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Coordinates: 9°36′0″N 79°46′0″E / 9.60000°N 79.76667°E / 9.60000; 79.76667
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{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Infobox settlement
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Nainativu
| name = Nainativu
| native_name = நயினாதீவு or නාගදීපය
| native_name = நயினாதீவு<br>නාගදීපය
| image_skyline = Nainativu Gopuram.jpg
⚫
| settlement_type = [[Island]]
| image_caption = Nagapooshani Amman Kovil
| pushpin_map = Sri Lanka
⚫
| settlement_type = [[Island]]
| coordinates_display = inline,title
| pushpin_map = Sri Lanka Northern Province
| coordinates_region = LK
| subdivision_type = [[List of countries|Country]]
| subdivision_type = [[List of countries|Country]]
| subdivision_name = [[Sri Lanka]]
| subdivision_name = [[Sri Lanka]]
| subdivision_type2 = [[Provinces of Sri Lanka|Province]]
| subdivision_type2 = [[Provinces of Sri Lanka|Province]]
| subdivision_name2 = [[Northern Province, Sri Lanka|Northern]]
| subdivision_name2 = [[Northern Province, Sri Lanka|Northern]]
| subdivision_type3 = [[Districts of Sri Lanka|District]]
| subdivision_type3 = [[Districts of Sri Lanka|District]]
| subdivision_name3 = [[Jaffna District|Jaffna]]
| subdivision_name3 = [[Jaffna District|Jaffna]]
| subdivision_type4 = [[Divisional Secretariats of Sri Lanka|DS Division]]
| subdivision_type4 = [[Divisional Secretariats of Sri Lanka|DS Division]]
| subdivision_name4 = Islands South
| subdivision_name4 = [[Velanai Island|Island South]]
| coordinates = {{coord|9|36|0|N|79|46|0|E|region:LK|display=inline,title}}
| latd=9 | latm=36 | lats=0 | latNS=N
| longd=79 | longm=46 | longs=0 | longEW=E
}}
}}


'''Nainathivu''' or '''Nainatheevu''' ({{lang-ta|நயினாதீவு}}), (also known as '''Nagadipa''' or '''Nagadeepa''' ({{lang-si|නාගදීපය}})) is a small but notable island off the coast of [[Jaffna Peninsula]] in the [[Sri Lankan Tamil people|Sri Lankan Tamil]] dominated [[Northern Province, Sri Lanka]]. The name of the island alludes to its aboriginal inhabitants, the [[Naga people (Sri Lanka)|Nayanair or Nāka people]].
'''Nainativu''' ({{langx|ta|நயினாதீவு}} ''Nainatheevu'', {{langx|si|නාගදීපය}} ''Nagadeepa''),<ref>{{cite news |title=Neṭun-tīvu, Puṅkuṭu-tīvu, Nayiṉā-tīvu, Eḻuvai-tīvu, Maṇṭai-tīvu |url=https://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?artid=22728 |publisher=TamilNet |date=July 15, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Naaka-naadu, Naaka-theevu, Naaga-deepa|url=https://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?artid=31711&catid=98|publisher=TamilNet |date=May 7, 2010}}</ref> is a small but notable island off the coast of [[Jaffna Peninsula]] in the [[Northern Province, Sri Lanka]]. The name of the island alludes to the folklore inhabitants, the [[Naga people (Lanka)|Naga people]].
It is home to the ancient [[Hindu]] shrine of Sri Nagapooshani Amman, one of the 52 [[Shakti Peethas]], and the [[Buddhism|Buddhist]] shrine ''Naga Vihare''. Historians note the island is mentioned in the ancient [[Tamil literature|Tamil]] [[Sangam literature]] of nearby [[Tamil Nadu]] (such as ''[[Manimekalai]]'') and ancient Buddhist legends of Sri Lanka (such as ''[[Mahavamsa]]''). [[Ptolemy]], a Greek cartographer, describes the Tamil territory including islands around the Jaffna peninsula as ''Nagadibois'' in the first century CE.
It is home to the [[Hindu]] shrine of [[Nainativu Nagapooshani Amman Temple|Nagapooshani Amman Temple]]; one of the prominent 64 [[Shakti Peethas]], and the [[Buddhism|Buddhist]] shrine [[Nagadeepa Purana Viharaya]].

