Nallur ( ta, நல்லூர்; si, නල්ලූර් ) is an affluent suburb in
Jaffna
Jaffna (, ) is the capital city of the Northern Province of Sri Lanka. It is the administrative headquarters of the Jaffna District located on a peninsula of the same name. With a population of 88,138 in 2012, Jaffna is Sri Lanka's 12th most ...
,
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
. It is located 3 km south from Jaffna city centre.
Nallur is most famous for
Nallur Kandaswamy temple
Nallur Kandaswamy Kovil ( ta, நல்லூர் கந்தசுவாமி கோவில் si, නල්ලුරුව ස්කන්ධ කුමාර කෝවිල) is a significant Hindu temple, located in Nallur, Northe ...
, one of Sri Lanka's most sacred place of pilgrimage for Sri Lankan Hindus.
Nallur is also famous for being the historical capital of the old
Jaffna Kingdom
The Jaffna Kingdom ( ta, யாழ்ப்பாண அரசு, si, යාපනය රාජධානිය; 1215–1624 CE), also known as Kingdom of Aryachakravarti, was a historical kingdom of what today is northern Sri Lanka. It came i ...
and birthplace of renowned philosopher and theologian,
Arumuka Navalar
Arumuka Navalar (; 18 December 1822 – 5 December 1879) was a Sri Lankan Shaivite Tamil language scholar, polemicist, and a religious reformer who was central in reviving native Hindu Tamil traditions in Sri Lanka and India.
Navalar's bir ...
.
Etymology
The name Nall-ur was colloquially used by natives in Jaffna to refer to the town as the 'place of high castes'.
[Pon Kulendiren’s‘Hinduism a Scientific Religion, & Some Temples in Sri Lanka’, page 154] The first part of the word Nallur ( ''Nall'' ) derives from the Tamil word ‘''Nalla''’ which means 'good'. In the past, it was Tamil linguistic tradition to refer to somebody of a higher or more socially upward caste as 'Nalla akkal' (good people). The second part to the name ( ''Ur'' ) means place or region.
This loosely used name for the town is believed to have been adopted in the 17th century, replacing its original regal name of 'Singai Nagar' after the collapse of the Jaffna Kingdom.
History
Nallur's proclamation as capital can be traced to the earliest origins of the
Jaffna Kingdom
The Jaffna Kingdom ( ta, யாழ்ப்பாண அரசு, si, යාපනය රාජධානිය; 1215–1624 CE), also known as Kingdom of Aryachakravarti, was a historical kingdom of what today is northern Sri Lanka. It came i ...
by the first
Aryacakravarti
The Arya Chakravarti dynasty ( ta, ஆரியச் சக்கரவர்த்திகள் வம்சம், Sinhalese language, Sinhalese: ආර්ය චක්රවර්තී රාජවංශය) were kings of the Jaffna ...
king,
Kalinga Magha
Kalinga Magha or Gangaraja Kalinga Vijayabahu ( ta, கலிங்க மாகன் / கலிங்க மாகோன் / கங்கராஜ காலிங்க விஜயவாகு மகன் , si, කාලිංග මාඝ, ...
while
Kopay
Kopay ( ta, கோப்பாய், translit=Kōppāy) is a town about 4 km from the city of Jaffna along Point Pedro road. An agricultural town consisting mainly of vegetable farms, paddy fields and coconut gardens. The suburb Kopay is ble ...
was second capital of the
Jaffna Kingdom
The Jaffna Kingdom ( ta, யாழ்ப்பாண அரசு, si, යාපනය රාජධානිය; 1215–1624 CE), also known as Kingdom of Aryachakravarti, was a historical kingdom of what today is northern Sri Lanka. It came i ...
. For years it was the focal point at which political, religious and cultural importance was built and domain of the ruling elite of royalty, ministers and other officials of the kingdom. Soon after its proclamation as capital, in 948 A.D the first temple was built by Puvenaya Vaku, chief minister to King Kalinga Magha for Lord
Murugan
Kartikeya ( sa, कार्त्तिकेय, Kārttikeya), also known as Skanda, Subrahmanya, Shanmukha (), and Murugan ( ta, முருகன்), is the Hindu god of war. He is the son of Parvati and Shiva, the brother of Ganesha ...
in a place called Kurukkal Valavu in Nallur.
