Situated to the left of the main shrine is the shrine of Devasena or Tevani Amma, which is of considerable importance for Hindus.
According to legend, God Kataragama’s senior spouse Thevani Amman sent Kalyana Giri Swami from North India to find her missing husband and bring him home. However, after the sage found God Skandha in Kataragama, Valli Amma had begged him not to separate her from her husband. Acquiescing, Kalyana Giri Swami had then requested Thevani Amman to come and settle in Kataragama, after which all three lived in Kataragama.
Kalyana Giri Swami constructed the temple to Thevani Amman. The third Kalyana Giri Swami, who lived during the time of King Rajasinghe II, built the present temple at Kataragama under the patronage of the king. It is believed that the presently extant buildings of the Thevani Amman Kovil were built around the 1920s.
The yogis who resided at Kataragama had supposedly attained godhood through their meditations, due to which their meditation chambers and monuments are considered as objects of worship in the present day.
The Thevani Amman Kovil was operated under a long succession of Indian yogis. However, its ascetic aspect began its decline under the trusteeship of Swami Dattaramgiri. Due to the ancient traditions not being followed under his rule, two swamis residing on Vedahiti Kanda and Sella Kataragama had revolted and defeated Swami Dattaramgiri. Following this incident, both the Vedahiti Kanda as well as Sella Kataragama passed into the hands of Buddhist priests. Since 1975, the Thevani Amman Kovil has increasingly assumed a more worldly aspect, losing its previous spiritual yogic features.
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