The Shankari devi temple, which is one of the original 51 Shakti peethas, is the place where Devi’s groin was said to have fallen. It was on the cliffs on the east coast of Sri Lanka at Trincomalee. It was destroyed completely by the Portuguese when they invaded Sri Lanka in the 17th century. Only a lone pillar is left.
However Devi’s idol was preserved and a new temple was built in the place where the original temple was , which is next to where the idol originally stood. Along with the Shankari Devi temple now there is a temple of Lord Shiva known as Trikoneswara temple which is very popular and considered a very powerful one.
The temple is open for devotees from 6AM to 6PM.
May to September is the best time to visit. Avoid The monsoon season which is from October to January
At Trincomalee there is a good beach you can enjoy and you can take a speed boat and enjoy watchin Dolphins and the Blue Whales.
You can enjoy taking a bath in the Kanniya Hot Springs – which is said to have medicinal properties to cure skin problems.
You can Go Snorkeling at the nearby Pigeon Island and can enjoy colourful corals and sparkling fish in the shallow waters here. You can also visit the Pigeon Island National Park
You can visit the nearby historic place Ford Frederick Built in the 1600s by the Portuguese.
How to reach:
By air -The closest airport to Trincomalee is Sigiriya which is about 81 km.
By train – from the Colombo Fort Station there is a train for Trincomalee five times a day. It takes about 3 ½ hours.
By road – From the Colombo Bastian Mawatha Bus station every 30 minutes there is an hourly bus to Trincomalee. It which takes about 7 hours.
Budget, 3star and 4 star hotels are there for accommodation.
