Kanniya hot water spring in Sri Lanka

The Kanniya Hot Springs  is a site with hot wells located in Trincomalee, Sri Lanka. There are seven wells in a square shape. Wells are only 3–4 feet deep and you can clearly see the bottom. The temperature is considerably high but vary slightly from one spring to another. Wells run out of water, when 10-15 buckets of water are taken out.

According to the local beliefs, the history of Kanniya hot water spring is dated back to the Ravana era and the first written references to a hot water spring near to Gokarna bay (Trincomalee) is said to be found in the epic Ramayana. However it is also believed that this wells were part of a Buddhist monastery and Buddhist monks used this place as a part of their complex. The old ruins of the monastery still visible over the area, but it seems that most of those artifacts were destroyed during the Sri Lankan Civil War. On 9 September 2011, the seven hot water wells, Chaitya mound and other scattered building ruins in the site were formally recognised by the Government as an archaeological protected site in Sri Lanka. The designation was declared under the government Gazette number 1723.

Religious Hindu rituals dedicated to lost loved ones are observed by the Sri Lankan Tamils at this site, believed in folklore to have been started by Ravana, antagonist of the epic Ramayana. According to local folklore, is this site connected with the antagonist Ravana of the Hindu epic, Ramayana. Ravana and his mother worshipped Hindu God Shiva at the Koneswaram temple and the Hot springs of Kanniya. Ravana wanted to remove the temple of Koneswaram when his mother was in ailing health. Ravana was heaving the rock, Lord Shiva made him drop his sword. Ravanan mother heard that news and thought of unbeatable sorrow. When Ravana returns he found his beloved mother demise was disheartened. To do her mother's rites, Ravana stuck the earth with his sword in several spots and several fountains sprang from these points. The water was hot and this was the beginning of these hot water springs.

Mahabharata, the Hindu epic notes that hot well is near Gokarna bay, in the middle of the ocean and is the island shrine of Uma's consort Shiva, known in the three worlds and worshiped by all peoples from the subcontinent, including the native tribes Naga, Deva and the Yaksha, the rivers, ocean and mountains. It continues that the Koneshwara Temple and Hot water spring is the next pilgrimage spot for Hindus en route south following Kanyakumari of the early Pandyan kingdom and Tamiraparni island (Kudiramalai) and that worshipers should fast for three days at the temple.