The Shivalinga from the Naguleswaram temple in Srilanka worshipped by Shrirama to nullify the sin of killing a Brahmin after He annihilated Ravan

Study tour of Srilanka associated with
the Ramayan by Sadguru (Mrs.) Anjali Gadgil and
student seekers from Maharshi Adhyatma Vishwavidyalay

What is referred to as Lanka or Lankapuri in the Ramayan is the present day Srilanka. In the Tretayug Shri Mahavishnu incarnated as Shrirama and went to Lankapuri where He annihilated the demon, Ravan. Now 70% of the population of Srilanka is Buddhist.  But the spots associated with Shrirama, Sita and Lakshman still exist there. There are also spots, places of pilgrimage, caves, mountains and temples in Srilanka associated with Shriram, Sita, Hanuman, Ravan and Mandodari. To procure this information and to spread it to all Hindus of the world; on behalf of Maharshi Adhyatma Vishwavidyalay, Sadguru (Mrs.) Anjali Gadgil and four student seekers toured Srilanka for a month.

–    Mr. Vinayak Shanbag

1. The Keerimalai village and Keerimalai springs

‘Population of Hindus from Srilanka is concentrated in North Srilanka. Majority of these Hindus are Tamil speaking. The city in North Srilanka associated with Hindu culture is Jaffna. 30 kilometers from here is the small village of Keerimalai on the coastal belt. In Tamil ‘keeri’ means mongoose and ‘malai’ means mountain. In the olden days there was a small hillock here where many mongooses lived in a cave. Hence that village is named Keerimalai. There is a sweet water spring here close to the sea called as the Keerimalai spring.

2. Sage Nagul acquired the face of a mongoose
due to a curse, then after bathing in the Keerimalai spring
as advised by Deity Shiva again regaining the human form and then
the Sage installing a linga there as gratitude unto Shiva

Thousands of years ago a Sage named Nagul had come here. Due to a curse his face had become like that of a mongoose. Deity Shiva advised him that for mitigation of the curse he should bath in the pond created from the Keerimalai spring in Lankapuri. He complied after which He regained the human form. In gratitude as an offering unto the Holy feet of Deity Shiva Sage Nagul installed a Shivalinga there and worshiped it. Even today hundreds of people bath in this Keerimalai pond to get rid of skin diseases.

3. To nullify the sin of killing a Brahmin, Deity Rama
worshiping the Shivalinga after bathed in the Keerimalai spring

In the Tretayug to nullify the sin of killing a Brahmin, Shrirama bathed in Keerimalai pond and then worshiped the Shivalinga in the temple at Naguleswaram. In the Dwaparyug too Arjun had performed ritualistic worship here.

4. 3000 years ago Saints and devotees who came from
Tamilnadu have sung several devotional songs on Deity Naguleswar

Thereafter 3000 years ago Saints and devotees from Tamilnadu who had come here to propagate the precepts of the Shaiva philosophy have sung several devotional songs on Naguleswaram. Later in the 6th century King Vijaya from Vanga desh (a country mentioned by Sage Panini in Ashtadhyayi) renovated this temple.

5. In the 16th century the
Portuguese and then in 1993 in the battle
between the Tamil Hindus and the Srilankan army,
the Srilankan army destroyed this temple, in 2012 this temple
was again reconstructed with assistance from Government of Bharat

In 16th century the Naguleswaram temple was destroyed by Portuguese on the command of Christian missionaries. Then in 1894 the local king from Jaffna rebuilt it. In the year 1983, the war between the Srilankan army and the Tamils, the Srilankan army took this temple into its custody. When the war was in full swing in 1993, the Srilankan Air Force bombed this temple through an air attack and razed it. In 2012 the Bharat Government with the help of the Srilankan army and local Hindus rebuilt this temple. No worship was conducted in this temple from 1992 to 2012. In 2015 during his visit to Srilanka the Prime Minister of Bharat Narendra Modi paid respects at this temple and performed abhishek (consecration with liquids).

6. Trustee of Naguleswar temple
honouring  Sadguru (Mrs.) Anjali Gadgil
and asking her to offer prayers to Deity Naguleswar
and reassuring that ‘Ramrajya would certainly come to the earth’

On behalf of Maharshi Adhyatma Vishwavidyalaya when Sadguru (Mrs.) Anjali Gadgil visited the Naguleswaram temple the 92-year-old main priest and trustee Mr. Naguleswar Guruji felicitated her and presented her with a 500-page book narrating the history of the Naguleswaram temple. He told Sadgurukaku to offer prayers to Deity Naguleswar and assured that Ramrajya would certainly come to the earth.

7. When Sadguru (Mrs.) Anjali Gadgil
prayed to the soil which has become Holy
by the touch of feet of Deity Shrirama and to the
Shivalinga, spiritual emotion was evoked in her and in the same
state of spiritual emotion she offered obeisance to the Deity of the sea

Continuous spiritual emotion was being evoked in Sadguru (Mrs.) Anjali Gadgil who was visiting Lanka from the birthplace of Shrirama, Bharat. She offered obeisance charged with spiritual emotion to the soil which has become Holy by the touch of feet of Shrirama and to the Shivalinga worshipped by Shrirama. In that same state as she came out of the temple, she offered obeisance with spiritual emotion to the Deity of the sea. Seeing her spiritual emotion it was evoked in us seekers too.

– Mr. Vinayak Shanbag, Sanatan ashram, Ramnathi, Goa (18.6.2018)