The Shakti peetha in Sri Lanka is located in Thirukkonamalai.
Sadly today only one pillar of the grand temple that stood there exist. It was a sacred spot for all Sri Lankans back then.
Thirukkonamalai was supposed to be the richest and the most visited Hindu shrine, maybe more so than Rameshwaram or Puri in India. It was extolled by the Nayanmar saints in the Tevaram and by Arunagirinathar in his Thiruppugazh, Konamaamalai was a great center of Shiva worship, second only to Chidambaram. It is one of the two Paadal Petra Thalams in Lanka.
There is Archeological and literary evidence that prove the existence of at least three temples on the cliff, with one gopuram taller than the other, the highest gopuram enshrining the main deity. The main temple itself was believed to have a thousand pillars supporting a humongous hall and many mandapas.
The rock carving near the temple, referred to as the Konesar Kalvettu places the beginnings of the temple circa 1580 BC. The temple has recorded history from as far as 300BC.
It was destroyed by the Buddhist king Mahasena and replaced by Buddha Viharas, the temple was renewed and reconstructed by the Chozha King Kulakotta Chozhan. He rebuilt the temple and the tank, earning his name (Kulam – Tank, Kattu – Build) and brought down the Vanniars to settle in the region and make it flourish. The temple was further served by the Pandya, Pallava and the Jaffna kings making it a magnificent place of pilgrimage that attracted people from all over the subcontinent. The kings and the Vanniars paid handsome tributes of gold, silver and pearl to the lord, making the temple prosperous and famous.
The glory however became the very bane of the temple. On the Tamil New Year day (14th April) 1624, the temple was looted by the Portuguese. When the utsavar was taken out in a procession, the Portuguese entered the temple dressed as brahmanas and plundered its wealth. Gold, pearls and gems that were collected over thousands of years were looted in a few hours. The temple itself was cannon-balled and broken to pieces. Much of the temple’s masonry was used to reinforce Fort Frederick and the rest of it was pushed into the Indian Ocean. The fleeing priests buried much of the idols and sent the rest for safekeeping.
There is an more amazing part to this story. There exists a rock carving, dating to the early Pandya dynasty complete with the double fish Insignia, which foretells the fall of the temple into the hands of the Franks. Presently kept in the Lisbon Museum it prophesizes “O King, be warned, the franks will ruin the ancient temple built by Kulakottan and no future king will ever think of building it to its previous glory again.”
Not sure if this is the same rock,
I am aware of the significant loss of gravity around the Sri Lankan region.
I found old notes showing details of the Thirukkonamalai Temple by Constantine de Sa de Noronha, the same man who destroyed it
Location of the temple,