Ubayakathirgamam is a temple dedicated to the

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

god

Muruga 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 ...

, who is worshipped as presiding deity of Kali Yuga. The prefix ''Ubaya-'' means "second" or "sub" in

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nativ ...

. Hence the temple got its name, as it is considered to be a second Kathirgamam (

Kataragama Kataragama ( si, කතරගම, translit=Kataragama , ta, கதிர்காமம், translit=Katirkrāmam) is a pilgrimage town sacred to Hindu, Buddhist and indigenous Vedda people of Sri Lanka. People from South India also go there to ...

) of the country. This temple is in Puloly in the Jaffna Peninsula of Sri Lanka.

Location

Ubayakathirgamam can be reached by taking a walk through

Vallipuram Vallipuram ( ta, வல்லிபுரம், translit=Vallipuram, ) is a village in Vadamarachchi, near Point Pedro in Northern Province, Sri Lanka. The village is an ancient settlement with rich archeological remains. The village is home to ...

Road, from Manthikai Junction, which is on the

Point Pedro Point Pedro ( ta, பருத்தித்துறை, translit=Paruttittuṟai; si, පේදුරු තුඩුව, translit=Pēduru Tuḍuva) is a town, located in Jaffna District, Sri Lanka, at the northernmost point of the island. ...

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 mo ...

Road. A

Vinayagar Ganesha ( sa, गणेश, ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka, and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in Ganapatya sect. His image is found throughout India. Hindu de ...

temple named Periyadevanatthay Alayam is also situated beside Ubayakathirgamam. Devotees from Puloly and Point Pedro come regularly to the daily Poojas. During the Karthikai Star on the month of Karthikai, the temple will be filled by devotees from all over the country for its Camphor Festival. It should also be noted that the Theertham festival falls on a Thiruvona Star, close upon to the Theertham festival of Kataragama temple.

How to reach

The temple is at a distance of 31.7 km fro
Jaffna Railway station
One has to drive from Jaffna towards Point Pedro, via Nelliyady and Manthikai junction. The temple is at 1.7 km from the Manthikai (Manthigai) Government Hospital.

Temple timings

On normal days, the morning puja is performed at 7:00 am. Temple is open for devotees from 07:00 to around 12:00 noon. Evening puja is performed by around 05:00 pm and the temple is open for devotees from 05:00 to 08:00 pm.

Moolavar

Ubayakathirgamam Moolavar is a Chakkara

Yantra Yantra () (literally "machine, contraption") is a geometrical diagram, mainly from the Tantric traditions of the Indian religions. Yantras are used for the worship of deities in temples or at home; as an aid in meditation; used for the benefit ...

, which appeared on a white rock itself. As unlike in other temples of Muruga, the Moola

Linga A lingam ( sa, लिङ्ग , lit. "sign, symbol or mark"), sometimes referred to as linga or Shiva linga, is an abstract or aniconic representation of the Hindu god Shiva in Shaivism. It is typically the primary ''murti'' or devotional ...

is in the form of a Chakkara

, hence the temple got its name "Ubayakathirgamam Sri Chakkara Shanmugar Alayam". The noticeable feature of this Chakkara Yantra is it was not made by hand of man. It is a Suyambu Linga, the Holy one revealing himself in nature on the white rock. There are a few projections and letters representing God Vinayagar and the Shakties of Siva, to the right of the yantra. The Wood apple tree, which is also said to have divine power as the Thala Viruksha of the temple, is named as Vilatheeswaran.

History

This temple was discovered and named Ubayakathirgamam by Lady T.S.Logambal devotee of Muruga, who hails from

Tirunelveli Tirunelveli (, ta, திருநெல்வேலி, translit=Tirunelveli) also known as Nellai ( ta, நெல்லை, translit=Nellai) and historically (during British rule) as Tinnevelly, is a major city in the Indian state of Tam ...

, a city in

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil language ...

. The Lady Logambal publication mentions that in the year 1909, God Muruga appeared in a dream to Lady Logambal and informed the existence of the Chakkara Yantra on the surface of a rock by the side of a wood apple tree at Pachchima Pulavar Kana Nagaram. He told her to draw a picture of the yantra and keep it with her for her daily prayers. It was impossible for her to locate the village which was in Sri Lanka (then named as Ceylon), as she is an Indian. In year 1911, Muruga informed her in her dream that the place is in the Jaffna Peninsula of Ceylon. The scholars in Jaffna informed her that Puloly is the

equivalent of the above-mentioned Nagaram, which was named in

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

. After reaching Jaffna, she succeeded in discovering the holy site, in a Visakha day in the month of Vaikasi, which is according to

Skanda Purana The ''Skanda Purana'' (IAST: Skanda Purāṇa) is the largest '' Mukyapurana'', a genre of eighteen Hindu religious texts. The text contains over 81,000 verses, and is of Kaumara literature, titled after Skanda, a son of Shiva and Parvati, w ...

, the birth day of God Muruga. It was year 1924, after a long period, God Muruga instructed in her dream that the Yantra of the temple is, as appeared by itself, has the strong power than the other temples and will give divine favours to the devotees. So it again became a duty of Lady Logambal to spread the message to the devotees in Ceylon. In a leaflet printed and published on 25 July 1924, Lady Logambal clearly instructed the people of the village South Puloly the power of the temple and its Chakkara as informed to her God Muruga. It is mentioned in the pamphlet that there must have been a famous temple at this site in olden days and that it had come to ruins.

The Temple’s Divine Power

The Yantra drawn up by Muthulinga Swamigal at Kathirgamam is considered a major reason for the divine grace of Kathirgamam.Kataragama: The Holy of Holies of Sri Lanka
/ref> Similarly since the appearance of Ubayakathirgamam to the villagers, with the guidance of Lady Logambal, the temple was a miracle for the villagers. It is so common to hear from the villagers, mentioning the wishes those were fulfilled by worshiping the temple and its Chakkara Yantra. It is also mentioned that once when the people were not knowledgeable regarding the Yantra, the white rock where the Suyambu Linga appeared in nature was tried to be removed to build a Vinayagar Temple nearby. In spite of seven explosions by Subramaniam, an experienced man in blasting rocks, the rock was safe without any damage. This was known as a miracle and the rock and the wood apple tree on it were assumed to be having super natural powers, by the villagers. Devotees from all over the country go to this temple to worship Sri Chakkara Shanmugar and Vilatheeswaran and fulfill their wishes.

References

UBAYA KATHIRGAMA TEMPLE Pamphlet 1. (September, 1970) (Shanmugar Temple The Moolalingam which Appeared in Nature.) Puloly South, Puloly, Ceylon. {{Hindu temples in Sri Lanka Hindu temples in Jaffna District Murugan temples in Sri Lanka