Historians note the island is mentioned in the ancient [[Tamil literature|Tamil]] [[Sangam literature]] of nearby [[Tamil Nadu]] such as ''[[Manimekalai]]'' where it was mentioned as ''Manipallavam'' ({{langx|ta|மணிபல்லவம்)}}, and ancient Buddhist legends of Sri Lanka such as ''[[Mahavamsa]]''. [[Ptolemy]], a Greek cartographer, describes the islands around the Jaffna peninsula as ''Nagadiba'' ({{langx|el|Ναγάδιβα}})<ref>[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0064%3Aalphabetic+letter%3DN%3Aentry+group%3D1%3Aentry%3Dnagadiba-geo Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854), Nagadiba]</ref> in the first century CE.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Historical topography of ancient and medieval Ceylon|publisher=Journal of the Ceylon Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, New Series (Vol VI)|last=Nicholas|first=C.W.|date=1963|pages=10|language=en|quote=Other obvious identifications are Nagadiba with Nagadipa or Nakadiva (the Jaffna peninsula) and Rhogandanoi with the inhabitants of Rohana (Ruhuna).}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.archaeology.lk/claudius-ptolemys-sri-lankan-map/|title=Claudius Ptolemy's Sri Lankan Map|date=2 November 2020|publisher=Archaeology.lk|isbn=|pages=|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SCIDFTjeDD4C&q=nagadibois|title=Geographical Aspects of the Northern Province, Sri Lanka|last=Rajeswaran|first=S. T. B.|date=2012|publisher=Governor's Office, Department of Geography|location=University of Jaffna|pages=61|language=en}}</ref>


==History==
==History==
{{multiple image
Nāka Tivu / Nāka Nadu was the name of the whole [[Jaffna peninsula]] in some historical documents. There are number of Buddhist myths associated with the interactions of people of this historical place with [[Buddha]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Malalasekera|first=G.P.|title=Dictionary of Pali Proper Names: Pali-English|year=2003|publisher=Asian Educational Services |isbn=8120618238 |page=42}}</ref> The two Tamil Buddhist epics of [[Kundalakesi]] and [[Manimekalai]] describe the islet of ''Manipallavam'' of Nāka Tivu/Nadu which is identified with this islet of the Jaffna peninsula. Manimekalai describes the ancient island of Manipallavam from where merchants came to obtain [[Gemstone|gems]] and [[conch]] shells. The [[Tamil language]] inscription of the Nainativu temple by [[Parâkramabâhu I]] of the 12th century CE states that foreign merchants must land at [[Kayts]] before entering the island, and for other ports. The Hindu temple was destroyed by the Portuguese in 1620 CE. It was restored and re-established in 1788. A portion of the inscription slab is built into the wall of the present restored temple. Nainativu temple was attacked and burnt in June 1958, and in March 1986. The Naga Deepa Buddhist Vihara was established in the 1940s by a resident monk with the help of local Tamils.<ref name="Dailynews">{{cite news|url=http://www.dailynews.lk/2008/06/13/fea05.asp|title=Nainativu Nagapooshani Chariot festival|last=Meeadhu|first=Kalabooshanam|date=13 June 2008|accessdate=18 January 2011}}</ref>
| align = left
| direction = vertical
| header = Early maps of Nainativu
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| width = 200


