Alvai village is situated in Jaffna district. The Muthumariamman temple in Alvai is one of the famous temples in Jaffna.

On 29.05.1987, the Sri Lankan military launched its operation liberation attack on Jaffna. Attacks were carried out from the Palaly military camp, and from air and sea. Through pamphlets dropped from air and through the announcement in the military radio service from Palaly, people were asked to take refuge in temples. Some people had taken refuge in the Muthumariamman temple. The temple was filled with around 10,000 people from the villages of Alvai, Inparuddi, Thikkam, Vathiri, Nelliyadi, Thampasiddi, Puloly and Karaveddi. Since the temple was big with broad corridors it was able to accommodate all the people.

On that fatal day the temple was overflowing with people. At 11.00pm a shell fired by the military fell on a tree in front of the temple. Some people sitting under the tree were injured. The next shell fell inside the temple many were killed including women and children. The following shells fell in another part of the temple killing two young men seated there. The three shells falling inside the temple causing deaths created panic among the people. 40 people died inside the temple and many were injured.

Available names: 

1. Rathinam Manikkam (65)
2. Nagamuthu Sothilingam (63)
3. Nartkunam Santhirasekaram (08)
4. K.Sattanathan (54)
5. Kanthar Markandu (67)
6. Kathirkamu Kidnapillai (61)
7. Kathirkamathambi Yogananthan (12)
8. Kathirkamathambi Selvananthan (14)
9. Kathirithambi Vallipillai (77)
10. Kumaran Nallathamby (60)
11. Ganesh Ambikapathy (48)
12. Ganeshapathi Suthakaran (16)
13. Ganapathippillai Sinnathurai (60)
14. Ganapathippillai Sivagami (69) 
15. Premanantharasa (27)
16. Panchadsaram Tharmakularasa (28)
17. Thuraisingam Kalavathi (26)
18. Thambiaiya Ramanan (18)
19. Thangamayil Sujatha (16)
20. Thavarasasingam Kamaleswari (38)
21. Thavarasasingam Anubama (06)
22. Thanigasalam Tharumenthiram (08)
23. Markandu Naguleswaran (34)
24. Markandu Sellamma (58)
25. Masilamani Suthan (01)
26. Manikkam Usarani (03)
27. Manikkam Nagenthirarajah (13)
28. Manikkam Malligathevi (41)
29. Yogarasa Rathi (02)
30. Sellaiya Nagamma (50)
31. S.Manikkam (57)
32. Sivamani Ramanathan (22)
33. Sivalingam Annamma (65)
34. Shanmugam Puloganathan (16)
35. V.Marimuthu (54)
36. Visuvalingam Rasagopal (30)
37. Raveenthiran Sellamani (31)

Sources:
1987: "Massacres of Tamils 1956 - 2008", NESOHR (2010), pp. 71 - 72.