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Koneswaram temple ( ) (also historically known as the Konesar Kovil and the Temple of the Thousand Pillars) is an important Hindu temple in Eastern Province, Sri Lanka. The Koneswaram temple has a recorded history from 300 CE, and at its zenith was of considerable size and heralded as one of the richest and most visited temples in Asia. Built atop Swami Rock, overlooking the Trincomalee harbour, the temple has lay in ruins, been restored, renovated and enlarged by various royals and devotees throughout its history. One of five temples of the island dedicated to the Hindu deity Shiva whose construction began in the ancient period (Ishwarams), Koneswaram is venerated by Saivites in the region. Its bronze idol statues from the 10th century CE are considered some of the high points of Chola art. Throughout its history, the temple has been administered and frequented by Sri Lankan Hindu Tamils and is located in Trincomalee, a classical period port town with a mixed Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim population.
Myths surrounding the temple of Koneswaram associate it with the popular Indian epic Ramayana, and its legendary hero-king Rama. Koneswaram was developed in the post classical era, between 300 CE and 1600 CE by kings of the Tamil Pandyan and Chola empires, and Vannimai chiefs of the Eastern Province, with decorations and structural additions such as its famous thousand pillared hall furnished by kings of the Tamil Pallava dynasty and the Jaffna kingdom. This culminated in Koneswaram becoming one of the most important surviving buildings of the classical Dravidian architectural period by the early 1600s. In 1624 CE, the Konewaram temple was largely destroyed by the Portuguese colonials. Hindus built a successor temple at a nearby site in 1632 CE - the Ati Konanayakar temple in nearby Tampalakamam - to house some of the destroyed temple's idols, where they are now worshipped. In the 1950s, the ruins of the temple were discovered underwater beside Swami Rock. The Koneswaram temple was rebuilt of much more modest dimensions at its original site by local Hindu Tamils 450 years after its destruction. Rediscovered sculptures and idols from the original temple are installed in the reconstructed building. The annual temple festival attracts Hindus from around the country.
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