Survey Report on the Protection and Utilisationof Cultural Property
in the Northern and Northeastern Provinces of Sri Lanka

JAPAN CONSORTIUM FOR INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION IN CULTURAL HERITAGEFY 2012 Survey Report on International Cooperation, Japan Consortium for International Cooperation in Cultural Heritage
Project Report on Japan Foundation Program (Subsidy) for Cultural Cooperation in FY 2013 and FY 2014

Survey Report on the Protection and Utilisationof Cultural Property
in the Northern and Northeastern Provinces of Sri Lanka

Survey Report on the Protection and Utilisation of Cultural Property
in the Northern and Northeastern Provinces of Sri Lanka
March 2015
Published by

Japan Consortium for International Cooperation in Cultural Heritage
13-43 Ueno Park, Taito-ku, Tokyo, 110-8713 JAPAN
Tel:+81-3-3823-4841 Fax: +81-3-3823-4027
URL: http://www.jcic-heritage.jp/Preface

This report presents the summary of an international cooperation survey conducted by the Japan Consortiumfor International Cooperation in Cultural Heritage (hereinafter, JCIC-Heritage) in the Democratic Socialist Republicof Sri Lanka (hereinafter, Sri Lanka) in FY2012 and subsequent surveys implemented as a Japan Foundation
Programme (Subsidy) for cultural cooperation in FY2013 and FY2014.
In recent years, Sri Lanka is garnering attention as a tourist destination. The number of Japanese tourists to thecountry failed to reach even 150,000 in 2009 immediately after the end of the civil war, but more than double that
number now visits the country every year. Main sources of attraction include Sigiriya and the many culturalproperties that exist in the country, as well as cities such as Galle that are situated along the “Silk road of the Sea,”
mainly in the Central and Southern Provinces of the country.
Japan established diplomatic ties with Sri Lanka in 1952, and has since built a friendly bilateral relationshipparticularly through development assistance and personnel exchanges. In 2013, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo
Abe and Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa issued the “Joint Statement on Strengthening Japan-Sri Lanka
Partnership beyond the 60th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations,” and in 2014, Prime Minister Abe made an
official visit to Sri Lanka. Through these initiatives, the two countries are expected to further strengthen theirfriendly relationship hereafter.
We hope this report will help protect cultural properties in the Northern and Northeastern Provinces of Sri
Lanka, which are regions that are not well known yet in Japan.
Lastly, we wish to extend our deepest gratitude to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Agency for Cultural Affairsof Japan, the Japan Foundation, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and other relevant institutions inJapan, as well as the Department of Archaeology, Ministry of National Heritage and other relevant institutions in Sri
Lanka for their cooperation in the implementation of this survey.

March 2015
Secretariat Office of the Japan Consortium for International Cooperation in Cultural Heritage

Foreword

1. This document is a report on an international cooperation survey in Sri Lanka to assess the state of cultural
heritage protection in the country, and the Japan Foundation Programme (Subsidy) for cultural cooperation,
which was conducted in conjunction with the international cooperation survey. It has been published as partof a project of the JCIC-Heritage commissioned by the Agency for Cultural Affairs of Japan.
2. This report was written, edited and designed by the following members.
Written by:
1-1.: Tomomi Haramoto (Visiting Researcher, National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, Tokyo)
1-2., 2. & 7.: Chisa Inouchi (Research Fellow, JCIC-Heritage)
3-1., 4-2., 5-2. & 6-2.: Yoshihide Koizumi (Supervisor, Planning Division, Curatorial Planning Department,
Tokyo National Museum)
3-2., 4-1., 5-1. & 6-1.: Yasuko Fukuyama (Associate Professor, Faculty of Intercultural Communication,
Ryukoku University)
Edited by:
Chisa Inouchi, Asami Sata and Toko Kawashima (Secretariat Office of the JCIC-Heritage)
3. Latitudes and longitudes provided in the 2014 survey are based on measurements obtained with a camera(Nikon D5300) used during the survey. Latitude and longitude values for structures and remains in the 2013
survey were taken from materials provided by Department of Archaeology of Sri Lanka and Google Map data.
4. Cover photo: Front entrance of the old Kachcheri Building in JaffnaTable of Contents

Preface3

Foreword

4

1. Survey Overview

7

1-1. International Cooperation Survey of the JCIC-Heritage (FY2012)7

1-2. Japan Foundation Programme (Subsidy) for Cultural Cooperation (FY2013 & FY2014)10

2. Cultural Property Protection and International Cooperation in Sri Lanka

172-1. Domestic Framework172-2. Status of International Cooperation for Cultural Heritage Protection in Sri Lanka

20

3. Cultural Heritage and Regional Development in the Northern and Northeastern Provinces

23

3-1. Naval and Maritime History Museum Trincomalee

23

3-2. Museum, Information and Activity Centre of Jaffna25

4. Museums in the Northern and Northeastern Provinces

29

4-1. Jaffna

29

4-2. Trincomalee

32

5. Cultural Heritages in the Northern and Northeastern Provinces

35

5-1. Jaffna

35

5-2. Trincomalee

51

6. Related Surveys in Other Regions65

6-1. Vavuniya

65

6-2. Anuradhapura

66

7. Summary & Potential Schemes of Future Cooperation
7-1. Present Status and Issues of Cultural Property Protection in the Northern and

69
69

Northeastern Provinces of Sri Lanka
7-2. Expectations of Cooperation and Assistance from Japan

70

7-3. Potential Schemes of Future Cooperation

71

1. Survey Overview
1–1. International Cooperation Survey of the JCIC-Heritage (FY2012)■ Background and Development of the Survey
The JCIC-Heritage collects and shares information on international cooperation for cultural heritage every year
in two or so countries in Asia, with the aim of promoting Japan’s engagement in international cooperation for
cultural heritage. Sri Lanka was chosen in FY2012, and a local survey was implemented from 2 to 12 March, 2013as an international cooperation survey. The assistance project described in this report was implemented based on
the result of this survey.
Sri Lanka achieved a unique cultural development under the strong influence of its surrounding countries overa period of many centuries. From around the 3rd century B.C., it flourished as a Buddhist kingdom. Thereafter, it
saw the propagation of other religions such as Hinduism, Islam and Christianity through exchanges with its Indianneighbour, as well as with Southeast Asia, Arabia and Rome, so that a unique society which embraced multiple
races and multiple religions gradually took shape. The mixing and blending of different cultures produced a varietyof cultural heritages, which are inherited today in various forms, such as in the form of tangible heritages asrepresented by architecture, sculptures, paintings, craftwork and literature, and in the form of intangible heritage
as represented by unique religious rites. The government of Sri Lanka is fully conscious of the significance of thesecultural heritages, and is known for its consistent and extremely high awareness of cultural heritage protection. Its
commitment is also evident in the fact that the country became a signatory party to the UNESCO World Heritage
Convention from an early stage, in 1980, and that the country already has six World Cultural Heritage sites.
Furthermore, Sri Lankan culture has fascinated foreigners from ancient times, and the country’s cultural heritages
have played an important role as tourism resources. In the 13th century, Marco Polo visited Sri Lanka and wrote
about his travel in The Travels of Marco Polo.
Throughout its long history, Sri Lanka maintained a harmonious balance among peoples of different groups asa multi-ethnic nation. However, after gaining independence from Great Britain, ethnic conflicts arose, and a civil
war continued for over a period of roughly thirty years until 2009. Even during the civil war, however, the Sri
Lankan government endeavoured to protect the country’s major cultural heritages, and owing to its efforts, cultural
heritages in the Central and Southern Provinces were protected with care. Yet, in the north and northeastern partof the country, fierce battles prevented even the government from properly protecting and managing cultural
heritages, and over a long period of time, cultural heritages in this region were left abandoned. A prolonged period
thus ensued in which it was difficult to protect and conserve cultural heritages, much less assess their state ofdamage. Before the civil war, Japanese researchers had been conducting surveys in Trincomalee and other areasin the Northeastern Province, but the unstable situation that continued for a long period made it difficult forthem. In the Central and Southern Provinces where the situation was stable, international cooperation was actively
implemented and abundant information was acquired, but there was hardly any information on the Northern andNortheastern Provinces. These regions have become accessible only several years after the end of the civil war whenthe elimination of landmines progressed. Today, Sri Lanka is in the midst of a reconstruction phase following the endof the civil war, and is a beneficiary of various international cooperation efforts. In this situation, the conservation
and utilisation of cultural heritages that relate directly to the country’s principal industry of tourism may beconsidered as an important area. It is against this backdrop that the JCIC-Heritage implemented an international
cooperation survey in Sri Lanka to assess the state of cultural heritages in the Northern and Northeastern Provinces7

