Batticaloa district has a large collection of temples which are visited by thousands of devotees and pilgrims. Almost all these temples have their own festival period that lasts for seven to ten days and it occurs on a specific date based on Tamil calendar. Some of these temples are significantly known as “Thaanthonri” temples in which, the main deity is believed to be risen from earthen material on their own and is not built by anybody.
Kaluthavalai
Kaluthavalai pillayar temple is a temple that is famously known among hindus of Batticaloa region. This temple is visited by thousands of people every week mostly on fridays. Lord ganesha, the primary deity of this temple is known to be built on its own from earthen material and is believed to be identified first by a Veddha community leader and eventually it got established as a big temple.
Kokkaddicholai thanthonreeswaram
Kokkaddicholai is a village that is long known for its paddy fields. Most of the villagers, regardless of the water scarcity, work hard to produce paddy and other vegetables. Kokkaddicholai Thanthonreeswaram is a temple with an ancient history and is believed that the central deity, lord shiva was built from earthen material on its own. This also has several other historical significance that are illustrated as pictures in the interior walls of the temple.
Mamangam temple
Mamangam, one of the famous temples in Batticaloa situated near Mamangam pond has a historical significance from Ramayana epic too. This is named as Mamangeshwara Pillaiyar temple, which actually means a mix of Lord shiva (Eashwara) and Lord Ganesha (Pillaiyar) of Mamangam (the village’s name). The central deity of this temple, lord shiva is presented as a “Lingam” that is a black bold stone like structure which is known to be built on its own. However, the central deity is now decorated with a face masking crown (Muhakkalai, as known locally) of lord Ganesha.
