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Nainativu
Island in Sri Lanka / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Nainativu (Tamil: நயினாதீவு Nainatheevu, Sinhala: නාගදීපය Nagadeepa),[1][2] 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 Nagapooshani Amman Temple; one of the prominent 64 Shakti Peethas, and the Buddhist shrine Nagadeepa Purana Viharaya.
Nainativu
நயினாதீவு නාගදීපය | |
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![]() Nagapooshani Amman Kovil | |
Coordinates: 9°36′0″N 79°46′0″E | |
Country | Sri Lanka |
Province | Northern |
District | Jaffna |
DS Division | Island South |
Historians note the island is mentioned in the ancient Tamil Sangam literature of nearby Tamil Nadu such as Manimekalai where it was mentioned as Manipallavam (Tamil: மணிபல்லவம்), and ancient Buddhist legends of Sri Lanka such as Mahavamsa. Ptolemy, a Greek cartographer, describes the islands around the Jaffna peninsula as Nagadiba (Greek: Ναγάδιβα)[3] in the first century CE.[4][5][6]