1

Study Overview

where information is extremely scarce, and to grasp future needs for international cooperation.
■ Objective•To examine the present state of cultural heritage protection in Sri Lanka–Status of cultural heritage protection, domestic framework for cultural heritage management, assistance fromother countries, etc.
•To assess needs for international cooperation•To survey the present state of regions such as the Northern and Northeastern Provinces, which have suffereddamage in the civil war■ Period
2-12 March, 2013
■ Mission Members (the titles were as of the implementation time)
Yasuko Fukuyama (Associate Professor, Faculty of Intercultural Communication, Ryukoku University)
Tomomi Haramoto (Research Fellow, JCIC-Heritage)■ Content
In Sri Lanka, a number of organisations are in chargeof cultural heritage. In this survey, cooperation was soughtfrom the Ministry of National Heritage, which assumes
responsibility mainly for the protection and conservationof cultural heritage. The Department of Archaeology
within the Ministry of National Heritage, which hasregional branch offices throughout the country, had justbegun to collect information and engage in the protection
and conservation of cultural heritages on a full scale in
Jaffna in the Northern Province, when this survey wasFig. 1

Meeting with the Ministry of National Heritage

launched. A visit was also made to the JICA Sri Lanka Office to conduct interviews to acquire information about thegeneral state of international cooperation after the civil war, the state of affairs in the Northern and Northeastern
Provinces, and about international cooperation for cultural heritage protection.
Although a branch office of the Department of Archaeology was established in Jaffna, it appears to have madelittle progress, even local employees struggle to collect information due to a number of factors, such that there ispresently an extremely large number of archaeological sites, there are cases where government officials are refusedaccess to temples and other religious facilities, and there are not enough human and financial resources to deal withthe large numbers of cultural heritages that have suffered damage in the civil war.
As a result of this survey under such circumstances, it was found that cultural heritages from various periods
in time, from the pre-Christian era to the colonial period, exist in the Northern Province. With rapid development
already underway in the region, prompt measures are needed to protect them. Furthermore, as the scope of thesurvey is expected to expand in the future with further progress in the elimination of landmines, there would
be greater opportunities for Japanese specialists to provide their cooperation in conducting detailed surveys ofbuildings and archaeological sites.
The efforts of local residents are indispensable to protect cultural heritage. Thus, it is necessary for them tohave proper awareness of the value of their heritage. At the implementation period, historical buildings wereleft abandoned in ruin throughout the city in Jaffna, but as there were no information boards that provided any

8Table. 1

Activity Log
Date

Location

Visiting Site

Action2013/3/3

ColomboColombo National Museum

Inspection

2013/3/4

Colombo

JICA Sri Lanka OfficeInterview

2013/3/5

Colombo

Ministry of National Heritage (MNH)

Interview

Regional Archaeological Office (North Province), Department of Archaeology,
MNH

Interview

Archaeological Museum, Jaffna

Survey2013/3/6

JaffnaSangili Topu and Foundation base belonging to Sangili (Changiliyan) Palace
Archaeological
Prospection

Mandri Manai
Jaffna Old Kachcheri Building Archaeological Site
Jaffna2013/3/7

Archaeological
Prospection

Jaffna Fort
Old Dutch Fort

Jaffna(Delft Island)

Archaeological
Prospection

Ancient Buddhist Site
Nallur Kandaswamy Kovil
Kailasanathar Kovil

2013/3/8

JaffnaArchaeological
Prospection

Jaffna Library
Mazrauddeen School
University of Jaffna

Interview

Girikandaka Vihara
2013/3/9

Trincomalee

Archaeological
Prospection

Kuccaveli
Velgam Vehara

Table. 2

2013/3/10

ColomboEmbassy of Japan in Sri Lanka

Interview

2013/3/11

ColomboColombo City

Information Collection

List of Interviewers
Name

Title

Affiliation

Jagath Balasuriya

Minister of National Heritage

Ministry of National Heritage (MNH)

Senarath Dissanayaka

Director General

Department of Archaeology, MNH

Nimal Perera

Deputy Director (Excavations)

Dept. of Archaeology, MNH

Prasanna B Ratnayake

Acting Director (ArchitectualConservation)

Dept. of Archaeology, MNH

P Pushparatnam Ph.D

Professor

University of Jaffna

N Shanmugalingam Ph.D

Senior Lecturer

University of Jaffna

Daiji Sasai

First Secretary (Public Relation &Cultural Exchange Affairs)

Embassy of Japan in Sri Lanka

Tetsuji Iida

Senior Representative

JICA Sri Lanka OfficeCabral Indika

Senior Project Specialist

JICA Sri Lanka Office9

1Study Overview

explanation of such buildings, most were not recognized by local residents as cultural heritages. There is thus anurgent need to disseminate the value of cultural heritages through education and encourage local residents tobecome actively involved in their protection.
In countries that have experienced an ethnic conflict, history education is important to achieving peace, andmuseums serve an important role toward that end. Sri Lanka is no exception, and consideration should be given
to utilising museums in the Northern Province as well. Particularly worthy of mention is Archaeological Museum,
Jaffna, which has been protected by the efforts of local residents through the civil war. Important consideration
should also be given to using it as a place for learning about the history of multicultural co-existence in northern
Sri Lanka.
Cultural heritage protection also requires human resources. Fortunately, it has been found that education
institutions such as the University of Jaffna have maintained their high standard of education even through the civil
war, and are steadily developing human resources for cultural heritage protection.
Based on the above findings, it is considered urgent to provide assistance to Archaeological Museum, Jaffna.

