Nagapooshani Amman Temple in Nainativu of Srilanka is one of the 51 Shakti Peethas, where the silambu i.e. anklets of Sati Devi fell. The temple is dedicated to Parvathi Devi known as Nagapooshani Amman or Indrakshi Amman. It is located on the Nainativu island in the Jaffna region of Srilanka.
Nagapooshani means ‘the one who wears serpents as her ornaments’ or ‘one who protects the nagas’. Lord Shiva as Nayanar Swami is Nagapooshani Amman’s consort.
Officially, the temple is called Nainativu Nagapooshani Amman Temple. Hence, the Deity is also known by the following names: Annai Shree Nayinai Nagapooshani Amman, Sri Nayinai Nagapooshani Amman and Sri Nayinai Devi Amman.
The Nagapooshani Amman temple has been glorified by Sri Adi-Shankaracharya in his Shakti Peetha stotram. At 108 ft height, it has the highest gopuram in Srilanka. The importance of the temple to the Tamil people is signified in Tamil literature works such as Manimekalai and Kundalakesi.
Two Pushkaranis are part of the temple complex. One is the ‘Kailasa-Roopa Pushkarini’ in the southern area of the temple and the other is the ‘Amrutha Gangadharani Theertham’ located approximately one kilometer from the temple on the western shore of the island.
The Origin of Nagapooshani Amman Temple
Here, the Deity got the name Indrakshi Amman after Lord Indra had consecrated the Deity of Parvathi Devi to atone for a sin he committed. Lord Indra had committed the sin of lusting on Ahalya Devi, the chaste wife of Sage Gautama.
Indra satisfied his lusty desires with Ahalya Devi by taking the form of Sage Gautama while the sage was away from his ashram. Ahalya Devi was shocked to know that Indra had impersonated her husband. On knowing the events that happened after reaching the ashram, Sage Gautama cursed Indra to have 1000 impressions of the female genital all over his body.
Indra felt extremely humiliated at his act and the genital marks on his body, that he went into hiding on the island of Manidweepa, currently known as Nainativu. There, he consecrated the deity of Bhuvaneshwari and worshipped her diligently atoning for his sinful behavior.
Being pleased with Indra’s worship of Bhuvaneshwari Devi, she blessed that the genital marks on Indra’s body be transformed into eyes. Thus, all the 1000 genital marks became 1000 eyes. Thereafter, Bhuvaneshwari Devi took on the name of Indrakshi Amman – one who blessed Indra with thousand eyes.
This temple was destroyed by the Portuguese in 1620 CE during their invasion of Srilanka. Later, the temple was rebuilt between 1720 CE to 1790 CE and it stands to this day with many renovations by the devotees.
Nagapooshani Amman Temple is also the location of Bhakta Hanuman being halted by Nagamata Surasa. While Hanuman took a giant leap to Lanka he was stopped by Surasa Devi. She demanded him to become her food as per the boon of Lord Brahma. Hanuman very intelligently passed through her mouth fulfilling the boon of Brahma. Pleased by his wisdom, Surasa Devi blessed Hanuman.
Deities of Nagapooshani Amman Temple
The Deities of Nagapooshani Amman and her consort Nayanar Swami give darshan to devotees sitting together in the sanctum. Their darshan can be seen from the eastern sanctum entrance while the utsavar murtis i.e. festival deities can be seen from the southern sanctum entrance. The eight feet high deity of Nandi stands facing the main deities at the eastern gopuram.
Upadevas are also present in the temple. They include Ganesha, Karthikeya with consorts Valli and Devayani, the Navagrahas, the 63 Nayanars, Nalvars and Chandikeshwari.
Architecture of Nagapooshani Amman Temple
The temple sports a breathtaking Dravidian architecture. After the recent renovations, there are around 10,000 sculptures in and around the temple complex. There are four gopurams adorning the temple complex.
Of these, the Raja-Raja Gopuram is the tallest. It is 108 ft high and has 2000 intricate carvings on all four sides. It has nine passages and nine golden kalashas.
The eastern gopuram is the oldest of the three gopurams at a height of 54 ft. It was renovated with a lot of new sculptures and bright colors to match the Raja-Raja Gopuram. The Moolavar i.e. main deities are seen from this gopuram.
The southern gopuram was built in the early 70’s at a height of 54 ft. It was renovated in the same style as the eastern gopuram. The Utsavar i.e. festival deities can be seen from this gopuram.
The south-east gopuram faces the south though built in the south-east corner of the complex. At a height of 20 to 25 ft, it is the smallest gopuram which is meant to welcome visitors from the island.
There are six mandapams in the temple used for various activities – Vasantha Mandapam, Vahana Mandapam, Kalyana Mandapam, Annapoorneshwari Annadana Mandapam, Amuthasurabhi Annadana Mandapam and Sri Bhuvaneshwari Kalai Aranga Mandapam.
The inner wall of the temple along with the outer wall of the central shrine creates a pradakshina i.e. circumambulation path around the garbhagriha i.e. sanctum. The entrance is extensively decorated with paintings, sculptures and oil lamps.
A 10 feet high vimana i.e. tower stands on top of the sanctum, which has two entrances facing the eastern and southern directions. The Ambala Veedhi is the outer pradakshina path of the temple.
Festivals of Nagapooshani Amman Temple
The festivals of Shivaratri and Navaratri are grandly celebrated in this temple. Thousands of devotees throng the temple on these occasions. The Fridays during the Tamil months of Adi (Jul – Aug) and Thai (Jan – Feb) are very important occasions at the temple. Moreover, the Adi pooram is also celebrated grandly at the temple.
But the grandest festival at this temple is the 16-day long Mahotsava called Thiruvizha celebrated in the Tamil month of Aani (Jun – Jul). Events during this Mahotsava include Swarna Ratholsavam (Manja Thiruvizha) i.e. golden-chariot festival, Ratholsavam (Ther Thiruvizha) i.e. chariot festival, Poongavanam (Theppa Thiruzvizha) i.e. float festival and many more.
Temple Timings of Nagapooshani Amman Temple
The temple remains open for darshan at the following timings –
Morning: 6 AM to 1.30 PM
Evening: 4.30 PM to 6 PM
How to Reach Nagapooshani Amman Temple
You can have a fulfilling darshan at Nagapooshani Amman temple without any arrangement hassles if you are travelling on the Srilanka Ramayana Yatra conducted by Tirtha Yatra.
The Nagapooshani Amman temple is accessible by ferry service from Kurrikaduwan jetty on Punkudituvu island in Jaffna, Srilanka. The ferry operates from 7 AM in the morning to 6 PM in the evening.
It takes 15 minutes to reach Nagadeepa island/Nainativu from Kurrikaduwan jetty. There are two jetties on Nagadeepa Island i.e. one at the Buddhist temple and the other at the Nagapooshani temple.
Jaffna city is accessible from Colombo, the national capital of Srilanka by road, railway and air. From Jaffna, you can hire a cab, auto or catch a public bus to the Kurrikaduwan jetty. You can choose the following options to reach Jaffna from Colombo –
By Road: Buses are the best option by road. Both private and public buses run services to Jaffna. They are cheaper than trains but take far more time i.e. 11 hours to reach Jaffna which is around 400 kms away from Colombo.
By Rail: You can reach Jaffna railway station from Colombo Fort station in around six to eight hours by train enjoying the scenic view along enroute Nagapooshani Amman Temple.
By Air: Jaffna is served by an airport where commercial and charter flights come in. You have to book well in advance if you desire to save some time.
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