| image1 = Ruscelli-map-1562 Tamil vanni country.jpg
⚫
==Naga People==
| alt1 = 1562 Ruscelli map after Ptolemy
⚫
Nāka people were snake-worshippers, a [[Dravidian people|Dravidian]] custom, and spoke [[Tamil language|Tamil]] based on [[Claudius Ptolemaeus|Ptolemy's]] description of the Nāka people.<ref name="saf">Laura Smid (2003). South Asian folklore: an encyclopedia : Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka. Great Britain: Routledge. 429.</ref><ref>Chelvadurai Manogaran (1987). Ethnic conflict and reconciliation in Sri Lanka . United States of America: University of Hawaii Press. 21.</ref> They also likely spoke [[Prakrit]], a language of the school of [[Amaravati, Andhra Pradesh]] with which the early Tamils of Jaffna had strong cultural relations during the classical period. The Nākas were an offshoot of the [[Kerala]] [[Nair|Nayar]] community, at that time the [[Chera Dynasty|Chera kingdom]] of ancient [[Tamilakam]]. The interchangeable names Nāyar and Nāka or Naga, meaning ''Cobra'' or ''Serpent'' were applied to and self described by these snake-worshiping people from classical antiquity.<ref name="lklib">WWW Virtual Library Sri Lanka. (2009). The original inhabitants of Lanka: Yakkas & Nagas. Available: http://www.lankalibrary.com/cul/yakkas.htm. Last accessed 07 March 2010.</ref> The word Nāka was sometimes written in early inscriptions as Nāya, as in Nāyanika - this occurs in the Nanaghat inscription of 150 BCE. [[Excavation (archaeology)|Archaeological excavations]] and studies provide evidence of [[palaeolithic]] inhabitation in the Jaffna and Kerala region. The findings include Nāka idols and suggest that [[Snake worship|serpent worship]] was widely practised in the Kerala region during the [[megalithic]] period.<ref>http://keraladotpark.com/pdf/Archacological%20wonders.pdf A research paper from archaeologist Dr. P. Rajendran showing evidence of paleolithic age human inhabitation in Kerala. This includes the pictures of serpent [[Cult image|idols]] made of clay and metal which belong to the mesolithic age.</ref><ref>[http://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=2146412855 Department of Archaeology, Kerala University confirms paleolithic age findings in Kerala]</ref><ref>[http://www.keralaline.com/stone-age-studies-south-india General article for palaeolithic age findings in Kerala]</ref><ref>[http://www.todayskerala.com/history_kerala.htm A very detailed article including palaeolithic age in Kerala]</ref><ref>{{cite newspaper |url=http://www.hindu.com/2010/12/27/stories/2010122755780500.htm |title=Anthropological museum to have new additions |newspaper=The Hindu Newspaper (Kerala) |date=27 December 2010 |accessdate=2011-05-03}}</ref>
| caption1 = [[Ptolemy]]'s map of [[Taprobana]] of 140 CE in a 1562 Ruscelli publication. The islet is called ''Nagadiba'' while the Jaffna peninsula is called ''Nagadiba Maagramum''.
⚫
}}
Nāka Tivu / Nāka Nadu was the name of the whole [[Jaffna peninsula]] in some historical documents. There are number of Buddhist myths associated with the interactions of people of this historical place with [[Buddha]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Malalasekera|first=G.P.|title=Dictionary of Pali Proper Names: Pali-English|year=2003|publisher=Asian Educational Services |isbn=81-206-1823-8 |page=42}}</ref> The two Tamil epics of the second century - ''[[Kundalakesi]]'' and ''[[Manimekalai]]'' - describe the islet of ''Manipallavam'' of Nāka Nadu, this islet of the Jaffna peninsula, from where merchants came to obtain [[Gemstone|gems]] and [[conch]] shells.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O2lDAAAAYAAJ&q=jaffna+manipallavam+gem|title=Journal of Indian History|date=1965|publisher=Department of Modern Indian History|location=University of Allahabad|pages=18|language=en}}</ref> The protagonists of the former story by Nathakuthanaar, visited the island. In the latter poem by [[Sīthalai Sāttanār]], the sea goddess Manimekhala brings the heroine to the island, where she worships Buddha. She is also told of the petrosomatoglyph atop the mountain of the main island and a magic bowl Amudha Surabhi (cornucopia bowl) that appears once every year in a lake of the islet.


The ''Manimekhalai'' and the ''Mahavamsa'' both describe Buddha settling a dispute between two Naga princes over a gem set throne seat on an island known as ''Manipallavam'' or ''Nagadeepa'', identified as Nainativu by several scholars.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gEjYAAAAMAAJ&q=manipallavam+nagadeepa|title=Encyclopaedia of Buddhism|last=Malalasekera|first=Gunapala Piyasena|date=1961|publisher=Government of Ceylon|pages=83|language=en}}</ref> The [[Tamil language]] inscription of the Nainativu Hindu temple by [[Parâkramabâhu I]] of the 12th century CE states that foreigners landing at new ports must meet at [[Kayts]] and they must be protected, and if ships to the islet carrying elephants and horses get shipwrecked, a fourth of the cargo must go to the treasury.<ref>K. Indrapala. (1963). The Nainativu Tamil Inscription of Parakramabahu I. UCR Vol XX1. No. 1. pp.70</ref>
⚫
The Nākas lived among the [[Yakkha people of Sri Lanka|Yakkha]], [[Raksha people of Sri Lanka|Raksha]] and [[Deva people of Sri Lanka|Deva]] in Ceylon according to the ''Manimekhalai'' and ''Mahavamsa''. Cobra worship, Tamil speech and [[Cuisine of Kerala|Keralan cuisine]] extant in Jaffna Tamil culture from the classical period attests to the Nāka's Tamil heritage.