1–2. Japan Foundation Programme (Subsidy) for Cultural Cooperation (FY2013 & FY2014)■ Background and Development of the Survey
Following the international cooperation survey reported in section 1-1., the JCIC-Heritage recognized the needto collect even more detailed information on the state of cultural property conservation mainly by museums in the
Northern and Northeastern Provinces of Sri Lanka, which were affected by the civil war, and to investigate how
cultural properties are being used to promote development in those regions. Thus a project was launched to share
information about the present state of cultural property protection and utilisation in the Northern and Northeastern
Provinces with local personnel, and exchange views among Japanese and Sri Lankan specialists on optimal methods
for their future utilisation.
In implementing this new survey, the JCIC-Heritage requested the cooperation of Yasuko Fukuyama, who undertook
the previous international cooperation survey, and Yoshihide Koizumi of Tokyo National Museum, who supervised the“Cultural Heritage of Sri Lanka — The Land of Serendipity” exhibition that was held in 2008. With funding from theJapan Foundation, Koizumi and Fukuyama gained an opportunity to examine the present state and issues in culturalproperty protection and utilisation mainly in museums in the Northern and Northeastern Provinces, in February and
May 2014, under the cooperation of the Department of Archaeology, Sri Lanka. The JCIC-Heritage took part in the
project from the standpoint of assisting the two specialists.
■ Objective•To hold interviews regarding museum exhibits and the present state and issues in the protection and utilisation ofcultural properties•To survey sites from where cultural properties have been discovered, with a focus on works of Buddhist art thathave been stored in museums•To collect information on the state of cultural heritage conservation■ Implementation Period
16-27 February, and 14-21 May, 201410

■ Mission Members
Yoshihide Koizumi (Supervisor, Planning Division, Curatorial Planning Department, Tokyo National Museum)
Yasuko Fukuyama (Associate Professor, Faculty of Intercultural Communication, Ryukoku University)
Chisa Inouchi (Research Fellow, JCIC-Heritage)■ Content
In this survey, interviews were held with members of the Department of Archaeology, specialists at universities andmuseum personnel, and visits were made to museums and archaeological sites to examine the actual state of culturalproperty management and conservation. At Archaeological Museum, Jaffna and Naval and Maritime History Museum
Trincomalee, emphasis was also placed on information exchanges with local personnel.
On the first day of the survey in February, the project team met with the Director General of the Department ofArchaeology to fine-tune the survey plan. In this meeting, the team learned that there is a plan to re-utilise the Jaffna

Fig. 2

Table. 3

Fig. 3

Exchange of views at Archaeological Museum, Jaffna

Interview survey in Trincomalee

Activity Log（FY2013 and FY2014）
FY2013
Date

Location

2014/2/17

Colombo

Site Name

ActionDepartment of Archaeology, Ministry of National Heritage (MNH)
Colombo National Museum
National Museum of Natural History
2014/2/18

Display and Collection
SurveyColombo
Irrigation Museum
Anuradhapura Museum

Display and Collection
SurveyAnuradhapura
Anuradhapura Folk Museum
2014/2/19

Display and Collection
SurveyVavuniya Museum
Vavuniya

Samalamkulama

Archaeological
Prospection

Madhukanda
Regional Archaeological Office (North Province), Dept. of Archaeology, MNH
Jaffna Old Kachcheri Building Archaeological Site
2014/2/20

Information Collection,
Interview
Display and Collection
SurveyJaffnaArchaeological Museum, Jaffna
Jaffna Fort

11

Interview
Archaeological
Prospection
Display and Collection
Survey, Interview
Archaeological
Prospection

1

Study Overview

Date2014/2/21

Location

JaffnaSite Name

ActionDepartment of History, University of Jaffna

Interview

Dr. K Indrapala Archaeological Museum, Department of History, University of
JaffnaDisplay and Collection
Survey
Display and Collection
Survey, Interview,
Individual Traning

Archaeological Museum, Jaffna
Nallur Kandaswamy Kovil

Inspection

Nagadipa Vihara
2014/2/22

JaffnaInspection

Naga Pooshani Amman Temple
Fort Hammenhiel
Yamunari pond
Sangili Topu and Foundation base belonging to Sangili (Changiliyan) Palace
Mandri Manai
Nilavarai

2014/2/23

Archaeological
Prospection

JaffnaTheru Modi Madam
Vallipuram
Vadamarachchi
St. Antonius Church
Kantharodai Buddhist Site
Maviddapuram Temple

2014/2/24

Archaeological
Prospection

JaffnaNaguleswaram Temple
Dambakola Patuna
Interview with Eme. Prof. Leelananda Prematilleke

InterviewEmbassy of Japan in Sri Lanka
2014/2/25

ColomboColombo National Museum

Interview, Display Survey

Department of Archaeology, MNH

Debriefing Session

old government building (Jaffna Old Kachcheri Building), which is registered as an archaeological monument, as acultural complex, and that a similar plan was already underway in Trincomalee. With a focus on regional development
based on the utilisation of cultural properties, the present state of cultural properties was surveyed in cooperation withlocal members of the Department of Archaeology, and information exchanges were held to resolve relevant issues.
The February survey spotlighted the collection of Archaeological Museum, Jaffna, which is planned to be
relocated to the new cultural facility in the future. The state of exhibition and management of the collection was
examined, and exchanges of views were held with museum personnel regarding future preservation and management
methods. In regard to the plan for reutilisation of the old government building as the new home of the museum’s
collection, the project team received a detailed explanation from Prof. Prashnatha B Mandawala of the University of
Sri Jayewardenepura, who formulated the plan, while making an inspection of the actual site. To collect informationon the state of archaeological sites in Jaffna, the team toured the various sites with local experts of the Department ofArchaeology, and assessed their present state and future issues. After completion of the survey in Jaffna, the content of12

FY2014
Date

Location

Visiting Site

Action2014/5/14

Colombo

Department of Archaeology, Ministry of National Heritage (MNH)

Meeting

Dalada Maligava

Inspection

2014/5/15

Kandy
International Buddhist Museum
Naval and Maritime History Museum Trincomalee

2014/5/16

Trincomalee

Koneswaram Kovil
Trincomalee Circuit House, Dept. of Archaeology, MNH
Kuccaveli

Archaeological site andStorage Survey

Rideekanda
Trincomalee
Velgam Vehera

Archaeological
Prospection

KanniyaTrincomalee War Cemetry

Inspection

Lanka Patuna
Archaeological Museum Seruvila
2014/5/18

Trincomalee

Mangala Rajamahavihara, Seruvila
Trincomalee Archaeological Museum

2014/5/19

2014/5/20

Trincomalee

Interview
Archaeological
Prospection

Girikandaka Vihara

2014/5/17

Display and Collection
Survey
Display and Collection
Survey, Building Survey
Archaeological
Prospection

Archaeological
Prospection
Display and Collection
SurveyArchaeological
Prospection
Display and Condition
SurveyTrincomalee Circuit House, Dept. of Archaeology, MNH

Interview

Gokanna Viharaya

Archaeological
Prospection

Fort Frederick

Inspection

Sri Akbopura Raja Maha Vihara

Archaeological
Prospection

Dutch Period Museum

Inspection

Dept. of Archaeology, MNH

Information Collection,
Debriefing Session

Colombothe survey was reported to the Department of Archaeology, where an exchange of views was held regarding proposals
for improvement and future plans.
The May survey centred on an inspection of Naval and Maritime History Museum Trincomalee, which the Departmentof Archaeology expects will play a central role in the development of tourism in Trincomalee. Archaeological sites,
artefact storages and museums in the region were also surveyed. The naval museum sought advice for improvementfrom the project team, as it was in the process of planning a gradual expansion of its exhibits. As at Jaffna, an exchangeof views was held with local employees of the Department of Archaeology upon completion of the survey, to discusspresent conditions and future management plans.
The findings acquired through the interviews held in the surveys are described in detail in relevant sections in thefollowing chapters. The content of the exchange of views regarding the planned establishment of a cultural facility in
Jaffna and Naval and Maritime History Museum Trincomalee are described not only in Chapter 4 but also in Chapter
7 in a discussion of potential schemes of future cooperation.

