Restoring Hindu Heritage Sites in Jaffna, Sri Lanka

Kadai Swami, one of the well known Gurus and Siddars, lived in mid-1800 in Jaffna, Sri Lanka. He started several Guru lineages and established several Mutts to serve Hinduism. Even though he roamed around in Jaffna bazaars like a mad man, such he performed many miracles and guided many on the spiritual path. Kadai Swami had been a judge in India; he renounced that life, became a swami and came to Jaffna. His name was actually Swami Mukthianantha but because he roamed around Jaffna bazaars, he came to be known as Kadai Swami. (Kadai means shop in Tamil).

When Kadai Swami arrived from India and he stayed in little hut on a small island called Mandaitheevu off the coast of Jaffna peninsula. Even while he was in Jaffna he travelled back and forth to Mandaitheevu.

After Swami's Maha Samadhi devotees of Mandaitheevu maintained the small hut and performed pujas there. In 1982 I visited the hut. During the last two decades, the entire population of Mandaitheevu was forced out as this area remained in the war zone. Now people have been allowed slowly to return to the island and people are rebuilding their lives there. Last month I went to Mandaitheevu in search of Swami's hut and saw that the land was overgrown and the hut was destroyed.

A few devotees came back to the island made a small coconut leaves thatched roof and have resumed the worship.

Now we have the task of rebuilding this small hut and preserving the rich heritage of the Kadai Swami for the next generation. I am enclosing some pictures of its recent condition.

Aum Shanthi,

Rishi Thondunathan