Naguleswaram Kovil at Keerimalai, on the peninsula's north coast about 25 km from Jaffna town, is the northernmost of the Pancha Ishwarams — the five historic Shiva temples ringing Sri Lanka's coastline. Its veneration reaches back to classical antiquity; legend tells of the sage Nagula Muni, cured of his mongoose-like face by bathing in the adjacent springs, who built the first shrine to the lingam here.
The temple's history is one of repeated loss and renewal: destroyed by the Portuguese in 1621, rebuilt in 1894, damaged by fire in 1918, and bombed in 1990 during the civil war, it was reconsecrated with a grand Mahakumbhabhishekam ceremony in February 2012.
Good to know
- Steps from the Keerimalai springs — the two are one visit
- Aadi Amavasai (July–August) is its most important day, for ancestral rites
- Combine with Dambakola Patuna and KKS beach on a north-coast loop
- Modest dress; the sea breeze makes mornings the kindest hour