13

1Study Overview

Table. 4

List of Interviewers（FY2013 and FY2014）
Name

Title

Affiliation

Senarath Dissanayaka

Director General

Department of Archaeology, Ministry of National Heritage (MNH)

Palitha Weerasinghe

Acting Assistant Director

Dept. of Archaeology, MNH

Malkanthy

Acting Assistant Director

L M Goonathikakabanda

Acting Assistant Director

Rev. Gnanaloka

Research Officer

Dept. of Archaeology, MNH

Brito Wapitiya

Research Officer

Dept. of Archaeology, MNH

Jayantha

Regional Officer

Regional Archaeological Office (North Province), Dept. of Archaeology,
MNH

Priyantha Jayasingha

District Officer

Regional Archaeological Office (East Province), Dept. of Archaeology, MNH

P G Wikramasingha

Research Assistant

Regional Archaeological Office (North Province), Dept. of Archaeology,
MNH

Suranga Perera

Research Assistant

Dept. of Archaeology, MNH

Ranga Coony

Research Assistant

Dept. of Archaeology, MNH

Wijebondara

Archaeology Assistant

V Sivaruby

Development Officer

T Getsy

Development Officer

Senarath Wickramasinghe

Deputy-Director

The Colombo National Museum

Ranjith Hewage

Museum Keeper

The Colombo National Museum

Leelananda Prematilleke

Emeritus Professor

University of Peradeniya

Prashnatha B. Mandawala

Professor and Head

University of Sri Jayewardenepura

P Pushparatnam

Senior Lecturer

University of Jaffna

Shanthini

Senior Lecturer

University of Jaffna

Hideki Ishiduka

MinisterEmbassy of Japan in Sri Lanka

Daiji Sasai

First Secretary

Embassy of Japan in Sri Lanka

Regional Archaeological Office (North Central Province), Dept. ofArchaeology, MNH
Regional Archaeological Office (North Province), Dept. of Archaeology,
MNH

Regional Archaeological Office (North Province), Dept. of Archaeology,
MNH
Regional Archaeological Office (North Province), Dept. of Archaeology,
MNH
Regional Archaeological Office (North Province), Dept. of Archaeology,
MNH

14

Palk Strait

Bangladesh

Fig. 42（P.35）

MyanmarJaffnaIndia

Bay of Bengal

Sri Lanka

MannarFig. 85（P.50）

Vavuniya

Gulf of Mannar

Trincomalee

Sacred City of Anuradhapura
hapapAnuradhapura

Bay of Bengal

Ancient C
City of Sig
Sigiriy
Sigiriya
ig

Ancient City of PolonnaruwaaPuttalam
PolonnaruaGolden Temple
mp oof Dambulla

Kurunagala

Batticaloa

MataleSacreded City of Kandy

Kandy

Colombo

Nuvara Eliya

Sri Jayewardenepura(kotte)

Sri LankaaSinharaja Forest Reserve

N

Indian Ocean

Galle
Old Town of Galle and its Fortiﬁcations

0

Hambantota

Visiting Site

MataraMajor City

50km

World Heritage Site

Fig. 4

Map of the Sri Lanka

152. Cultural Property Protection and International Cooperation in Sri Lanka
2–1. Domestic Framework
Sri Lanka is said to have some 100,000 cultural heritages in an area of only 65,607 km2. The country’s diverse
cultural heritage has continued to be a source of fascination to many people since the colonial period, and numerous
specialists have implemented archaeological surveys, protection measures and studies throughout Sri Lanka, even while
the country continued to be at the mercy of the times. Having ratified the UNESCO World Heritage Convention in 1980,
Sri Lanka has eight sites inscribed on the World Heritage List, as of 2014 (including 2 natural heritage sites)1.
1982: Sacred City of Anuradhapura, Ancient City of Polonnaruva, Ancient City of Sigiriya
1988: Sinharaja Forest Reserve, Sacred City of Kandy, Old Town of Galle and its Fortifications
1991: Golden Temple of Dambulla
2010: Central Highlands of Sri Lanka
In particular, the above three sites that were the first sites to be inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1982
drew international attention as an achievement of the “Cultural Triangle Project.” Taking the occasion of the changeof government in 1977, the Department of Archaeology exercised its role in administering cultural properties in the
country and launched a campaign seeking UNESCO aid in protecting Sri Lanka’s cultural properties (funding andestablishment of a system for protection and management of archaeological monuments), under the leadership of
Mr. Sembukuttiarachilage Roland Silva, who was then a UNESCO monument preservation specialist. As a result of thecampaign, the UNESCO Sri Lanka Cultural Triangle Project was launched, and conservation plans were begun to be
carried out in Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Sigiriya, Dambulla and Kandy. Furthermore, the Central Cultural Fund cameto be established in 1980 as an organisation for the management of funds for these projects.
Ministry of National Heritage

Ministry of Culture and the Arts

Department of Archaeology

Department of Cultural Aﬀairs

Department of Archives

Central Cultural Fund

Department of National
MuseumTower Hall Theatre Foundation

Galle Heritage Foundation

Public Performance Board

National Folk Art Centre

Sri Lanka Arts Council

Fig. 5The institutions under the control of the Ministry of National Heritage andMinistry of Culture and the Arts

Today, the Ministry of National Heritage and Ministry of Culture and the Arts are involved in cultural property
protection in Sri Lanka. The two ministries have experienced repeated mergers and separations accompanying
government changes, but constituted two independent ministries since 2010. Fig. 5 shows the institutions under thecontrol of the two ministries. Among them, the Department of Archaeology plays a central role in making policy decisions
concerning the protection of tangible cultural properties and management of national cultural heritages. Museums are
divided into those that are governed by the Department of Archaeology and those that are governed by the Department
1 “Seruwila Mangala Raja Maha Vihara” has been included in the tentative list in 2006, and “Seruwila to Sri Pada (Sacred Foot Print
Shrine), Ancient pilgrim route along the Mahaweli river in Sri Lanka,” in 2010.

17

2

Cultural Property Protection and International Cooperation in Sri Lanka

of National Museum. In some cases, the supervising authority differs according to the exhibit even in the same facility,
such as is the case at Naval and Maritime History Museum Trincomalee.
The Department of Archaeology was established during the period of British colonial rule in 1890, taking after the
excavation surveys and exploration activities that had been implemented mainly by archaeologists from the former
colonial power. The department is divided into eight divisions today as shown in Table 5, and various activities are
implemented according to division. The department as a whole is committed to the protection of cultural properties,
based on a guideline announced in 2006.
The Department of Archaeology has nine regional branch offices, six circuit offices and seven site offices. The
representatives of regional branch offices engage in their duties as Assistant Director of the Department of Archaeology.
This survey acquired the cooperation of the regional office in North Province (located in Jaffna), which is composed of 17
employees at the implementation period in February 2014, including five who have transferred to the office from otherregions and are in charge of training and developing locally-employed personnel. Additionally, 75 workers are involvedin the Jaffna Fort conservation project that is being carried out today. In Trincomalee, an employee from the Departmentof Archaeology who presently resides in the region monitors archaeological monuments in the region as necessary andmanages local workers.
The existing law for cultural heritage protection in Sri Lanka is based on the Antiquities Ordinance of 19402, which
has been amended in 1956 and 1998. The law is composed of eight parts: property in antiquities, discovery of antiquities,
Table. 5
Division
Exploration&
Documentation

Duties of Divisions at Department of Archaeology

Duties・Inventry making and documentation
・Protection
・Survey and Research・Monitoring outsourced projects related to above-mentioned items

