Ketheeswaram Temple - History - Chronology

Chronology

Built by Karaiyar

Thiruketheeswaram's initial installment is credited to the indigenous people of the Manthai port, the Karaiyar Naga tribe. The Karaiyar claimed to be related to several classical period public figures hailing from the international port town, including the creator of the oldest extant Tamil literature by an Eelam Tamilian, the Sangam poet Eelattu Poothanthevanar.

6th-7th century hymn

Ketisvaram temple and the waters of the Palavi tank by its side are heralded in the Saiva work Tevaram in the 6th century CE by Campantar. Along with Koneswaram temple on Swami Rock, Trincomalee, Ketisvaram temple and its deity are praised in the same literature canon by the 8th century CE Nayanmar, Cuntarar, in the Sangam period. Tirukketisvaram henceforth is glorified as one of 275 Shiva Sthalams of the continent, part of the Paadal Petra Sthalam group. The only other sthalam from Eelam is Koneswaram. There is epigraphic evidence of maintenance of the temple by the Pallava and Pandyan dynasties.

10th century

Several Chola inscriptions from its medieval floruit refer to Ketisvaram and two Sinhala inscriptions of the 10 century refer to the prohibition on slaughtering cows at the town.

12th century

Dathavamsa, (12 century) speaks of a Hindu temple at Mantotai in the reign of King Meghavannan. (301-328).

16th century destruction by the Portuguese

After 1505 A.C.E along with countless Buddhist and Hindu temples around the island, it was destroyed by Portuguese Catholic colonialists. The historian Do Couto recounts that the attackers encountered no resistance from pilgrims or priests while the temple was destroyed. In 1589 C.E. the temple stones were used by them to build the Mannar Fort, a Catholic church and the Hammershield Fort at Kayts.

19th/20th century reconstruction

The original site of the Temple was traced in 1894. The Shiva lingam of the old shrine together with several other finds were also unearthed in 1894. After a gap of almost 400 years in 1910s local Tamils, under the urging of Hindu reformer Arumuka Navalar, came together and built the present temple. With the restoration of the ancient and holy Palavi Teertham or pond in 1949, a major effort was made to improve the temple environs. It was in October 1948 that an intensive agitation resulted in the formation of the Thiruketheeswaram Temple Restoration Society, which renovated the temple and performed Kumbhabishekam in August 1952. The Thiruketheeswaram Temple Restoration Society did further renovation of the temple and another Kumbhabhishekam was held on July 4, 1976.

As part of the civil war that has plagued the country since the Black July pogrom of 1983 currently the temple is occupied by the Sri Lankan Army. While granite work preparations were in progress the army took over the Temple and its environs in August 1990 and continued to occupy the site for several years. Although they have left the Temple premises their occupation of its environs is a cause of concern to the Restoration Society which has been urging the Government to remove the Armed Forces completely from the environs of the Temple and declare the site a sacred area.