Shankari Devi is located on a hilltop, and the Trikoneshwara is one of the four most important temples dedicated to Lord Shiva in Sri Lanka while the others are in Galle, Keetheswaram, and Muneeswaram. The deity was being worshipped here more than 2500 years ago even before one of the first Kings, Prince Vijay, landed in Sri Lanka in 300 BC.
It was one of the wealthiest temples in the South and had a large structure on the rock. Archaeological information states that there were three temples on the hilltop. The tallest Gopuram with the Indian Ocean in its backdrop had the statue of the main deity. The temple was a massive structure with around 1000 pillars and small mandaps.
Shankari Devi temple was on top of a beautiful, rugged hill-face that was named, Ravanan Veddu. Trincomalee is a seismic region that also has volcanic activity going on. Nearby, one can see the Kannia hot springs that shows the volcanic presence in the region.
The Chola, Pandya, and Pallav rulers made many contributions to the care and development of the Shankari temple. The Portuguese colonists invaded the place and destroyed many places of worship in and around the Sri Lankan island after 1505 AD. On 14th April 1624, on Tamil New Year’s Day, idols were taken on a procession through the town.
During this event, the Portuguese entered the temple dressed as priests and destroyed all the valuables in the temple. They even used a cannonball from their ship and plundered the top of the temple. The temple was destroyed, and the materials were used to make Fort Frederick. On the place of the temple, a lone pillar stood after that.
The deities of Trikoneshwara and Shankari Devi were hidden in a well to protect them from Portuguese invaders and were recently recovered in Trino after the independence of Sri Lanka in 1948, from a well. The South Indian Chola ruler, Kulakottan, renovated the temple while some Buddhists maintained the design for the King Mahasena, who destroyed the temple and built in its place a Dagoba.
Many artefacts from the demolished temple are preserved at the Lisbon museum. A stone inscription by Kulakottan had a dual fish emblem, and it said that after 1500 AD, the land would be ruled by people with different eye colors for at least 500 years, after which the earlier rulers, Vadugus, will get to rule the land.
The inscription came out to be accurate, as Trincomalee was then ruled by the Dutch for around 500 years, followed by the Vadugus and the French until the Britishers captured Sri Lanka in 1795. A small temple was built in 1689 to preserve the idols, but no worshipping by the people was allowed. In 1952, a temple was also made for Trikoneshwara.
Currently, there is a Shankari Devi temple that was built in 1952 by local Hindu Tamil people adjacent to which is the Trikoneshwar Temple. It was made after a long gap of 450 years. Near the temple, there is a sacred Bilva tree near the edge of the cliff on top of the Indian Ocean.
Sage Agasthya built the Trikoneshwara temple by instructions from Lord Shiva, who was impressed by Ravana’s devotion towards him. It is splendid as it is believed to be made by the Lord for his devotee. Goddess Shankari is worshipped in the Devi temple in the form of Mathumai Ambal.
The temple is 117 kms East of Anuradhapuram Airport
Map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/HVyBpe1zv9Xt6WhaA
Read More
https://behindeverytemple.org/hindu-temples/shakti/shankari-devi-temple/