Excavation

・Emergency/salvage excavations (eg. survey resulting from archaeological impact assessment.)
・Research excavations
・Exceptional excavations to serve public demands (e.g. religious and/or aesthetic reasons)・Completion of post ‒excavation analyses, report writing and archiving of past projects
・Improvement of temporary storage of excavated ﬁnds
・Transferring of excavated ﬁnds to branch museums for ﬁnal storage and display
・Monitoring of outsourced projects

Museums・Inventry making and computerization of collections
・Improvement of storage environment and access to collections
・Reconstruction and re-organization
・Enhancement of the quality of displays
・Promotion of archaeological heritages to increase public awareness・Providing research facilities to the public

Architectural
Conservation&
Site presentation

・Initial (curative) conservation of sites/ monuments
・Initial landscaping of sites/ monuments
・Improvement of storage and access to documentation
・Monitoring of outsourced projects

・Initial (curative) conservation
・Preventive conservation and monitoring condition
・Inventorising of antiquities submitted to branch for conservation, updating andScientific Conservation
computerization of registers.
・Research (eg. dating, ancient technology)
・Monitoring of outsourced projects
Epigraphy&
Numismatics

・Inscriptions：inventorisation of inscriptions, replacing damaged/ lost inscriptions for replicas,
systematic storage of replicas, research・Coin：inventorising coins, systematic storage of coins, research・Protection

Monument Maintenance ・Maintenance and preventive conservation：endangered sites/ monuments, archaeologicalreserves, overall maintenance/ access roads/ signage/ visitor centers, museum buildings

General Services

・General public relations
・Enhancement of public awareness of archaeological heritages
・Establishment of goverment relations of public institutions/ universities
・Joint management training ‒local/ international
・Library and library activities
・Photographic unit ‒cataloguing/ computerizing/ management of photo archives
・Records archive

2 The official name is “An Ordinance to provide for the better preservation of the antiquities of Sri Lanka, and of sites and buildings ofthe historical or archaeological importance in Sri Lanka.”

18

ancient monuments, archaeological reserves, export of antiquities, advisory committee, powers and duties of the directorgeneral of archaeology, and miscellaneous. A number of ordinances related to the law have also been promulgated.
Clauses related to the regulation of cultural properties are provided in Articles 16 to 19. Article 16 (1) stipulates that“any specified monument which dates or is believed to date to a period prior to the 2nd day of March 1815 on which
the Kingdom of Kandy was conquered by the British shall be deemed to be an ancient monument.” Article 17 provides
for the designation of trees as ancient monuments. Articles 18 and 19 stipulate that “any ancient monument situatedon any land other than Crown land that is in danger of destruction or removal or damage from neglect or injudicious
treatment, and that is in the public interest that such monument should be protected, shall be declared to be Protected
Monument, and shall be protected by measures implemented by the Department of Archaeology.” During the surveys
in February and May 2014, information boards stood at a number of archaeological sites in Jaffna and Trincomalee,
indicating in three languages that they are archaeological monuments, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7. In archaeologicalreserves, information boards such as that shown in Fig. 8 and intended for nearby residents and visitors clearly define
activities that are restricted in the reserve.
【Reference】
Central Cultural Fund < www.ccf.lk./ >Department of Archaeology < www.archaeology.lk/ >Ministry of National Heritage < http://www.heritagemin.gov.lk/web/?ui=desktop >Fig. 6

Signboard installed in front of the site

Fig. 8Fig. 7

Signboard erected on the side of the road in thevicinity of an archaeological site

Information board outlining restricted activities within a reserve19

2

Cultural Property Protection and International Cooperation in Sri Lanka

2–2. Status of International Cooperation for Cultural Heritage Protection in Sri Lanka
As discussed in the previous section, Sri Lanka sought the aid of the international community in protecting its culturalproperties from their plight toward the end of the 1970s, and has since promoted cultural property protection with aid
from international institutions, as well as from such countries as Japan, the Netherlands and the United States. This section
mainly introduces recent developments in foreign assistance for cultural property protection in Sri Lanka.
■Cooperation from JapanThe JCIC-Heritage collects information on Japan’s cooperation in cultural heritage in countries around the world andcreates a database of such information1. According to this database, cultural heritage protection projects that Japan has
implemented in Sri Lanka are as shown in the Table 6.
Japan has so far provided aid for cultural property protection in Sri Lanka mainly through the provision of equipment as
an ODA scheme since 1979, and through the UNESCO Japanese Funds-in-Trust for the Preservation of the World Cultural
Heritage Project for the Monuments of the Malwatta Vihara Complex in Kandy in the 1990s. In recent years, JICA has
provided aid for the construction of Sigiriya Museum (opened in July 2009), and Cultural Heritage Protection Cooperation
Office, the Asia-Pacific Cultural Centre for UNESCO (ACCU Nara Office) has implemented a group training programme on
the documentation and survey of wooden buildings and formulation of preservation and management plans at the Central
Office of the Department of Archaeology in 2013. With respect to the Northern and Northeastern Provinces of Sri Lanka,
which were the focuses of the recent survey projects, JICA has played a central role in implementing cooperation projects
in the infrastructure and rural development fields since after the end of the civil war in 2009, but no aid has so far been
extended to the field of the tangible cultural heritage.
In the field of intangible cultural heritage, Sri Lanka ratified the UNESCO's Convention for the Safeguarding of theIntangible Cultural Heritage in 2008, and has since made active advancements in the development of a safeguarding
framework and creating an inventory under the leadership of the Ministry of Culture and the Arts, mainly with aid from
UNESCO. From 2011, a workshop has been implemented on creating an inventory and applying for inscription on UNESCO’slist, intended for the Ministry of Culture and the Arts, as Sri Lanka is a beneficiary country of the “Project for Safeguarding
Intangible Cultural Heritage through the Strengthening of National Capacities in Asia and the Pacific” funded by the UNESCO
Japanese Funds-in-Trust for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. Additionally, the International ResearchCentre for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region (UNESCO Category 2 Centre) launched a project under thetitle of “Traditional handicrafts in danger in post-conflict nations” in 2013, aimed at identifying intangible cultural heritages
that require urgent protection to help rebuild people’s lives in regions where conflicts have finally ended.
■Cooperation by Countries Other Than Japan
As of 2014, major cooperating countries in the cultural heritage protection field in Sri Lanka are the United States andthe Netherlands. The United States has so far implemented the following seven projects in Sri Lanka under the Ambassadors
Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP), which was established in 2001.
・Survey of cultural properties located inside the Matara Dutch Fort that were affected by the tsunami
・Documentation of monasteries at World Heritage Site Anuradhapura
・Surveys, documentation and construction for conservation of Dutch Fort in Batticaloa
・Comprehensive documentation of historic buildings within the World Heritage Site of Galle Dutch Fort
・Conservation of artifacts from World Heritage Sites and national museums
・Preservation and restoration of Building B of the Batticaloa Dutch Fort and creation of a Cultural Resource
Management Center for the multi-ethnic and multi-religious community of Batticaloa

1 The database is provided in the members’ site on the JCIC-Heritage website. http://www.jcic-heritage.jp/sns/user/index.html? (inJapanese)20

Table. 6

Japanese Aid Projects for Sri Lanka

Japanese Aid Projects
Implementing organization

Year ofimplementation

Name of projectContributor

Amount※Provision of Construction Scaffolds and Drafting Tools for
Restoration and Preservation of Ancient Buddhist
Monuments

Ministry of Foreign Affairs
ODA, cultural grant assistance¥50,000,000

ー

1979

Provision of Equipment for Restoration of Buddhist Sites tothe Ministry of Culture

