Jaffna Nallur Kandaswamy Temple

Adorned with a Rich History

Nallur Kandaswamy temple is one of the most impressive religious buildings in Jaffna and one of the most significant Hindu temple complexes in the country dedicated to God Murugan.
The kovil’s 15th-century structure was vandalized by the Portuguese in the 17th century and the current structure was rebuilt in 1734. The beautifully maintained large and airy space shelters decorative brass work, larger-than-life murals, pillared halls and a colonnaded, stepped holy pool, all dominated by the golden-ochre, god-encrusted gopuram peering down one length of Point Pedro Road. The temple hosts an enormous and spectacular Hindu festival for over 25 days in July-August, which climaxes on the 24th with parades of floats and displays of self-mutilation by entranced devotees.