Maha Sivarathri observances at Thiruketheeswaram:

Pilgrimage via Pooneryn

By Ananth PALAKIDNAR

Many Sri Lankans would imagine Pooneryn, which was regained by the Security Forces from the grip of the LTTE last year as a battle scarred area in the north-west of Jaffna peninsula.

But for decades, Pooneryn which is in Kilinoch -chi district remained a spir-itual hub and it was through this region that Hindus from the peninsula made their annual pilgrimage along A-32 to observe Maha Sivarathri at Thiruketheeswaram, considered as one of the foremost shrines of Lord Siva in Sri Lanka.

Thiruketheeswaram is situated in Mannar and historians believe the temple would have been built in 300 BC. A Hindu saint, Thirugnanasampanthar of South India during the Pallava period in 700 AD had sung ten devotional lyrics on Thiruketheeswaram which highlight the spiritual importance of the shrine.

Hindus in thousands from all parts of the island and from the Jaffna peninsula in particular go on their pilgrimages to Thiruketheeswaram to observe Maha Sivarathri every year. However during the past two decades there weren't any pilgrimages to this ancient abode.

Hindus believe that on the day of Maha Sivarathri, by worshipping Lord Siva while keeping a vigil throughout the night without falling sleep, the body and mind will become more stronger spiritually to face whatever the challenges they may come across in their materialistic life .

It was, before the disturbances started in the North, Maha Sivarathri in Thiruketheeswaram temple in Mannar was a mega religious event for thousands of Hindu devotees from the Jaffna peninsula.

Long before Pooneryn area and the A-32 route were terribly hit by war in the north-western region in the eighties, the Hindu devotees from the peninsula crossed the Jaffna lagoon through a ferry service between Sangupiddy and Pooneryn, by cutting the journey short, thus avoiding travelling to Mannar via Vavuniya by A-9 highway.

The devotees who reached the shores of Pooneryn continued with their journey to Thiruketheeswaram via the A-32 route which is currently being rebuilt, after it was recaptured by the Security Forces after fifteen years, last year.

So the pilgrims from the Jaffna Peninsula to observe Maha Sivarathri at Thiruketheeswaram temple in Mannar had travelled around 80 km in cars, buses and even in bicycles via Pooneryn after crossing the Sangupiddy ferry. The staunch Hindus even walked (Pada Yatra) in hundreds from various parts of Jaffna singing devotional songs and continued with their walk via Pooneryn along A-32 route to reach the temple.

The pilgrims who walk towards hiruketheeswaram temple begin their walk around 4 am on Maha Sivarathri day in Jaffna and reach their destination around 8 pm the same day.

The devotees who reach the temple in time for Maha Sivarathri, first bathe in the Palavi reservoir where the water is believed to be holy. It was after bathing in the Palavi reservoir, the devotees walk towards the temple placing the urns on their heads with water collected from the reservoir towards the temple which is situated a few hundred yards away from the reservoir to begin their Maha Sivarathri observances.

After entering the temple the devotes wait in queues bathe the giant Maha Sivalingam, by pouring the water from the urns.

It is after the water ritual the devotes will engage themselves in prayers, singing devotional songs and listening to carnatic music recitals performed by renowned artistes from Jaffna and at times from South India as well.

The following day with the sun rise the temple deities are carried towards Palavi reservoir to the a accompaniment of Naadeswaram music for the water-cutting ceremony to be performed on the banks of the reservoir thus concluding the Maha Sivarathri observances.

The giant Sivalingam carved out of granite stone which was excavated by archaeologists in Thiruketheeswaram temple area in the fifties is believed to have been buried when the Portuguese destroyed the temple during their invasion of Mannar in the 16th century.

The temple which was in ruins was gradually rebuilt to its pristine glory during the British period with Hindu elite from Jaffna playing a major role in the reconstruction. Thirukethee -swaram is one of the three foremost abodes of Siva in the island the other two being Thirukoneswaram temple in Trincomalee and the Munneswaram temple in Chilaw.

The flow of Hindu pilgrims to Thirukethee -swaram in their thousands began in the mid fifties with most of them arriving there from the Jaffna peninsula for Maha Sivarathri annually.

In the good old days almost all the schools in Jaffna arranged their students to make the religious excursion to Thirukethee-swaram via Pooneryn, the area surrounded by lush green paddy fields sandwiched between Jaffna lagoon and the Bay of Mannar. If not for the two decades of war, Pooneryn,the `spiritual hub' would have flourished as an ideal location for eco-tourism with the resources found in abundance.

Therefore with plans currently under way to rebuild the A-32 highway which starts from Pooneryn, the ancient shrine of Lord Siva, Thiruketheeswaram will regain its lost glory, which has been a distant dream all these years.

Once this dream becomes a reality the public holiday for Maha Sivarathri in the island will become more meaningful with not only Hindus but also people of other faiths visiting Thiruketheeswaram in Mannar for Maha Sivarathri annually.