GAMANA The city of Jaffna, which is the fifth-largest city in Sri Lanka, is an important city on the island. This city especially the Jaffna Peninsula which consists of a large number of places that are culturally, historically, geographically, and archaeologically important is an important area in Sri Lanka. The Nagadeepa temple, which is situated about 30km away from Jaffna is a beautiful ancient temple with a long history. This temple is believed to have been belonged to the era of King Parakramabahu. This temple is one of the most important sixteen religious places (solosmasthana) of Buddhists. But in another epigraphic report, this temple is said to have been reconstructed either by King Devanampiyathissa or King Dutugamunu.
Getting to this temple through a causeway via Kites and Punkuduthiv among palm trees along sandy land is another experience. After a 30 km journey, a ferry service which operates every hour should be taken and the boat tour is just a 15 minutes row. It is said that Lord Buddha in his third visit to Sri Lanka has visited this temple to settle the dispute between Chulodhara Mahodara Naga kings over a gems studded throne. The Nagapooshani Amman Kovil is also another famous place among Hindu devotees. There are two jetties from Nagadeepa. One is from Amman Kovil and the other one is from the Buddhist Temple.
There is some unconfirmed evidence to say that this temple is said to have been built according to a request made by his queen from King Parakramabahu. Unlike other temples in Sri Lanka, this is a temple that had been facing problems since 1958 due to the ethnic conflict. With the end of the war in 2009, that adverse situation came to an end. By today, it has become a paradise for local and foreign tourists. In most of the traveling packages available in the Jaffna peninsula, travelers give priority to Nagadeepa.
