Tirukoneswaram
Coordinates: 8 ° 34 ′ 57 ″ N , 81 ° 14 ′ 44 ″ E
Tirukoneswaram is a Shiva temple in Trincomalee . It is one of the seven most important Shiva temples in Sri Lanka .
The history
The Tirukoneswaram Temple was built on top of a mountain known as "Swami Rock" or "Three Swami Rock". Because of its unusual size, it became known all over India. Tirujnana Sambandar, a Shiva saint, sang the temple in his songs as early as the 7th century . This is the earliest reference to the temple.
The Pallava kings of southern India had considerable influence on the region, especially at the time of King Manavanna (668–703 AD), as evidenced by Sanskrit inscriptions from Tiriyayi, 29 km north of Trincomalee. It is believed that the temple was expanded during the Pallava Dynasty. Old descriptions of "a thousand pillars" suggest a formerly large temple complex.
In 1624 the Shiva Temple was razed to the ground and plundered by the Portuguese.
