Hinduism

Nainativu Naga Pooshani Amman:

Big miracle in little island

G Arulanandan

Nainativu Naga Pooshani Amman Temple is an ancient and historical temple which is worshipped by both Buddhists and Hindus alike. During the festival season thousands of devotees from all parts of Sri Lanka pay homage to this temple.

In fact, Nainativu which is referred to as Nagativu or Nagadeepa is a small island of four square metres off the Jaffna peninsula. It enjoys a foremost place in Sri Lanka’s history, having been the seat of Naga Kingdom. Having several names like Nagatheepam, Manithivu, Manipallavam etc, the location has been foremost in religions worship.

Tradition strongly associates the island as having been visited by Kannakai and Manimekalai sometimes in their illustrious lives thus associating venerators of Ambal Devi.

Furthermore, the veneration of cobra or serpent worship has been an ancient system. In due course it is surmised, evolved the Hindu worship of Nagathambiran. Indeed, stories of early temple at this Venerable Naga Sthalam commences with the miracles observed by two traders by the name Manayakan and Mahasathavan. They witnessed to their amazement a Naga Serpent swimming in the sea towards this isle with a flower.

Further, two stones in the sea are pointed out even today as being the stones behind which the snake sheltered. These two traders founded a temple here and dedicated it to Ambal. It was later rebuilt as a grand temple by one Veerasami Chettiar, housed with Ambal and Shiva Deities. But, this edifice was demolished by the Portuguese along with other Hindu temples in 1620. But, the Ambal Vigrakam, it is said was however saved from the demolishers and kept hidden in the trunk of a tree and venerated uncontentiously.

New look

During the era of the revival of Hinduism, spearheaded by Sri La Sri Arumuga Navalar, a proper Agamic temple was erected in 1882 and the Ambal Devi Vigrakam was installed with the name of Naga Pooshani Amman Temple. From then owwards regular worship ensured and several improvements were effected by devotees and several philanthropists and well wishers. A Rajagopuram was erected in 1935. Thereafter the management of the affairs of the temple came under the Trustee Board in 1949.

A magnificent Chariot or Ther, which is considered to be the best in Sri Lanka was constructed for Naga Pooshani Ambal in 1957. The main entrance to the temple and the sanctum face the East and the vast ocean with the landing piers.

The pilgrims even as they land in the Island pay obeisance to Godddess Ambal. The figure of a five headed Naga Serpent is seen in the sanctum bearing the Ambal Devi’s “Thiru Uruvam”. Inside the temple, there are shrines for God Vinayagar and God Muruga.

At the entrance of this temple, a Rajagopuram was constructed by one Kaliyaperumal of Tamil Nadu. This Rajagopuram is 108 feet in height and it gives a beautiful and magnificent look for the devotees who visit this temple practically every day. Further, several renovation and restoration works were done last year and Maha Kumbabhishekam (Consecration ceremony) was performed.

Daily poojas

The Annual festival in this temple lasts for 15 days in a grand scale. On other days, all the Hindu Saiva festivals are observed meticulously throughout the year. Regular daily poojas are performed four times according to Agama principles. This is the only temple in Sri Lanka where Annathanam (meals) are given daily by the Board of Trustees who go on pilgirmage even from India and other countries. Even people from South of Sri Lanka visit this temple in large numbers daily to receive the Divine Blessings of Goddess Nagapooshani Amman. Further, this temple is open to the devotees of all communities irrespective of caste, creed and religion.

Indeed, no story of Nainativu is complete without the mention of its outstanding saintly personality “Nainativu Swamigal” who was born as Muthukumaraswamy and later became a great Gnani and obtained higher realms of Saintliness, before his demise in 1949. His Samadi is a place of Veneration in this isle even today.

‘Keeri’, the curse, and the temple

Chelvatamby Maniccavasagar

Sri Lanka was blessed with five of the most ancient shrines of Lord Shiva. The origins of these pre-historic temples are shrouded in mythology. Four of the temples namely Thirukoneswaram (Trincomalee), Thiruketheswaram (Mannar), Munneswaram (Chilaw) and Naguleswaram (Kankesanthurai) are now worshiped by Hindus and Buddhists in Sri Lanka. One of the temples in Southern most end of Sri Lanka (Galle) is believed to have been engulfed by the sea thousands of years ago. Two of the Iswarams have been celebrated in Thevarams by the Saiva Saints Thirunevukkarasar and Thirugnasambanthar respectively.

Naguleswarma of Keerimalai near Kankesanthurai has been declared by the eminent scholar and historian Dr Paule Pieris as being one of the five recognized Iswarams of Lord Shiva before the arrival of Vijaya (543 BC).

This temple was destroyed under the Portuguese rule after 1621 (AD) and was not built under the Dutch rule either. During the British Regime, this temple was restored.

In fact, it was Sri La Sri Arumuganavalar who led the revival movement helped to rebuild this temple in 1878. In 1918 an accidental fire damaged this temple and it was rebuilt in 1953 and consecration ceremony was held. In October 1990, this sacred shrine and its environs were heavily bombarded from air and the temple has been reduced to almost rubble.

Indeed, due to the untiring effort combined with unyielding determination, dedication and devotion of Sri Naguleswara Kurukkal this temple was restored and consecration ceremony (Maha Kumbabheshekam) took place.

Indeed, Naguleswaram temple is greatly associated with the legendary figure “Nagulamuni” who is said to have lived in the near cave. It is said that he got so shrunk by age and austerities that he was likened to a “Mongoose” - Nagula in Sanskrit and Keeri in Tamil. Hence, the name Naguleswaram for the Temple and Keerimalai for the rock with the cave in it.

