Koneswaram temple (Tamil: திருக்கோணேச்சரம், also known as Dakshinakailasha (Tamil: தென்கயிலை, Teṉkayilai, litt. Southern Kailasa) is a classical-medieval Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva in Trincomalee, Eastern Sri Lanka. The temple is situated atop Konesar Malai, a promontory that overlooks the Indian Ocean, the nearby eastern coast (the Trincomalee District), as well as Trincomalee Harbour or Gokarna Bay. Konesvaram is revered as one the Pancha Ishwarams, of Sri Lanka for long time. Being a major place for Hindu pilgrimage, it was labelled “Rome of the Gentiles/Pagans of the Orient” in some records. Konesvaram holds a significant role in the religious and cultural history of Sri Lanka, as it was likely built during the reign of the early Cholas and the Five Dravidians of the Early Pandyan Kingdom.
Pallava, Chola, Pandyan and Jaffna designs here reflect a continuous Tamil Saivite influence in the Vannimai region beginning during the classical period. The river Mahavali is believed to be risen at Sivanolipatha Malai, {{lang|tm|Mount of Shiva’s glowing feet, and meets the sea near Konesvaram Rock. This formation is the basis of the myth that it is comparable to Ganges, in that it symbolically crowns the flowing of river from Shiva’s head to his feet.
