Verified with Documented VariantsEditorial Framework #48 of 51

Lanka (Indrakshi / Nainativu / Trincomalee)

लंका (इंद्राक्षी / नैनतिवु / त्रिंकोमाली) · Nainativu Nagapooshani Amman / Trincomalee Shankari Devi axis (Northern / Eastern Province, Sri Lanka)

Editorial & Scholarly Protocol: AnantaMarg uses a 51-site Pithanirnaya-based framework for this catalogue. Other Shakta traditions preserve different enumerations and identifications.

Spiritual Significance

Enshrining the anklet (Nupura) of Sati in historic Lanka. Reconciles both the living island shrine of Mother Nagapooshani off Jaffna and the iconic clifftop seat of Shankari Devi at Trincomalee.

Sacred Triad & Field-Level Provenance

Pithanirnaya Recension

Shakti (Devi)Primary

Indrakshi

इंद्राक्षी

Basis: Pithanirnaya, v. 48

Sources: pithanirnaya

Documented Variants:

Shankari Devi (शांकरी देवी)

Ashtadasa Maha Shakti Peetha Stotram (Adi Shankaracharya)

Nagapooshani Amman (नागपूषणी अम्मन)

Nainativu temple sthala purana

BhairavaPrimary

Rakshaseshwara

राक्षसेश्वर

Basis: Pithanirnaya, v. 48

Sources: pithanirnaya

Documented Variants:

Trikoneshwara (Konesar) (त्रिकोणेश्वर (कोणेसर))

Trincomalee Koneswaram tradition

Relic / Body PartPrimary

Anklet (Nupura)

नूपुर (पायल)

Basis: Pithanirnaya, v. 48

Sources: pithanirnaya

Documented Variants:

Groin / Thigh (Kati / Uru) (कटि / उरु)

Certain Ashtadasa stotram commentaries

Modern Location & Geographic Coordinates

9.6194° N, 79.7744° E

Identified Site

Nainativu Nagapooshani Amman / Trincomalee Shankari Devi axis

Nainativu Island, Jaffna & Swami Rock, Trincomalee

State/Province & Country

Jaffna / Trincomalee, Northern / Eastern Province (Sri Lanka)

Access Guidance: Nainativu is reached by ferry from Kurikadduwan jetty, 35 km from Jaffna city. Trincomalee is on Sri Lanka's east coast.

Geographic Uncertainty: Textual 'Lanka' with anklet relic is worshipped primarily at Nainativu Nagapooshani Amman Temple (an island off Jaffna peninsula, 9.6194°N, 79.7744°E), while Adi Shankaracharya's 18-peetha hymn celebrates Shankari Devi atop Swami Rock at Koneswaram, Trincomalee (8.5881°N, 81.2408°E).

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Alternate Identifications & Scholarly Discussion

Competing / Alternate Sites:

Koneswaram Temple & Shankari Devi Peeth (कोनेश्वरम मंदिर एवं शांकरी देवी पीठ)Swami Rock, Fort Frederick, Trincomalee, Eastern Province (Sri Lanka)

Traditional Basis: Celebrated in Adi Shankaracharya's hymn ('Lankayam Shankari Devi'); historical cliff temple reconstructed after 17th-century Portuguese destruction.

Documentary Sources & Provenance Hierarchy

Tier 1 — Scriptural Texts (प्रामाणिक धार्मिक ग्रंथ)

Pithanirnaya (Mahapithanirupana) (Verse 48) [D.C. Sircar (1948)]
Ashtadasa Maha Shakti Peetha Stotram — Adi Shankaracharya's composition naming Shankari

Tier 2 & 3 — Institutional, Archaeological & Scholarly Sources

Nainativu Sri Nagapooshani Amman Kovil Trust (official temple)
Trincomalee Koneswaram Temple Restoration Committee (official temple)
Department of Hindu Religious and Cultural Affairs, Sri Lanka (government tourism)

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