The epic [[Manimekalai]] tells the story of the Chola king Killi who on a visit to the island fell in love with the naga princess Pilivalai, the daughter of king Valaivanan of Manipallavam. The prince born out of this union was [[Ilandiraiyan|Tondaiman Ilamtiraiyan]]. When the boy grew up the princess wanted to send her son to the Chola kingdom. So she entrusted the prince to a merchant who dealt in woolen blankets called Kambala Chetty when the latter's ship stopped in the island. During the voyage to the Chola kingdom, the ship was wrecked due to rough weather and the boy was lost. He was later found washed ashore with a Tondai twig (creeper) around his leg. So he came to be called Tondaiman Ilam Tiraiyan meaning ''the young one of the seas or waves''. When he grew up the northern part of the Chola kingdom was entrusted to him and the area he governed came to be called Tondaimandalam after him. He is considered by some scholars to be the progenitor of the Pallava dynasty and the dynasty he founded took its name after the native place of his mother, that is Manipallavam.<ref>{{cite book|title=Manimekalai: Dancer with Magic Bowl : Buddhist Epic in Tamil (second Century AD)|author=Arputha Rani Sengupta|publisher=Daya Books, 2006|page=13}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=History of Ancient India|author=Rama Shankar Tripathi|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publ., 1967|page=442}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=History of the Pallavas of Kanchi by R. Gopalan|author=R. Gopalan|editor=Sakkottai Krishnaswami Aiyangar|publisher=University of Madras, 1928|page=30}}</ref>
[[Sangam literature]] details how the ancient Tamil people were divided into five clans (''[[Sangam period#Population|Kudi]]'') based on their profession during the Sangam period, where the ''Nāka'' clan, who were incharge of border security guarding the city wall and distant fortresses, inhabited the [[Coromandel Coast]] - South Tamil Nadu, East Tamil Nadu and North Sri Lanka. The name Nāka as either a corrupted version of the word Nayanar or may have been applied to this community due to their head covering being the shape of a hydra-headed cobra in reverence to their serpentine deities.<ref name="hat">Srilankanreference. (2009). Sri Lanka - Yakksha and Naga Times. Available: http://www.info.lk/srilanka/srilankahistory/yaksa_naga.htm. Last accessed 07 March 2010.</ref> The rulers and society of Nāka-Tivu and Nāka-Nadu, meaning Nāka island (Tivu) or country (Nadu) are described in the [[Vallipuram]] gold plate inscriptions and the ''[[Manimekalai]]'' for many centuries.<ref name="ReferenceA">Peter Shalk. SERENDIPITY - ISSUE 02 - THE VALLIPURAM BUDDHA IMAGE - AGAIN</ref> H. Parker, a British historian and author of "Ancient Ceylon" considers the Nāka to be an offshoot of the [[Nair|Nayars]] of Kerala<ref name="park">H. Parker (1909). Ancient Ceylon. New Dehli: Asian Educational Services. 7.</ref> Ancient Sri Lankan history book [[Mahavamsa]] mentions a dispute between two Naga kings in northern Sri Lanka.<ref>http://www.lankalibrary.com/heritage/naga.htm</ref> The ''Manimekhalai'' and archaeological inscriptions refer to the [[Early Cholas|Chola]]-Naka alliance and intermarriange being the progenitor of the [[Pallava Dynasty]] of Tamilakam.


⚫
==Naga People==
⚫
===Decline of Naga identity and assimilation===
{{See also|Naga people (Lanka)}}
The Nagas are likely to have lost their identity over time, due to their loss of power and the formation of alliances with the new settlers of Sri Lanka. It is believed the original populations control over the island declined and they moved to their stronghold in the North of Sri Lanka. Nainativu being called Nayanairtheevu and Nagadeepa since ancient time explains this. The Sri Lankan Tamil people of Nainativu, are descendants of the Naga people. They continue to worship their patron Nayanair deity within the [[sanctum sanctorum]] of the Nainativu Sri Nagapooshani Amman Temple. Historical records show that this temple was established by the Kerala Nairs who travelled between the Chera Kingdom and the early Jaffna Kingdom. The temple continues to be a major pilgrimage location for Kerala Nairs, neighbouring Sri Lankan Tamils, and some Indian Tamils of Southern coastal regions of [[Tamil Nadu]] despite the decline of the Naga identity.
⚫
Naga people were snake-worshippers, a [[Dravidian people|Dravidian]] custom, and spoke [[Tamil language|Tamil]] based on [[Claudius Ptolemaeus|Ptolemy's]] description of the Naga people.<ref name="saf">Laura Smid (2003). South Asian folklore: an encyclopedia : Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka. Great Britain: Routledge. 429.</ref><ref>Chelvadurai Manogaran (1987). Ethnic conflict and reconciliation in Sri Lanka . United States of America: University of Hawaii Press. 21.</ref> They also likely spoke [[Prakrit]], a language of the school of [[Amaravathi village, Guntur district]] with which the early Tamils of Jaffna had strong cultural relations during the classical period. The Nākas were a branch of the Dravidian community, and were at that time part of the [[Chera Dynasty|Chera kingdom]], and of ancient [[Tamilakam]]. [[Excavation (archaeology)|Archaeological excavations]] and studies provide evidence of [[palaeolithic]] inhabitation in the Tamil dominated Northern and Eastern Sri Lanka and in Tamil Naadu and Chera Naadu (Kerala region). The findings include Nāka idols and suggest that [[Snake worship|serpent worship]] was widely practised in the Dravidian regions of India and Sri Lanka during the [[megalithic]] period.<ref>http://keraladotpark.com/pdf/Archacological%20wonders.pdf A research paper from archaeologist Dr. P. Rajendran showing evidence of paleolithic age human inhabitation in Kerala. This includes the pictures of serpent [[Cult image|idols]] made of clay and metal which belong to the mesolithic age.</ref><ref>[http://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=2146412855 Department of Archaeology, Kerala University confirms paleolithic age findings in Kerala]</ref><ref>[http://www.keralaline.com/stone-age-studies-south-india General article for palaeolithic age findings in ancient Chera region]</ref><ref>[http://www.todayskerala.com/history_kerala.htm A very detailed article including palaeolithic age in Kerala which was then part of Chera Naadu, one of the three Tamil kingdoms of that era]</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.hindu.com/2010/12/27/stories/2010122755780500.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110101004256/http://hindu.com/2010/12/27/stories/2010122755780500.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=1 January 2011 |title=Anthropological museum to have new additions |date=27 December 2010 |newspaper=[[The Hindu]] |access-date=2011-05-03}}</ref>


