Nainativu
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Nainativu நயினாதீவு නාගදීපය |
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| Island | |
Nagapooshani Amman Kovil
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 Nainativu
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| Coordinates: 9°36′0″N 79°46′0″E / 9.60000°N 79.76667°ECoordinates: 9°36′0″N 79°46′0″E / 9.60000°N 79.76667°E | |
| Country | Sri Lanka |
| Province | Northern |
| District | Jaffna |
| DS Division | Islands South |
Nainathivu or Nainatheevu (Tamil: நயினாதீவு), (also known as Manipallavam (Tamil: மணிபல்லவம்), or Nagadeepa (Sinhalese: නාගදීපය)) 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 Shree Nagapooshani (Bhuvaneswari) Amman; one of the prominent 64 Shakti Peethas, and the Buddhist shrine Nagadeepa Vihare. Historians note the island is mentioned in the ancient 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.
Nāka Tivu / Nāka Nadu was the name of the whole Jaffna peninsula in some historical documents.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. The two Tamil Jain and Buddhist epics of the second century - Kundalakesi and Manimekalai - describe the islet of Manipallavam of Nāka Tivu/Nadu, this islet of the Jaffna peninsula, from where merchants came to obtain gems and conch shells. The protagonists of the former story by Ilango Adigal visited the island. In the latter poem by Sīthalai Sāttanār, the sea goddess Manimekhala brings the heroine to the island, where she worships Lord 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.
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