Tam: திருகோணமலை tirukōṇamalai – Sin: ත්රිකුණාමලය trikuṇāmalaya
‘Sacred Rock Point’ EP, Sri Lanka
From Tam: t(h)iru, ‘auspicious, sacred, holy’; kona(m), ‘point, tip, summit, end’; and malai, ‘hill, mountain, rock’.
The Koneswaram temple was constructed atop Swami Rock, on the edge of a peninsula with a cliff that looks down 120m to the sea below. Its earliest reference dates it to the 7th century at least.
The Portuguese built a fort here in 1623 which was captured first by the Dutch in 1639 and then by the British in 1782. For a spell it was occupied for by the French, returned for a ransom to the Dutch, and finally regained by the British in 1795 who called it Fort Frederick.
Trincomalee, with its large natural deep-water harbour, has been an important seaport since ancient times. It is now a popular resort with dolphin + whale-watching, and two gorgeous beaches (Nilaveli and Uppuveli).
Trinco also has its famous reindeer who, sadly, are not part of Santa’s herd and not even reindeer. They are, in fact, Sri Lankan spotted deer (Axis axis ceylonensis), a subspecies of the chital (Axis axis) found all over South Asia.
These deer are smaller, have a reddish-brown coat with white spots, and are commonly seen wandering around Trincomalee especially near the Koneswaram Temple and Fort Frederick. They also look remarkably like mini reindeer – especially the ones with long antlers [The Deer of Trinco].
For related place names see Sri Lanka Place names.