⚫
The Nākas lived among the [[Yakkha people of Sri Lanka|Yakkha]], [[Raksha people of Sri Lanka|Raksha]] and [[Deva people of Sri Lanka|Deva]] in Ceylon according to the ''Manimekalai'' and ''Mahavamsa''. Cobra worship, Tamil speech and [[Cuisine of Kerala|Keralan cuisine]] extant in Jaffna Tamil culture from the classical period attests to the Nāka's heritage.
There are many Naga temples in India and many Hindu families are descended from Nagavanshis. The Nairs, Nayaks, Bunts are all snake worshipping people. Nair families have [[Sarpa Kavu|sarpa kavus]] in their [[Theravad]] (ancestral house), the same applies for Bunts and most of the royal families of Kerala and Tulunadu.


[[Sangam literature]] details how the ancient Tamil people were divided into five clans (''[[Sangam period#Population|Kudi]]'') based on their profession during the Sangam period, where the ''Nāka'' clan, who were in charge of border security guarding the city wall and distant fortresses, inhabited the [[Coromandel Coast]] - South Tamil Nadu, East Tamil Nadu and North Sri Lanka. The name Nāka was either a corrupted version of the word Nayinaar or may have been applied to this community due to their head covering being the shape of a hydra-headed cobra in reverence to their serpentine deities. Ancient Tamil epic Manimekalai and the Sri Lankan history book [[Mahavamsa]] both mention a dispute between two Naga kings in northern Sri Lanka.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.lankalibrary.com/heritage/naga.htm|title=New Page 1}}</ref> Some scholars derives the origin of the [[Pallava dynasty]] of [[Tamilakam]] from an marriage alliance of the [[Chola dynasty|Cholas]] and the [[Naga people (Lanka)|Naga]] from [[Jaffna Peninsula]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gE7udqBkACwC&q=chola+naga+pallava+inscription&pg=PA184|title=A Comprehensive History Of Ancient India (3 Vol. Set)|date=2003-12-01|publisher=Sterling Publishers Pvt. Ltd|isbn=9788120725034|pages=184|language=en}}</ref> This incident is mentioned in the [[Tamil literature|Tamil epic]], [[Manimekalai]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QYcMAQAAMAAJ&q=pallava+manimekalai|title=India and the eastern seas|last1=Tripathi|first1=Alok|last2=India|first2=Archaeological Survey of|last3=Navy|first3=India Indian|date=2007-09-01|publisher=Organising Committee of International Seminar on Marine Archaeology|isbn=9788173200755|pages=51|language=en}}</ref>
==Demography==
⚫
The population of the island is approximately 2,500 [[Sri Lankan Tamils]] and about 250 [[Sri Lankan Moors|Muslims]] Many Tamils of Nainativu origin, live in various cities and towns of India, Europe, Australia, and North America as part of the [[Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora]].<ref name="Dailynews"/>


