Koneswaram Temple
A temple to Shiva on Konesar Malai, the promontory above Trincomalee, with Gokarna bay and the Indian Ocean below. Known as the Temple of the Thousand Pillars, it is the most sacred of the Pancha Ishwarams of Sri Lanka.
- Where
- Trincomalee, Eastern Province, Sri Lanka
- Grade
- Well known
- Worth
- 10 points collected on site, plus 1 for its grade
- Coordinates
- 8.5825, 81.2456
Get the Koneswaram Temple stamp
Open LOQAH when you are at Koneswaram Temple. It checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp is yours: confirmed on site in gold and struck with the date. It goes into your Eastern Province volume with your photos and a note.
Near Koneswaram Temple
Kanniya Hot Springs 8.5 km
Seven hot wells set in a square near Trincomalee, each only about a metre deep, with water clear enough to see the bottom. Each runs at a slightly different temperature, and a well empties after ten or fifteen buckets are drawn.
Pigeon Island National Park 16 km
One of the three marine national parks of Sri Lanka, 1 km off the coast at Nilaveli, protecting some of the best remaining coral reefs on the island. It takes its name from the rock pigeons that live there, and people come to snorkel over the reef.
Seruwila Mangala Raja Maha Vihara 25 km
An ancient Buddhist temple in Trincomalee District, ninth of the Solosmasthana, the sixteen holiest Buddhist pilgrimage sites in Sri Lanka. It is identified with the historic Thissamaha Viharaya.
Somawathiya Chaitya 52 km
An ancient Buddhist stupa and temple in the plains near the border of the Polonnaruwa and Trincomalee districts. It is said to enshrine a tooth relic of the Buddha and draws pilgrims across the Mahaweli flood plain.
Medirigiriya Vatadage 55 km
A circular relic house on a rock in the village of Medirigiriya, north of Polonnaruwa, with rings of slender stone pillars around a central stupa. It is protected by the government as an archaeological monument.
Kaudulla National Park 60 km
A park around the Kaudulla tank, declared in 2002 as the 15th national park on the island. With Minneriya and Girithale it forms an Important Bird Area, and elephants come to graze at the water's edge.
Gal Vihara 73 km
Four Buddhas cut into one granite rock face for King Parakramabahu I in the 12th century: a large seated figure, a smaller one in a carved cave, a standing figure and a reclining one. They are among the finest works of ancient Sinhalese sculpture and the most visited sight in Polonnaruwa.
Rankoth Vehera 74 km
A large stupa built by King Nissanka Malla, who ruled from 1187 to 1196, closely modelled on the Ruwanweli stupa of Anuradhapura. Its name means gold pinnacled stupa, and with the Kiri Vehera it is one of the two most revered in Polonnaruwa.
More famous places to visit in Eastern Province
Questions
Where is Koneswaram Temple?
Koneswaram Temple is in Trincomalee, Eastern Province, Sri Lanka. The nearest other LOQAH stamps are Kanniya Hot Springs (8.5 km), Pigeon Island National Park (16 km), Seruwila Mangala Raja Maha Vihara (25 km).
How do I get the Koneswaram Temple stamp?
Open LOQAH when you are at Koneswaram Temple and get its stamp. The app checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp goes into your Eastern Province volume, confirmed on site, with the date.
I have been to Koneswaram Temple before. Can I still have the stamp?
Yes. Add it from Earlier trips in your Eastern Province volume, with the date if you know it, or import your Google Timeline and LOQAH matches the places you were.
Collect your first stamp.
LOQAH is free on iPhone and Android, in India and 20 more countries, with more countries on the way. Stand at a place, collect its stamp, and keep every trip in a passport that grows.