A natural mineral-water bathing spring beside the sea, believed to have healing powers, next to the ancient Naguleswaram temple.

Overview

Keerimalai is a walled freshwater mineral spring set right at the ocean's edge on the northern coast of the peninsula, where the cool spring water bubbles up beside the salty sea. Pilgrims and visitors bathe in its pools, which are traditionally believed to cure ailments and cleanse the body. The adjacent Naguleswaram Kovil, one of the ancient Shiva temples of the region, adds spiritual significance to the tranquil coastal setting.

History

The spring has been a place of ritual bathing for centuries and is woven into local legend, in which a princess with a horse-like face and a sage were said to be cured by its waters. It sits beside the Naguleswaram temple, one of the traditional Pancha Ishwarams of Shiva in Sri Lanka, an ancient site damaged in the colonial era and the civil war and since restored.