⚫
===Decline of Naga identity and assimilation ===
==Gallery==
According to scholars did the [[Naga people (Lanka)|Naga people]], also known as ''Nayanair'', assimilate to [[Tamil language]] and culture, forming one of descendants of the [[Sri Lankan Tamils]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Kj_aWm4DeFEC&q=demela&pg=PA74|title=The Sri Lanka Reader: History, Culture, Politics|last=Holt|first=John|date=2011-04-13|publisher=Duke University Press|isbn=978-0822349822|pages=74|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SCIDFTjeDD4C&q=nagadibois|title=Geographical Aspects of the Northern Province, Sri Lanka|last=Rajeswaran|first=S. T. B.|date=2012|publisher=Governor's Office, Department of Geography|location=University of Jaffna|pages=60|language=en}}</ref> They continue to worship their patron Nayinaar deity (a five headed cobra) and Nagapooshani Amman even today within the [[sanctum sanctorum]] of the [[Nainativu Nagapooshani Amman Temple]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ALlzkC9_pm4C&q=Nayinaar+nainativu|title=XV Governors' Conference: Northern Province at Tilko Jaffna City Hotel 15.11.2012|date=2012|publisher=Northern Province, Government of Sri Lanka|pages=22|language=ta}}</ref>
{{Gallery
|title=Nainativu Gallery
⚫
|width=200
|height=200
|lines=2
|File:Nagapooshani Amman Temple.jpg|Nagapooshani Amman temple, Nainativu
|File:Nainathivu.JPG|Nagapooshani Amman temple - view from the sea
|File:Nagadipa temple.jpg|Nagadipa temple, Nainativu
|File:Nainathivunakaviharai 2.jpg|Nainativu Naha Vihara
|File:NainathivuNahaVihara.JPG|Nainativu Naha Vihara
|File:NainathivuBoatSerivice.JPG|Nainativu boat service
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}}


==See also==
==Demography==
⚫
The population of the island is approximately 2,500 [[Sri Lankan Tamils]] and about 150 [[Sri Lankan Moors|Muslims]]. Many Tamils of Nainativu origin, live in various cities and towns of India, Europe, Australia, and North America as part of the [[Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora]].<ref name="Dailynews">{{cite news|url=http://www.dailynews.lk/2008/06/13/fea05.asp|title=Nainativu Nagapooshani Chariot festival|last=Meeadhu|first=Kalabooshanam|date=13 June 2008|access-date=18 January 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604144757/http://www.dailynews.lk/2008/06/13/fea05.asp|archive-date=4 June 2011}}</ref>
Other places of Hindu and Buddhist jointveneration in Sri Lanka.


==See also==
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*[[Adams Peak]]
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{{Commons category|Nainativu}}
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*[[Adam's Peak]]
*[[Kataragama temple]]
*[[Kataragama temple]]
*[[Munneswaram temple]]
*[[Munneswaram temple]]
*[[Nallur (Jaffna)]]
*[[Nallur (Jaffna)]]



==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
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{{Commons category}}
{{reflist|2}}


{{Authority control}}
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[[Category:Jaffna District]]
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[[Category:Islands of Sri Lanka]]
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[[Category:Tamil Buddhism]]


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[[Category:Buddhism amongst Tamils]]
[[es:Nainativu]]
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[[Category:Islands of Jaffna District]]
[[ta:நயினாதீவு]]
[[Category:Island South DS Division]]
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[[Category:Ancient Greek geography of Sri Lanka]]

Latest revision as of 20:19, 24 October 2024

Nainativu
நயினாதீவு
නාගදීපය
Island
Nagapooshani Amman Kovil
Nagapooshani Amman Kovil
Nainativu is located in Northern Province
Nainativu
Nainativu
Coordinates: 9°36′0″N 79°46′0″E / 9.60000°N 79.76667°E / 9.60000; 79.76667
CountrySri Lanka
ProvinceNorthern
DistrictJaffna
DS DivisionIsland South

Nainativu (Tamil: நயினாதீவு Nainatheevu, Sinhala: නාගදීපය Nagadeepa),[1][2] is a small but notable island off the coast of Jaffna Peninsula in the Northern Province, Sri Lanka. The name of the island alludes to the folklore inhabitants, the Naga people. It is home to the Hindu shrine of Nagapooshani Amman Temple; one of the prominent 64 Shakti Peethas, and the Buddhist shrine Nagadeepa Purana Viharaya.

Historians note the island is mentioned in the ancient Tamil Sangam literature of nearby Tamil Nadu such as Manimekalai where it was mentioned as Manipallavam (Tamil: மணிபல்லவம்), and ancient Buddhist legends of Sri Lanka such as Mahavamsa. Ptolemy, a Greek cartographer, describes the islands around the Jaffna peninsula as Nagadiba (Greek: Ναγάδιβα)[3] in the first century CE.[4][5][6]

History

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Early maps of Nainativu
1562 Ruscelli map after Ptolemy
Ptolemy's map of Taprobana of 140 CE in a 1562 Ruscelli publication. The islet is called Nagadiba while the Jaffna peninsula is called Nagadiba Maagramum.

