An independent analysis shows that both religious faiths should share the place as a common place of worship.

Failure to accept this fact would reveal who the real racists and the extremists are.

The Controversy :

Eelamists claim the existence of a Hindu Kovil in present Fort Frederick, Trinco, based on a poem. Eelamists claim that a South Indian Tamil poem by Kavi Rajavarothiar mentions a Hindu Kovil in Trinco in 1589 BC.( which was the period when the first South Indian migrants arrived in Lanka, a land of opportunities). Immediately after liberation, Lankan king Mahasen established a Buddhists temple named Gokanna Viharaya in 280 AD. ( The truth is either it was a Buddhist temple from the beginning, OR it was a center of South Indian racism, which ruined the Lankan civilization around 280 AD). Eelamists also claim that a Kulakottan, a South Indian prince rebuilt and enlarged this temple by force in the 5th century AD.( This was during a brief occupation of Lanka by the South Indian army during an invasion). Fort Frederick was built with sculptured stones and pillars of the Buddhist temple Gokanna Viharaya (after the temple was demolished by the Portuguese). The Bo-tree, the last remining item from the ancient Gokanna viharaya built by king Mahasen in 280 AD, in front of the Hindu kovil, disappeared in 1963. The site is covered by a cemented platform, even today.

Here is the complete story :

200 BC - Gokanna Viharaya is built :

The BoTree was named Vadamanaka BoTree at this time.

275 AD - 2nd recorded Major destruction of Sinhala heritage by South Indian thugs in Lanka : Vaitulyan conspiracy

Just then the true colours of the conspirators were displayed. The evil monk Sangamitta had promoted a South Indian named Sona who was living in Lanka, as a powerful minister in the multi-cultural Lankan administration. He and his South Indian thugs then went on a riot. They pretended that this riot was "a public uprising against the extremist Theravada monks". The good old excuse " That was the angry people, not us" was heard again.

275 AD - 364 Theravada Buddhist Temples are destroyed

These thugs destroyed 364 Theravada temples and monasteries in Lanka. They planted Undu on those grounds. They did all these convincing the foolish king Mahasena that the Theravada Buddhism was extremist and inflexible. That was the end of the Great Theravada Buddhism in Lanka.

275 AD - Eelamists claim King Mahasen demolished Hindu Kovils

King Mahasen slowly eradicated the traitors who had been acting under the Vaitulyan Buddhist robe. He discovered that some racist power-hungry South Indians were part of the conspiracy. The descendants of the South Indian extremists blame him for the destruction of three Hindu Kovils today. Two were in Ruhuna. One was in Trinco (which is the famous Koneswaram Kovil in Fort Frederick). Since even the extremely patriotic Sinhala kings who cracked down hard on racial extremists later, never had a habit of destroying Kovils in revenge, King Mahasen obviously had a good reason to do so if he ever did so. Those must have been the places from where the conspirators operated. After all king Mahasen didn't destroy ALL the Hindu Kovils in the country. Therefore he must have had a good valid reason to destroy these particular 3 Hindu Kovils if he did.

276 AD - Gokanna Viharaya is built by King Mahasen (in present-day Fort Frederick, Trinco).

This must have been one of the three Hindu Kovils destroyed by the King Mahasen. He must have had a very good reason to do so as Sinhala kings never had a habit of destroying Hindu Kovils without a reason. ( If they did destroy ALL kovils there wouldn't be any South Indian culture left in Sri Lanka today). This Kovil, if ever there was one and the king destroyed it, must have been a center of conspiracy against Lanka. He built the Ancient Gokanna Viharaya there.

Later Lankan king Agbho the 5th repaired it..

1624 AD - Portuguese destroyed this ancient Buddhist temple to build the Fort Frederick.

As recorded by the Portuguese writers, they literally pushed the whole temple into the sea below.

Even the Dutch recorded this as a Buddhist Temple. So did Robert Knox.

1927 AD - A Hindu priest occupied the place and built a Hindu kovil :

1958 AD - One by one the Buddhist monuments vanished. Many years later, the famous diver Rodney Jonclaus who was making the movie “Ranmuthu Duuva”, discovered many Buddhist monuments, including Buddha Statues in the sea below the place. That was the end of the mystery.

But in 1964, the 2000 year old Bo tree, the only item to survive the Portuguese construction on the site, was destroyed and a cemented platform was built over the site by "unknown thugs".

The large Buddha statue, which also disappeared, had been recovered and is in display in the Trinco museum today.

http://www.nexcorpsl.com/sinhala/P_Koneswaram.htm

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