The mid 15th century witnessed invading Sinhalese armies sent from the south to capture the capital Nallur and bring Jaffna under the suzerainty of Kotte. At the helm of this operation was Prince
Sapumal Kumaraya
Bhuvanekabahu VI of Kotte (, ), also known as Sapumal Kumaraya and Chempaka Perumal, was an adopted son of Parakramabahu VI, whose principal achievement was the conquest of Jaffna Kingdom in 1447 or 1450.Gnanaprakasar, S ''A critical history of ...
(Bhuvanekabahu VI of Kotte) – who successfully ousted the native Tamil king of Jaffna
Kanakasooriya Cinkaiariyan
Kanakasooriya Cinkaiariyan (died 1478) was the first of the Aryacakravarti dynasty kings of Jaffna Kingdom to lose complete power to a rival king. He inherited the throne from his father Gunaveera Cinkaiariyan in 1440. He was deposed in 1450 by S ...
to India to instead instate himself as regional ruler.
The early years of his rule were noted as being oppressive with the destruction of Nallur temple in 1450 and the renaming of Nallur with the Sinhalese name 'Srirangabodhi Bhuvanesubagu'. However, later regretting his actions Prince Sapumal Kumaraya embarked on building programmes to heighten the splendor of Nallur's past. Fueled by this, in 1457 efforts begun to reconstructing the temple a few kilometers eastwards from its original location to a place called ‘Muthirai Chanthai’ which was then a bustling market place. The death of Prince Sapumal Kumaraya's father
Parakramabahu VI
Parâkramabâhu VI (1410/1412/1415–1467) was a king in the Sri Lankan kingdom of Kotte. He is the last great king in Sri Lanka who managed to unite the island under one flag. His rule is famous for the political stability which he maintained i ...
in 1467 consequently left Prince Sapumal Kumaraya no other choice but to leave Nallur to take kingship over the
Kingdom of Kotte
The Kingdom of Kotte ( si, කෝට්ටේ රාජධානිය, Kottay Rajadhaniya), named after its capital, Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, Kotte, was a Sinhala kingdom, Sinhalese kingdom that flourished in Sri Lanka during the 15th cent ...
. With the absence of Prince Sapumal Kumaraya, the Tamil kingdom quickly re-established itself with the return of Kanakasooriya Cinkaiariyan to Nallur.
In 1621 a new threat from invading Portuguese imperialist brought an end to the four centuries-long Aryacakravarti dynasty once and for all. Commandor Philip de Oliverira sanctioned Nallur temple be destroyed to its foundations again along with all the royal palace buildings and any other buildings hinting of the past glory of the capital.
All that remains is the facade of what is believed to have once been the gateway to one of the palace buildings. This is now mapped as ‘Sangali Thoppu’.
The very spot on which the 15th century Nallur Kandaswamy temple was located now stands St James church, erected by the Portuguese but later rebuilt and changed from the denomination of the Roman Catholic Church into Anglican during British occupancy in 1827.
Under a calmer Dutch rule, permission was eventually secured for the temple to be built at its original site in Kurukkal Valavu. Given its long history of demolition it was thought a simpler style was best suited for the reconstruction of the temple rather than anything heavily ornate. Though the temple has undergone a series of changes in appearance, it remains in the present site from when it was rebuilt in 1749.
During the thirty-year-long civil war Nallur was seen as a comparatively safe haven for people living across the Jaffna peninsula. The strict no fire zone imposed by the Sri Lankan Air Force over Nallur temple in 1987 resulted in a wave of displaced people from all over the peninsula seeking refuge in the temple and its immediate surroundings.
Tradition
All of the historical information contained above is based on local tradition, or word of mouth handed down from father to son. Documentary proof to substantiate the transition of the capital from the Aryachakrvarti rule through to Colonial rule and to modern times remains rather blurred. However, there is a verbal tradition accepted by the older families and peoples of the peninsula that deals with the transition of the town of Nallur during the last days of the Kingdom of Jaffna which reads as follows: This information citing the is found on a Wikipedia article titled
Tissanayagam family and on a corresponding website maintained by the family.