Nāka Tivu / Nāka Nadu was the name of the whole Jaffna peninsula in some historical documents. There are number of Buddhist myths associated with the interactions of people of this historical place with Buddha.[7] The two Tamil epics of the second century - Kundalakesi and Manimekalai - describe the islet of Manipallavam of Nāka Nadu, this islet of the Jaffna peninsula, from where merchants came to obtain gems and conch shells.[8] The protagonists of the former story by Nathakuthanaar, visited the island. In the latter poem by Sīthalai Sāttanār, the sea goddess Manimekhala brings the heroine to the island, where she worships Buddha. She is also told of the petrosomatoglyph atop the mountain of the main island and a magic bowl Amudha Surabhi (cornucopia bowl) that appears once every year in a lake of the islet.

The Manimekhalai and the Mahavamsa both describe Buddha settling a dispute between two Naga princes over a gem set throne seat on an island known as Manipallavam or Nagadeepa, identified as Nainativu by several scholars.[9] The Tamil language inscription of the Nainativu Hindu temple by Parâkramabâhu I of the 12th century CE states that foreigners landing at new ports must meet at Kayts and they must be protected, and if ships to the islet carrying elephants and horses get shipwrecked, a fourth of the cargo must go to the treasury.[10]

The epic Manimekalai tells the story of the Chola king Killi who on a visit to the island fell in love with the naga princess Pilivalai, the daughter of king Valaivanan of Manipallavam. The prince born out of this union was Tondaiman Ilamtiraiyan. When the boy grew up the princess wanted to send her son to the Chola kingdom. So she entrusted the prince to a merchant who dealt in woolen blankets called Kambala Chetty when the latter's ship stopped in the island. During the voyage to the Chola kingdom, the ship was wrecked due to rough weather and the boy was lost. He was later found washed ashore with a Tondai twig (creeper) around his leg. So he came to be called Tondaiman Ilam Tiraiyan meaning the young one of the seas or waves. When he grew up the northern part of the Chola kingdom was entrusted to him and the area he governed came to be called Tondaimandalam after him. He is considered by some scholars to be the progenitor of the Pallava dynasty and the dynasty he founded took its name after the native place of his mother, that is Manipallavam.[11][12][13]

Naga People

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See also: Naga people (Lanka)

Naga people were snake-worshippers, a Dravidian custom, and spoke Tamil based on Ptolemy's description of the Naga people.[14][15] They also likely spoke Prakrit, a language of the school of Amaravathi village, Guntur district with which the early Tamils of Jaffna had strong cultural relations during the classical period. The Nākas were a branch of the Dravidian community, and were at that time part of the Chera kingdom, and of ancient Tamilakam. Archaeological excavations and studies provide evidence of palaeolithic inhabitation in the Tamil dominated Northern and Eastern Sri Lanka and in Tamil Naadu and Chera Naadu (Kerala region). The findings include Nāka idols and suggest that serpent worship was widely practised in the Dravidian regions of India and Sri Lanka during the megalithic period.[16][17][18][19][20]

The Nākas lived among the Yakkha, Raksha and Deva in Ceylon according to the Manimekalai and Mahavamsa. Cobra worship, Tamil speech and Keralan cuisine extant in Jaffna Tamil culture from the classical period attests to the Nāka's heritage.

Sangam literature details how the ancient Tamil people were divided into five clans (Kudi) based on their profession during the Sangam period, where the Nāka clan, who were in charge of border security guarding the city wall and distant fortresses, inhabited the Coromandel Coast - South Tamil Nadu, East Tamil Nadu and North Sri Lanka. The name Nāka was either a corrupted version of the word Nayinaar or may have been applied to this community due to their head covering being the shape of a hydra-headed cobra in reverence to their serpentine deities. Ancient Tamil epic Manimekalai and the Sri Lankan history book Mahavamsa both mention a dispute between two Naga kings in northern Sri Lanka.[21] Some scholars derives the origin of the Pallava dynasty of Tamilakam from an marriage alliance of the Cholas and the Naga from Jaffna Peninsula.[22] This incident is mentioned in the Tamil epic, Manimekalai.[23]

Decline of Naga identity and assimilation

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According to scholars did the Naga people, also known as Nayanair, assimilate to Tamil language and culture, forming one of descendants of the Sri Lankan Tamils.[24][25] They continue to worship their patron Nayinaar deity (a five headed cobra) and Nagapooshani Amman even today within the sanctum sanctorum of the Nainativu Nagapooshani Amman Temple.[26]

Demography

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The population of the island is approximately 2,500 Sri Lankan Tamils and about 150 Muslims. Many Tamils of Nainativu origin, live in various cities and towns of India, Europe, Australia, and North America as part of the Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora.[27]

See also

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Nainativu.

