Devotees throng Nallur Chariot festival

[TamilNet, Friday, 02 September 2005, 10:11 GMT]
Devotees from across Sri Lanka and visiting expatriate Tamils Friday filled the temple premises at the Annual Chariot festival of Kandaswamy (Lord Murugan) Temple located in Nallur Jaffna turning Jaffna into a spiritual town. Hundreds of devotees performed ‘Angapirathshanam’ behind the big chariot carrying the chief deity, and women devotees carried pots with burning camphor, to fulfil vows made during the year.

The twenty-seven day annual festival of the historic Nallur Kandasamy Temple in Jaffna began 10 August Wednesday morning with the Sacred Flag hoisting ceremony (Kodi Yetram).

The festival will culminate in Theertham (Water cutting) on 3rd Septmber and Poonkavanam the following day.

Historians say that the history of the Nallur temple is closely intertwined with the history of Jaffna. Prof.Gunrarasa of Jaffna University in his book on the Temple says that the Temple was originally constructed in a place called Kurukal Valavu in A.D 948. The temple was destroyed in AD 1450 during the invasion of the Sinhalese King Shenpakaperumal (Sapumal Kumaraya).

The same king resurrected the temple and the environments in Muthiraichanthai in 1467. The temple was again destroyed at its foundation by Portugese commander Philip De Olivereira in 1621. The Dutch rebuilt a Christian Church at the same premises. In around 1734 Krishnaiyar Suppier established a smaller shrine in Muthiraichanthi in rememberance of the destroyed Kandaswami temple.

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