Ministry of Foreign Affairs
ODA, cultural grant assistance¥45,000,000

ー

1980

Provision of Cultural Preservation Equipment

Ministry of Foreign Affairs
ODA, cultural grant assistance¥32,000,000

ー

1981

Provision of Equipment for Monument Preservation to the
Ministry of Culture

Ministry of Foreign Affairs
ODA, cultural grant assistance¥45,000,000

ー

1982

Provision of Equipment for Monument Preservation to the
Ministry of Culture

Ministry of Foreign Affairs
ODA, cultural grant assistance¥50,000,000

ー

1983

Basic Research on Architectural Planning Methods andProcesses in Asia: A Study of the Ruins in Sri Lanka’s
Quadrangle Zone

The Toyota Foundation¥2,000,000

Asian Architecture Research Group,
Waseda University

1983

Basic Research on Reconstruction Methods for Architectural
Remains in Asia: The Restoration and Repair of Ruins at
The Toyota Foundation
Polonnaruva, Sri Lanka¥7,900,000

Asian Architecture Research Group,
Waseda University (Faculty of
Science and Engineering, Waseda
University)

1984

Anuradhapura Citadel: The Processing of ArchaeologicalFinds and Compilation of a Report

The Toyota Foundation

US$10,000

Department of Archaeology,
University of Peradeniya

1990

Provision of microfilm equipment to the Colombo National
Museum and Library

Ministry of Foreign Affairs
ODA, cultural grant assistance¥47,700,000

ー

1997

Survey of the State of Cultural Heritages in Sri Lanka
Affected by the Indian Ocean Tsunami and Preparation ofReconstruction Guidelines̶Assessment of the State ofDamage to the World Heritage city of Galle and Historical
Cities along the Southern Coast̶

Ministry of Education, Culture,
Sports, Science and Technology
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific ResearchーGraduate School ofComprehensive Human Sciences,
University of Tsukuba

2004

Construction of Sigiriya Museum

Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Counterpart Fund for Grant
Assistance for the Food Security
Projest for Underprivileged¥320,000,000

ー

2006

Project for Maintenance of Display Equipment at Sigiriya
MuseumMinistry of Foreign Affairs
ODA, cultural grant assistance¥170,000,000ー

2007-2008

Project for the Development of Culture-Oriented Tourism in JICA
Sigiriya
Technical cooperation

Central Cultural Fund of the¥320,000,000 Ministry of Culture and the Arts
Ministry of Economic Development

The Collection, Transcription, and Translation of Palm-Leaf
Manuscripts Dealing with National and Local Geographies
The Toyota Foundation(Topographia), Including Multiple Accounts of the Migrationof Peoples from South India into Sri Lanka¥2,100,000

2008-2011

International Centre for Ethnic
Studies, Sri Lanka
Private foundation

2009

Workshop on Protection of Wooden Structure

Agency for Cultural Affairs

ー

ACCU Nara

2013

Endangered Traditional Handicrafts in Post-Conflict States

Ministry of Education, Culture,
Sports, Science and TechnologyーInternational Research Centre for
Intangible Cultural Heritage in the
Asia-Pacific Region (UNESCO
Category 2 Centre)

2013-

Japanese Aid through UNESCO
Name of projectContributor

AmountYear of implementation

Monuments of the Malwatta Vihara Complex

UNESCO Japanese Funds-in-Trustfor the Preservation of the World
Cultural Heritage

US$226,300

1990-1996

Project for Safeguarding IntangibleCultural Heirtage
through the Strengthening of National Capacities in Asiaand the Pacific (Target countries: Bhutan, Cambodia,
Mongolia, Nepal, PNG, Samoa, Sri Lanka, Timor-Leste)※The amount only opened to the public are listed

UNESCO Japanese Funds-in-Trustfor the Preservation and Promotion US$1,020,484 2011-2014of the Intangible Cultural Heritage21

2

Cultural Property Protection and International Cooperation in Sri Lanka

・Comprehensive conservation of the ancient monuments within the Rajagala Buddhist Monastery ArchaeologicalReserve
The Dutch are also actively involved in cultural heritage
protection in Sri Lanka. The Embassy of the Netherlands
in Colombo plays a central role in providing aid, and the
NPO Centre for International Heritage Activities works incooperation with local institutions to collect information.
According to the Centre for International Heritage Activities,
the Netherlands has implemented more than 80 cooperation
projects in Sri Lanka to date. Particularly since 2007, it has
placed particular emphasis on helping to reconstruct cultural
heritages in the Southern Province of Sri Lanka (Galle, Matara,
Kadugannawa) that have suffered tsunami damage in 2004.

Fig. 9 Information board indicating the amount of aid provided by the
Netherlands for restoration of Jaffna Fort

The Ministry of National Heritage and the Central CulturalFund worked together to formulate a master plan and created the concept of the “Cultural Triangle Project” in the south.
Additionally, cooperation has been provided for the construction of Polonnaruwa Archaeological Museum and Galle National
Maritime Museum, and cooperation projects have also been implemented in Jaffna and Trincomalee, particularly for Jaffna
Fort (Fig. 9) and Naval and Maritime History Museum Trincomalee since immediately after the end of the civil war.
As other examples of cooperation project by other countries besides Japan, the United States and the Netherlands,
China has provided cooperation for Abhayagiriya Museum, and Norway has implemented a project for Jetavana Museum.
In the field of underwater archaeological monuments, studies have been conducted jointly with Australian universities andmuseums, and a UNESCO-ICCROM field school was organised in Galle in 2007. The study of underwater archaeologicalmonuments has thus gained a boost from international cooperation efforts.
【Reference】
Cultural Heritage Protection Cooperation Office, Asia-Pacific Cultural Centre for UNESCO, Agency for Cultural Affairs, Japan, The
Workshop 2013 for Protection of Cultural Heritage in Kandy, Sri Lanka, 2013, ACCU.
Centre for International Heritage Activities < www.heritage-activities.nl >United States Support for Sri Lankan Cultural Preservation < http://srilanka.usembassy.gov/pr-8aug14.html >JCIC-Heritage Database < http://www.jcic-heritage.jp/sns/user/index.html? >22

Naval and Maritime History Museum Trincomalee

3. Cultural Heritage and Regional Development in the Northern and Northeastern Provinces
In an interview with Dr. Senarath Dissanayaka, Director General of the Department of Archaeology, on 17
February, 2014, the project team gained information that the Department is seeking ways to link cultural heritage
protection and tourism development as a post-civil war initiative, and that toward realisation of such a linkage,there are plans for the reutilisation of historical buildings in Jaffna and Trincomalee as cultural complexes. On 20
February, the team received a detailed explanation of the plan from Prof. Mandawala, who acts as a consultant
to the Ministry of National Heritage and is involved in the formulation of the plan, while touring the groundsof the old government office in Jaffna (local name: Kachcheri Building), and thereafter in a meeting held on 20
May, obtained information about the progress of the restoration work. This chapter first examines the restoration
work that has already been completed at Trincomalee (Naval and Maritime History Museum Trincomalee) as apreceding example, then discusses the project for reutilisation of the old Kachcheri building in Jaffna that is being
implemented following the same model, in reference to information acquired in the survey.

3–1.

