Dedicated to Shiva’s consort Parvati, the Nainativu Nagapooshani Amman Temple sits on an island in the bay opposite Jaffna, reached via a long causeway and ferry. The shrine survived from antiquity until the Portuguese looted it in 1620, whereupon it was rebuilt, only to be blown apart by the Sri Lankan army during the recent war.

Today’s structure is mostly of recent origin but is splendid nonetheless, with its four soaring, intricately decorated gopura towers.