📍 Location

• Situated atop Swami Rock (Kōnāmalai) overlooking the sea at Trincomalee, Eastern Province, Sri Lanka.

• One of the five ancient Pancha Ishwarams dedicated to Lord Shiva in Sri Lanka.

Main Deities

• Lord Shiva as Konanātha Swami (Konesar)

• Goddess as Mathumai Amman

🌳 Sacred Elements

• Aayiram Kaal Mandapam (Thousand-pillared Hall) – classic Dravidian style

• Pavanasam Theertham – sacred spring beside the cliff

📖 Legends

• Vayu–Adisesha legend: A mountain peak carried by wind fell here.

• Ravana worshipped Lord Shiva at this shrine.

• Mentioned in Ramayana, Mahabharata, and other Tamil chronicles.

✨ Specialties

• Called Dakshina Kailasam (“Southern Kailash”).

• Once famed as the Temple of a Thousand Pillars.

• Known as one of the three greatest Shiva shrines alongside Chidambaram and Kailash.

📜 Scriptural Importance

• A Paadal Petra Sthalam celebrated in Tevaram.

• Praised in Dakshina Kailasa Puranam and Konesar Kalvettu inscriptions.

🙏 Benefits of Worship

• Grants spiritual merit and is believed to aid in attaining moksha.

• Rituals and chariot festival bring divine blessings for devotees.

📖 Thevaram Connection (Naalvar)

• Sambandar and Sundarar sang hymns here.