Naval and Maritime History Museum Trincomalee
MAP：P.50 Fig.86
N. 8°34' 12", E. 81°14' 13"

Trincomalee is a port city located in northeastern Sri Lanka facing the
Bay of Bengal. Owing to its indented landscape and size, it is known as one of
the best natural ports in the world. After the 17th century, the Portuguese,Dutch, French and British advanced into Sri Lanka and stationed their navyin Trincomalee. Today, it is home to the Sri Lanka Navy.
Naval and Maritime History Museum Trincomalee can be said to bea facility that symbolizes the history of the city. The building was originally built and used as the home of a naval
commissioner during the period of Dutch rule in the 17th century. It is a white, two-story colonial building thatcommands a view of the blue sea and white sands of Dutch Bay.
The plan to reutilise the building that had fallen into ruin as a museum took shape between 2007 and 2008. The
land was owned by Eastern University of Sri Lanka. There were proposals to tear down the dangerous building, but
the Department of Archaeology did not approve, and instead aimed to preserve it. Restoration began in 2009 and wascompleted by February 2014, and the building was newly opened to the public as a museum in May 2014.
The Department of Archaeology assumed the responsibility of formulating the concept for the new building, as
well as took charge of the provision and management of materials. The renovation conformed to the principle ofretaining the building’s original architecture and design as much as possible. Interestingly, the actual restoration
work was undertaken by the navy. When considering the fact that the army is also engaged in the renovation ofAnuradhapura Archaeology Museum (see Chapter 6), which happened to be underway during the recent survey, it canbe said that a cooperative relationship exists between the military and public works in Sri Lanka.
The restoration was implemented with assistance from the Dutch government, through the cooperation of the
Dutch Embassy in Sri Lanka. It is said that Dutch aid totalled 75 million Sri Lanka Rupees (Rs.), and the production costof exhibits amounted to approximately 0.5 million Rs.
Exhibition rooms on the ground floor (approx. 766㎡) are themed on art and science, and feature the historyof the navy, underwater heritages, and foreign trade. The first floor (approx. 707㎡) is themed on natural science,and introduces marine life in relation to biodiversity. The Department of Archaeology oversaw the ground floor,

23

3

Cultural Heritage and Regional Developmentin the Northern and Northeastern Provinces

Fig. 10

Fig. 12

Naval and Maritime History Museum Trincomalee

Fig. 11Ground floor exhibition room

Ground floor exhibition room (Naval collection)

Ground floor exhibition room

Fig. 13 Stairway to the 1st floor and exhibits at the bottom of the stairs

Fig. 14 1st floor hall(display of photos of the restoration process of the museum)Fig. 15 1st floor pillared gallery(original pillars have been retained in part)and the Department of National Museum, the first floor. The museum also displays panels of photographs of thebuilding’s restoration process, and is outfitted with an auditorium with a capacity of around 100 people. The exhibits
make active use of dioramas and panels to provide an overview of marine archaeology, the evolution of shipbuilding
technologies, the advancement of maritime technologies and their wartime and commercial uses, and the marine
environment of Sri Lanka as a whole. The National Maritime Museum in Chanthaburi, Thailand served as a reference
for the new museum.
In regard to the restoration of the building and opening as a museum, the Department of Archaeology identifies
the following as its values:(1)Historical value as a building of the commissioner during the period of Dutch rule,(2)Architectural value as a 17th-century Dutch architecture,(3)Economic value as a facility that is expected to increase national income by attracting tourists with a24

Naval and Maritime History Museum Trincomalee

Museum, Information and Activity Centre of Jaffna

prominent landscape that features an ancient citadel and coastline in close proximity to the present seat ofadministration,(4)Material and technological value represented by the building’s structure based on three-tiered brick floors
and wooden beams,(5)Artistic value of the gallery that embellishes the building’s external appearance and the shapes of its windows
and doors, and(6)Symbolic value as a landmark of eastern Sri Lanka.
The museum expects to receive not only domestic visitors from Sri Lanka but foreign tourists as well. Furthermore,
it is expected to have an educational effect by providing knowledge about maritime affairs. The museum has opened
just recently, but the website of the Department of Archaeology introduces it as one of major ongoing architecture
conservation projects in Sri Lanka.
【Reference】“Sri Lanka President opens Naval and Maritime Museum in Trincomalee”, SL Time, ColomboPage News Desk , Feb 3, 2013 <http://
www.colombopage.com/archive_13A/Feb03_1359913870CH.php>

3–2.

Museum, Information and Activity Centre of Jaffna
MAP：P.35 Fig.43
N. 9°39' 3", E. 80°1' 48"

Travel books such as Lonely Planet and Japan’s popular guidebook

Chikyu no Arukikata have begun to include information on the Northernand Northeastern Provinces of Sri Lanka from after the end of the civil war
in 2009. As of 2014, both domestic and foreign tourists have gradually
begun to return to Jaffna, and tourism in the northern city is graduallyregaining its strength toward regional reconstruction in conjunction with the surge in advancement of Indian andChinese corporations. At the time of March 2013 survey, no tourist information centre yet existed, and tours ofmajor cultural heritages in Jaffna were implemented by a handful of hotels only. However, foreign tourists werespotted during the February and May 2014 surveys. Particularly in Jaffna, a room in the inner space near the south
entrance of Jaffna Fort, was converted into a tourist information centre to display panels introducing historicalbuildings and ruins under excavation in the vicinity.
Under this situation, a concept is currently underway for transforming a building that was utilised as a regional
commissioner’s office (Kachcheri Building) into a cultural complex. The concept was formulated by Prof. Mandawala,and literally aims to utilize the historical government building as a museum and centre for information and culturalactivities. The North Office of the Department of Archaeology, Archaeological Museum, Jaffna, Prof. P Pushparatnamfrom the Department of History at the University of Jaffna and others are currently involved in the project, but
supports not only from these institutions but also from local residents who have carried on Jaffna’s diverse culture
is indispensable for realisation of the project. This cultural centre project for utilising the Old Kachcheri Building
has been designated a Conservation and Adaptive Reuse Project, following the preceding example of the projectfor reutilisation of the old naval commissioner’s house in Trincomalee as a Naval and Maritime History Museum. It
is also a concept that conforms to the stipulation in Article 5 of the International Charter for the Conservation and
Restoration of Monuments and Sites (The Venice Charter 1964), which stipulates: “The conservation of monuments25

