A spiritually active temple of Kartikeya Swami from the Ramayan era, presently in the control of Buddhists, at Kadargama (Srilanka) !

Study tour of Srilanka with respect to the Holy Ramayan by Sadguru (Mrs.)
Anjali Gadgil and student seekers on behalf of Maharshi Adhyatma Vishwavidylay

That part referred to as Lanka or Lankapuri in the Holy Ramayan is the country of Srilanka of today. In the Tretayug Shrimahavishnu assumed the incarnation of Shrirama and travelling to Lankapuri annihilated demons such as Ravan. Now 70% population there is Buddhist. Yet there are several spots here linked with Shrirama, Sita and Lakshman. Srilanka has a number of places, places of pilgrimage, caves, mountains and temples associated with Shrirama, Sita, Hanumant, Lakshman, Ravan and Mandodari. On behalf of Maharshi Adhyatma Vishwavidyalay Sadguru (Mrs.) Anjali Gadgil along with four student seekers toured Srilanka for a month to be able to procure information on all these seats of worship to give it to Hindus all over the world.

14 million people all over the world speak Tamil. The Family Deity (kuladevata) of most of the Tamilians is Kartikeya Swami. There are six famous temples of Kartikeya Swami in Tamilnadu. Outside Bharat the most famous and spiritually active temple of Kartikeya Swami is Kadargama in Srilanka. Kadargama is a Buddhist name. Before Buddhists came here this ancient place was called Kadir Gram, Kadir being a Name of Kartikeya and gram meaning village. This village is considered as belonging to Kartikswami for several yugs (eras).

1. Kadargama in Srilanka is that spot
where Kartikeya Swami manifested on the command
of Deity Indra to assist Prabhu Shrirama in the battle with Ravan

In the Tretayug when the Shrirama-Ravan battle reached the final stage, Deity Indra beckoned Kartikeya, He said, “The battle has reached the final stage now and Prabhu Shrirama will require your help to complete it. Till Shrirama completes the worship of Durgadevi you take charge of the army.” So Kartikeya complied. The spot where Kartikeya manifested on the earth in Srilanka is called Kadargama.

2. Kadargama, one out of Ravan’s eighteen
landing spots for air vehicles and the spot from where
Prabhu Shrirama departed for Ayodhya in a pushpak air vehicle

‘The second characteristic of Kadargama is that it was one out of eighteen landing spots for Ravan’s air vehicles. His favourite pushpak air vehicle was parked here. After Ravan was annihilated and after completion of post-battle formalities, Prabhu Shrirama proceeded to Ayodhya from this same pushpak air vehicle at this site carrying Sita, Lakshman, Hanumant and others.

3. ‘Kadargama’ the seat of Kartikeya which is in
existence since Tretayug is now in the control of Buddhists

Kadargama being a seat of Kartikeya from the Tretayug, its history dates back to thousands of years. In the present day Kaliyug, Kadargama is under the control of Buddhists and the Buddhist Srilankan Government. When we asked the Buddhist ascetics present there about the historical importance of Kadargama they were ignorant about it. The temples of Ganapati, Devi and Kartikeya here are thousands of years old. The temple built adjoining the main hall is the seat of worship of Kartikeya.

4. They believe Buddha to be the chief Deity
and others as inferior Deities serving Buddha

For centuries the locals believe that Buddha is the greatest God as per Buddhism and that Kartikeya is one of the Deities, the messengers of Buddha. They call Him Skanda. Though Buddhists believe in Deity Ganapati they consider Him and all other Deities as inferior Deities serving Buddha. For them Kartikeya is the ‘warrior God’ .

5. Buddhists attacked Hindu seats
of worship, took them into their custody,
built stupas there and installing idols of Buddha
called them Buddhist seats of worship. Buddhist devotees
and ascetics there too are unaware of the real history of the place

The Srilankan Government is Buddhist. Just as the Muslims in Bharat proclaim Hindu seats of worship as theirs, in an attempt to depict this as the seat of Buddha Buddhists attacked this temple in different ways and constructed a stupa there. They claim that Buddha had come here and constructed a stupa. In the surroundings of the Murugan (Kartikeya) temple Buddhists have built stupas, installed a statue of Buddha and a museum. They have demolished Hindu sculptures and replaced them with Buddhist sculpture. It is a kind of attack on Dharma and a religious place. When we asked Buddhist devotees and ascetics here the history of this place none knew the answer.

6. Idols in most temples in
Srilanka are covered with a curtain,
Buddhists have stopped Hindus from viewing
Deities and doing their ritualistic worship and it is indeed
unfortunate that the Hindus there do not feel anything about it

Excluding Hindu majority North Srilanka, in all other places, the idol in every Hindu temple is covered by a curtain such that it is not visible to devotees. Buddhists have stopped idol worship and paying respects to idols of Deities. Priests in all these temples are Buddhists. They wear white clothing and in the sanctum sanctorum behind the curtain recite Buddhist Holy verses. When Sadguru (Mrs.) Anjali Gadgil asked the priest what the sanctum sanctorum contained traditionally he replied that it is the same way as it looks was that the curtain has always been there. He indicated that they should pay obeisance to the Deity through the curtain and leave. When we asked the Hindus here about this, they replied that this was the practice here. It is indeed unfortunate that Hindus here too do not feel like seeing the idol of their Deity.

7. The Buddhist priest
manage the temples of Pattinidevi and
Maduriviran, Deity of the territory (kshetrapaldevata)

There are two temples behind the Kartikeya temple in Kadargama, one of Pattinidevi and the other of Maduriviran. The local Buddhists believe that She is a Deity who begets children. Maduriviran is the Deity of the territory of Kadargama and guards the village. The priests of these temples too are Buddhists and are oblivious about the history of these temples.

– Mr. Vinayak Shanbag, Srilanka (12.1.2018)

Buddhists in Srilanka believe that if Kartikeya
Swami is not worshiped then it will bring calamities to Srilanka

‘Sadguru (Mrs.) Anjali Gadgil had gone to pay obeisance at the temple of Kartikeya Swami in Kadargama. The Prime Minister of Srilanka, Mr. Ranil Vikramsinghe too was visiting the temple at that time. The locals then told her that ‘All Srilankan Buddhist politicians have faith in Kartikswami from Kadargama and that the people believe that if their Prime Minister and President did not worship Kartikeya Swami in the temple of Kadargama then Srilanka would be ridden with calamities. That is precisely why this temple has the status of a national temple and the festivities there are celebrated at the national level. It is said that before 1947 the Britishers and later the Srilankans have the same belief.’ – Mr. Vinayak Shanbag, Srilanka (12.1.2018)

Source : Dainik Sanatan Prabhat