, and of Rama, Lakshmana, Hanuman, Sugreeva and Vibheeshana conducting prayers at the location and offering abhishekham (= dedicated prayers with offerings to be poured on the Shiva lingam).

The Shiva lingam within the temple sanctum is ancient but was established by rulers in Sri Lanka or from Tamil Nadu during the anno domini years before colonisation by European rulers. There are many fascinating stories about the temple and its struggle for survival during the colonial years of the Portuguese. The local community managed to protect the temple through several years of passive and persistent resistance. many devotees lost their lives in the repeated attacks by the Portuguese.

Today, the temple is venerated and worshipped by hindus, buddhists and muslims. Prayers are mostly offered by buddhist devotees and the temple is a paramount example of the convergence of religions. 

bharatayatra: part 1 - Sri Lanka: Tondeswaram

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.