Shankari Devi temple which is an important site for Hindu pilgrims is located adjacent to the Koneswaram temple of Trincomalee. The original Shankari Devi temple believed to have been built by King Ravana was the first in the list of Ashta Dasha (18) Shakti Pitas written down by Adi Shankara. But the temple was completely destroyed by the Portuguese cannonballs. On that spot presently, just a commemorative pillar stands. And it is thought that the Goddess’s original idol has been preserved and replaced, and is now venerated in the neighboring new Shankari Devi temple. This temple is an important pilgrimage site of the Ramayana trail in Sri Lanka.