Even the great epic “Mahabharatham” mentions that “Arjuna” one of the brothers of Pandavas and several others made their pilgirmages to this sacred temple and having bathed in the spring waters that poured out from the caves, made their obeisance before Naguleswara Nathar, requesting boons.

Another legend frequently associated with the place is the Maha Bharatha story of Jamathakiri who incurred the displeasure of sage “Pituku Munivar” by not placating him, after having invited him for the observance of ancestral ceremonies.

For this she had to suffer a curse which completely changed her facial appearance to that of a “Keeri”. This disappeared when she performed ablutions in the sacred fresh spring waters of “Naguleswaram” and the curse was lifted. The rocky place thereby became known as “Nagulakiri Rock” or simpley “Keerimalai”.

Whatever, that may have been, we know for certain that the spring water flows at Keerimalai is of great value and bathing in its waters imparts Therapeutic medicinal benefits to the human body.

The name and fame of this temple spread far and wide. In the 15th century that “Bhuvenaka Bahu”, the celebrated king who built Nallur Kandaswamy temple, visited this temple and having paid obeisance to the God Naguleswaram, took charge of this place for maintenance by the State.

Indeed, Keerimalai is a place of worship by Buddhists and Hindus alike and thousands of devotees flock daily here to have their baths to get cured of this sickness. Undoubtedly, Naguleswaram temple at Keerimalai is one of the oldest Shivan temples in Sri Lanka.

As a centre of the Hindu traditions, it has played a key role in the development and sustenance of the ideology and practice of Saivism with a local flavour in Jaffna peninsula.

Who’s a Guru?

Subhamoy Das

“Guru is Shiva sans his three eyes,
Vishnu sans his four arms
Brahma sans his four heads.
He is parama Shiva himself in human form”

~ Brahmanda Puran

Guru is the God, say the scriptures. Indeed, the ‘guru’ in Vedic tradition is looked upon as one no less than a God. ‘Guru’ is a honorific designation of a preceptor as defined and explained variously in the scriptures and ancient literary works including epics. The English word ‘guru’ has its etymological origin in the Sanskrit term. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Current English defines it as “Hindu spiritual teacher or head of religious sect; influential teacher; revered mentor”.

More real than gods

Aren’t gurus more real than the gods? Basically the guru is a spiritual teacher leading the disciple on the path of “god-realization”. In essence, the guru is considered a respected person with saintly qualities who enlightens the mind of his disciple, an educator from whom one receives the initiatory mantra, and one who instructs in rituals and religious ceremonies. The Vishnu Smriti and Manu Smriti regards the Acharya (teacher), along with the mother and the father as the most venerable gurus of an individual. According to Deval Smriti there can be eleven kinds of gurus and according to Nama Chintamani ten. According to his functions he is categorized as rishi, acharyam, upadhya, kulapati or mantravetta.

The guru’s role

The Upanishads have profoundly underlined the role of the guru. Mundak Upanishad says to realize the supreme godhead holding samidha grass in his hands one should surrender himself before the guru who knows the secrets of Vedas. Kathopanishad too speaks of the guru as the preceptor who alone can guide the disciple on the spiritual path. Over time the guru’s syllabus gradually enlarged incorporating more secular and temporal subjects related to human endeavor and intellect. Apart from usual spiritual works his sphere of instruction now included subjects like Dhanurvidya (archery), Arthashastra (economics) and even Natyashastra (dramatics) and Kamashastra (sexology). Such was the ingenuity of the all pervading intellect of the ancient Acharyas that they perpetuated even shastra like thievery. Shudraka’s celebrated play Mricchakatikam tells the story of Acharya Kanakashakti who formulated the Chaurya Shastra, or the science of thievery, which was further developed by the gurus like Brahmanyadeva, Devavrata and Bhaskarnandin.

From hermitages to universities

Gradually the institution of Gurukula or in-forest-hermitage, where disciples learnt at the feet of guru for long years was evolved. The great urban universities at Takshashila, Vikramashila and Nalanda essentially evolved from these tiny gurukulas tucked away in deep woods. If we have to believe the records of Chinese travellers who visited Nalanda at that time, there were more than 1,500 teachers teaching various subjects to more than 10,000 students and monks.

Legends of gurus and disciples

There were gurus as well as disciples of different hues to whom references were made in scriptures and literary works. The most popular legend is that of the amazing young tribal boy Ekalavya on being rejected by the ace trainer Dronacharya, raised his statue and with great dedication practised the art of archery and left behind Arjuna, the master archer, who actually learnt the art under the living guru. And the heartless guru asked for his thumb as gurudakshina or fees, and made him inferior before his royal disciple. In the Chandogya Upanishad, we meet an aspiring disciple Satyakama, who refuses to tell lies about his caste in order to get an admission in the gurukula of Acharya Haridrumat Gautam. And in the Mahabharata we come across Karna who did not bat an eyelid while telling Parashurama that he belonged to the Bhrigu Brahmin caste just to obtain the Brahmastra, the supreme weapon.

Lasting contribution

From generation to generation the institution of the guru has evolved various basic tenets of Indian culture and transmitted spiritual and fundamental knowledge. Gurus formed the axis of ancient educational system and ancient society, and enriched various fields of learning and culture by their creative thinking. Herein lies the lasting significance of gurus and their contribution to the upliftment of mankind.

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