Kataragama

Sacred site (tirtha) located in the
extreme southeastern part of Sri Lanka
that is dedicated to the god Skanda in
his southern Indian manifestation as
Murugan. The site is notable for being
outside of the Indian mainland and as
an important place of worship for both
Hindus and Buddhists. According to
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Kataragama
Some pilgrims to the sacred site of Kataragama participate in extreme ascetic practices,
such as swinging from hooks that are pierced through their backs.
mythic tradition, the site was established when Skanda went hunting in
the jungles of Sri Lanka, fell in love
with a tribal woman named Valli, and
vowed to remain forever in her home.
As the son of the god Shiva, Skanda is a
powerful deity in the Hindu pantheon.
His relationship with Valli shows his
accessibility and his love for his devotees (bhakta).
The annual Kataragama pilgrimage
in July–August is a theater to demonstrate these qualities: Many people
come seeking healing from physical
ailments or deliverance from distress,
while others come to fulfill vows for
benefits already received. Such vows
often take the form of extreme selfmortification—by carrying the kavadi,
a yoke held in place by hooks piercing
the flesh; by piercing the tongue or
cheeks with tiny arrows, one of the
symbols of Skanda; or by hanging from
hooks embedded in the back and
thighs. These ardent devotees are
reportedly rewarded for their suffering
with a state of ecstasy in which they
feel no pain and suffer no bleeding. In
this state of ecstasy, the devotees are
also believed to be mouthpieces for the
god Skanda. Other pilgrims seek their
advice for every conceivable kind of
problem, under the assumption that
Skanda will give them the most appropriate answer. For further information
see Paul Wirz, Kataragama: the Holiest
Place in Ceylon, 1966; and Bryan
Pfaffenberger, “The Kataragama
Pilgrimage,” in Journal of Asian
Studies, Vol. 28, No. 2, 1979.