Nagadeepa

Nagadeepa, or Nainativu, is a small island off the Jaffna peninsula that holds two important sites a few hundred metres apart: the Nagadeepa Purana Viharaya, one of sixteen places in Sri Lanka held to have been visited by the Buddha, who by tradition came here to settle a dispute between two Naga kings, and the Nagapooshani Amman Kovil, one of the principal Shakti temples, whose annual festival draws very large numbers. Buddhist and Hindu pilgrims share the same small island.

Background

The island's name alludes to the Naga people, its inhabitants in folklore. The Nagapooshani Amman Temple counts among the 64 Shakta pithas. Ptolemy, the Greek cartographer, used the name Nagadiba for the islands around the Jaffna Peninsula in the first century CE. Kundalakesi and Manimekalai, Tamil epics of the second century, describe an islet called Manipallavam where merchants went for gems and conch shells, and several scholars identify it with Nainativu. A Tamil inscription of Parâkramabâhu I from the 12th century CE, at the Hindu temple, states that foreigners arriving at new ports were to meet at Kayts and be protected.

Source: Wikipedia, "Nainativu"

Highlights

• The Buddhist vihara - one of the sixteen sites associated with a visit by the Buddha.
• The Amman kovil - a major Shakti temple with a tall painted gopuram.
• The shared island - two traditions with their sites a few hundred metres apart.
• The ferry crossing - a short run across shallow water from Punkudutivu.

When to go

December to March is the most comfortable. The kovil festival, usually in June and July, brings enormous crowds. Ferries run through the day and are crowded at weekends.

Practical notes

Both sites are active places of worship, with dress rules and expectations about behaviour. The ferry is small and crowded. There are few facilities on the island.

Nearby

Delft is further out on the same ferry route, and Jaffna is northeast.

Key facts