References

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  1. ^ "Neṭun-tīvu, Puṅkuṭu-tīvu, Nayiṉā-tīvu, Eḻuvai-tīvu, Maṇṭai-tīvu". TamilNet. 15 July 2007.
  2. ^ "Naaka-naadu, Naaka-theevu, Naaga-deepa". TamilNet. 7 May 2010.
  3. ^ Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854), Nagadiba
  4. ^ Nicholas, C.W. (1963). Historical topography of ancient and medieval Ceylon. Journal of the Ceylon Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, New Series (Vol VI). p. 10. Other obvious identifications are Nagadiba with Nagadipa or Nakadiva (the Jaffna peninsula) and Rhogandanoi with the inhabitants of Rohana (Ruhuna).
  5. ^ "Claudius Ptolemy's Sri Lankan Map". Archaeology.lk. 2 November 2020.
  6. ^ Rajeswaran, S. T. B. (2012). Geographical Aspects of the Northern Province, Sri Lanka. University of Jaffna: Governor's Office, Department of Geography. p. 61.
  7. ^ Malalasekera, G.P. (2003). Dictionary of Pali Proper Names: Pali-English. Asian Educational Services. p. 42. ISBN 81-206-1823-8.
  8. ^ Journal of Indian History. University of Allahabad: Department of Modern Indian History. 1965. p. 18.
  9. ^ Malalasekera, Gunapala Piyasena (1961). Encyclopaedia of Buddhism. Government of Ceylon. p. 83.
  10. ^ K. Indrapala. (1963). The Nainativu Tamil Inscription of Parakramabahu I. UCR Vol XX1. No. 1. pp.70
  11. ^ Arputha Rani Sengupta. Manimekalai: Dancer with Magic Bowl : Buddhist Epic in Tamil (second Century AD). Daya Books, 2006. p. 13.
  12. ^ Rama Shankar Tripathi. History of Ancient India. Motilal Banarsidass Publ., 1967. p. 442.
  13. ^ R. Gopalan. Sakkottai Krishnaswami Aiyangar (ed.). History of the Pallavas of Kanchi by R. Gopalan. University of Madras, 1928. p. 30.
  14. ^ Laura Smid (2003). South Asian folklore: an encyclopedia : Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka. Great Britain: Routledge. 429.
  15. ^ Chelvadurai Manogaran (1987). Ethnic conflict and reconciliation in Sri Lanka . United States of America: University of Hawaii Press. 21.
  16. ^ http://keraladotpark.com/pdf/Archacological%20wonders.pdf A research paper from archaeologist Dr. P. Rajendran showing evidence of paleolithic age human inhabitation in Kerala. This includes the pictures of serpent idols made of clay and metal which belong to the mesolithic age.
  17. ^ Department of Archaeology, Kerala University confirms paleolithic age findings in Kerala
  18. ^ General article for palaeolithic age findings in ancient Chera region
  19. ^ A very detailed article including palaeolithic age in Kerala which was then part of Chera Naadu, one of the three Tamil kingdoms of that era
  20. ^ "Anthropological museum to have new additions". The Hindu. 27 December 2010. Archived from the original on 1 January 2011. Retrieved 3 May 2011.
  21. ^ "New Page 1".
  22. ^ A Comprehensive History Of Ancient India (3 Vol. Set). Sterling Publishers Pvt. Ltd. 1 December 2003. p. 184. ISBN 9788120725034.
  23. ^ Tripathi, Alok; India, Archaeological Survey of; Navy, India Indian (1 September 2007). India and the eastern seas. Organising Committee of International Seminar on Marine Archaeology. p. 51. ISBN 9788173200755.
  24. ^ Holt, John (13 April 2011). The Sri Lanka Reader: History, Culture, Politics. Duke University Press. p. 74. ISBN 978-0822349822.
  25. ^ Rajeswaran, S. T. B. (2012). Geographical Aspects of the Northern Province, Sri Lanka. University of Jaffna: Governor's Office, Department of Geography. p. 60.
  26. ^ XV Governors' Conference: Northern Province at Tilko Jaffna City Hotel 15.11.2012 (in Tamil). Northern Province, Government of Sri Lanka. 2012. p. 22.
  27. ^ Meeadhu, Kalabooshanam (13 June 2008). "Nainativu Nagapooshani Chariot festival". Archived from the original on 4 June 2011. Retrieved 18 January 2011.
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