The Yalpana Vaipava Malai also mentions nine other villages of Jaffna in connection with Prince Paranirupasinghe, at the time of the transition of the Kingdom to colonial rule. It states “that the usurper King Sankili in order to appease Prince Paranirupasinghe (the legitimate heir) appointed him co-regent over seven villages, namely Kalliyan-kadu, Mallakam, Sandiruppai, Arali, Achchuveli, Uduppiddi, and Kachchai. After the fall of the Jaffna Kingdom; and the execution of Sankili, the Portuguese, in recognition of Paranirupasinhe’s loyalty to them appointed him the chief minister of the realm. They also reconfirmed his authority over the seven villages over which he was co-regent under Sankili. In addition they also gave him Nallur the capital, and the village of Mathakal. Many years later, before his death, Paranirupasinghe is said to have re-distributed these villages amongst his descendents as follows:”
“ He gave:
1. Nallur and Kalliyan-kadu to Alakanmai-valla-muthali and placed him in his palace of Nallur.
2. Mallakam to Thanapala-singka-muthali;
3. Sandiruppai to Vetti-vela-yutha muthali;
4. Arali to Visaya-theyventhira-muthali;
5. Achchuveli to Thida-vira-singka-muthali;
6. Uduppiddi to Santhirasekara-mappana muthali;
7. Kachchai to Iraya-redna-muthali;
8. Mathakal to his daughter Vetha-Valliyar whom he bestowed in marriage to a Vellalan of that district.”
However none of the available Portuguese documents of the period corroborate the above information nor do any of the names mentioned above appear therein.
Demography
Nallur like most other towns in Jaffna is made up of predominantly Tamil people. The social importance of Nallur temple also correlates with the Shaiva sect of Hinduism being the most popular religion.
Nallur, having been the place from which various Aryacakravarti kings ruled was also the surface of Tamil aristocracy. This is reflected in the castes of those still living in Nallur today, generally seen as more upwards in the caste system, being mostly
Chettiar
Chettiar (also spelt as Chetti and Chetty)is a title used by many traders, weaving, agricultural and land-owning castes in South India, especially in the states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka.
They are a subgroup of the Tamil community ...
and
Vellalar
Vellalar is a generic Tamil term used primarily to refer to various castes who traditionally pursued agriculture as a profession in the Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and northeastern parts of Sri Lanka. The Vellalar are members of several ...
. Prior to the
Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora
The Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora refers to the global diaspora of Sri Lankan Tamil origin. It can be said to be a subset of the larger Sri Lankan and Tamil diaspora.
Like other diasporas, Sri Lankan Tamils are scattered and dispersed around the glo ...
, Nallur was home to the highest level of Chettiar found anywhere else in the peninsula. This is remnant even today in the names of roads in Nallur like ‘ Chetty street’.
Nallur for centuries now has also been home to the largest clan of
Brahmins
Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests (purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers (guru o ...
(priestly caste) as a result of Nallur temple being the single largest employer of priests – tending to be concentrated in close vicinity to temple grounds. Tradition has it this is why the present location of Nallur Kandaswami temple is called ‘Kurrukkal Valavu’ – meaning land of the chief priests.
Geography
Gallery
See also
*
Jaffna Palace ruins
Ruins of Jaffna kingdom refer to the remains of the Remaining building structures of Jaffna kingdom, the royal abode and structure of the ruling dynasty of the Kingdom of Jaffna, Nallur, Jaffna in Northern Sri Lanka.
History and Inception
The ...
*
Nallur Kandaswamy Kovil
Nallur Kandaswamy Kovil ( ta, நல்லூர் கந்தசுவாமி கோவில் si, නල්ලුරුව ස්කන්ධ කුමාර කෝවිල) is a significant Hindu temple, located in Nallur, Northe ...
References
{{Reflist
Jaffna kingdom
Towns in Jaffna District
Nallur DS Division
Suburbs of Jaffna