3Museum, Information and Activity Centre of Jaffna

Cultural Heritage and Regional Developmentin the Northern and Northeastern Provincesis always facilitated by making use of them for some socially useful purpose. Such use is therefore desirable but it
must not change the lay-out or decoration of the building. It is within these limits only that modifications demanded
by a change of function should be envisaged and may be permitted.”
It is said that the restoration plan began in 2011, but at the time of the March 2013 survey, the detailed content
of the project could not yet be confirmed. At the time of the February 2014 survey, however, a detailed vision of
the cultural complex was clearly made known, and by May, students of Prof. Mandawala had begun to make thedocumentation of the architecture. The total budget of the project proposed by Prof. Mandawala was roughly
234.28 million Rs. (excluding tax).
Below is an outline of the present state of the Old Kachcheri Building, the objectives of its conservation,
restoration and reutilisation, and the inside of the facility.
(1) Appearance and history of the building
The Old Kachcheri Building is located about 1.5 km east of central Jaffna along national road A9 (Kandy
Road), facing the present regional government building on the other side of the road. It is said to originallydate to the period of Dutch rule, but the existing building has been built during the British period, aroundthe time of P. Dyke, a British regional commissioner who purchased the adjacent land that is Old Park today
and built a residence and garden in 1829. In addition to a section on the north side of the ground floor of
the building that was used as a prison during the British period, countless traces of bombardment remain in
the walls and pillars from heavy fighting between the LTTE and government troops when the building was
occupied by the LTTE during the civil war. In 2011, the building was registered as an archaeological site andplaced under the management of the Department of Archaeology. In 2013, damage caused by plant growth
was seen throughout the building, but in 2014, most of the vegetation had been eliminated.
The building, as shown in the diagram, is oval in shape when excluding the projection at the entrance ,and surrounds a large garden in the centre (Fig. 16). It was initially a two-story building. As for materials, it
uses brick in addition to coral stones that are frequently used in architecture in Jaffna and the outer islands.
Wooden building materials that were used inside the building unfortunately no longer exist. In addition to
the above, the floor of the ground floor is paved with tiles as well as clay floor mosaic paved with ceramic
fragments from the Dutch and subsequent the British periods, reminiscent of bygone days.
Architecturally, the building features both a neo-Renaissance style as represented by semi-circular arches,
cylindrical colonnades and verandas with a balustrade above the overhang of the front entrance, and theneo-Gothic style of using rose windows. Also combined with the use of coral stones that is unique to Jaffna,
the building indicates a fusion of European architectural styles of the time and the architectural style of theNorthern Province.
(2) Objectives of conservation and reutilisation•To include the building in the conservation programme for buildings of the colonial period•To utilise the building premised on its restoration based on historical and archaeological evidence (Article
5, Venice Charter. See P.25 for details)•To foster cross-cultural understanding by gathering information on the diverse cultural heritage of theNorthern Province (Buddhism, Hinduism, the Sri Lankan Tamil race, colonial period [Dutch and British])in one venue as a place that integrates a museum, information and various cultural activities•To present the state of affairs which allowed for the coexistence of a diversity of ethnicities and multiple
cultures and religions that bear testimony to the history of the Northern Province

26Museum, Information and Activity Centre of Jaffna

Fig. 16

Plan of the Old Kachcheri building

Fig. 18

Damage caused by plant growthFig. 20

Remain of British colonial prison

Fig. 22

Fig. 17

External view from the adjacent main street (rear side)

Fig. 19

Fig. 21

Wall with bullet holes

Floor Mosaic made of ceramic fragments from the Dutch
periodFig. 23

27

Part of a collapsed wall

Cloister facing the courtyard

3Museum, Information and Activity Centre of Jaffna

Cultural Heritage and Regional Developmentin the Northern and Northeastern Provinces•To create a centre for promoting cultural heritage tourism in the Northern Province•To use the proceeds from the new facility to fund the conservation and restoration of archaeological sites
in the Northern Province(3) Internal structure of the new cultural complex (based on Prof. Mandawala’s concept)
Ground floor: Jaffna Museum, storage, crafts workshop, photo exhibition, laboratory, and restaurant(The room on the ground floor that served as a prison during the British period will also be
used as a reference of the olden days.)
1st floor: Auditorium, information centre*, offices, and conference room
Courtyard: Open air theatre (place for performances of intangible cultural heritage)*The creation of the cultural heritage archive provided at the information centre is undertaken by students of
the University of Colombo, School of Computing, which has advanced database creation technology. Particularly
for the reproduction of ancient cityscapes, existing glass dry plates and microfilm data are planned to be
integrated into the database.

(4) Expected outcomes of the project•The facility is expected to have an educational effect on both domestic and foreign tourists.
•The facility will make domestic and foreign tourists take interest not only in well-known tourism resources,
but also in the historical cultural heritages of Jaffna, and increase visits to the region.
•The utilisation of the building as a cultural centre will guarantee prolonged preservation and utilisationof the building.
Prior to implementation of the project, the government is urgently developing the transportation network andother infrastructures. The construction of a road connecting Colombo and Jaffna has shortened the distance between
the two cities by roughly 100 km, and reconstruction of railway station buildings and railway that were destroyedin the civil war has led to the opening of the Colombo-Jaffna railway segment in October 2014. Completion of theabove road and railway has facilitated travels to Jaffna, and is expected to lead to an increasing number of tourists.
As described above, a project is presently underway to reutilise a building that is a symbol of the colonial period
and was also used even under LTTE occupation, as a cultural complex. It is hoped that the facility will be a placeof cultural memories of the development of multiple religions and cultures in Jaffna and where people gain anunderstanding of, and are moved to seek, multicultural harmony.
【Reference】
Department of Archaeology Sri Lanka, Conservation and Restoration of the Ancient Kachcheri Building and Conversion it to theMuseum, Information and Activity Center of Jaffna: Conservation and Adaptive Reuse Project Proposal , 2014.

28

Archaeological Museum, Jaffna

4. Museums in the Northern and Northeastern Provinces
This chapter mainly provides an overview of the present state and issues of Archaeological Museum, Jaffna thatwas surveyed in FY2014, as well as an outline of the present state of Dr. K Indrapala Archaeological Museum in the
Department of History at the University of Jaffna; the Trincomalee Archaeological Museum, which was closed to the
public but opened for inspection by the project team; and Archaeological Museum Seruvila, which newly opened
in recent years.
4–1. Jaffna

Archaeological Museum, Jaffna
MAP：P.35 Fig.43
N. 9°40' 8", E. 80°1' 2"Archaeological Museum, Jaffna is located on Navalar Road, which islocated approximately 300 m west of Temple Road. Nallur Kandaswamy
Kovil stands facing Temple Road in the north. The building is made of brickand concrete, and has outer walls designed with bas-reliefs of palmyra
palms that are commonly seen in the Northern Province. The supports that
hold up the ceiling are mainly made of wood. It is composed of multiple galleries that wrap around inner courtyards,
with a number of the galleries projecting outward. Outside light is allowed inside only through two gallery doors thatface the entrance of the museum and the courtyard. Small stupas, grave stone from the Dutch period and even whalebones are placed around the courtyard and building, and as seen later in the description of exhibits, a wide variety
of items such as archaeological artefacts as well as folklore objects are housed in the museum. The museum has noFig. 24

Exhibition room for Buddhism

Fig. 26

Fig. 25

Three-language caption

Fig. 27

29

Hindu sculpture

Inside the museum

4Museums in the Northern and Northeastern Provinces

Fig. 28

Archaeological Museum, Jaffna

Exhibition of daily implements

Fig. 30

Fig. 29

Fig. 31

Inventory book

Display case

Exhibits in the courtyard

storage. A small room the same size as the exhibition rooms is used as the curator’s office. Additionally, there is an“Antiquity Management Fund” donation box near the entrance of the museum, installed by the Ministry of National
Heritage and the Department of Archaeology to help funding the conservation of archaeological artefacts in Sri Lanka.
The museum exhibits comprise stone sculptures (Buddhist and Hindu), bead accessories, coins, ivory items, metal
items, dolls, ceramics, wooden items, gravestones from the Dutch period to the British colonial period, etc. Most of the
Buddhist sculptures were excavated from Kantharodai, located about 10 km from Jaffna (see Chapter 5), as well asfrom Nilavarai, a village that is famous for its spring water, and Kilinochchi, known as the site of a hard-fought battle
during the civil war. They also include stone materials of railing (vedika) and pinnacles of stupas. Some date to thePolonnaruwa period, but most are believed to be from the Anuradhapura period. The Hindu sculptures are from theearly modern period, and can be considered in valuable reference on the Hindu culture of the Tamil people.
The exhibits are accompanied by captions written in three languages—Sinhalese, Tamil and English—but panels
for introducing the museum, maps of Jaffna, timetables, archaeological sites and temples, and rituals, are still lacking.
At the time of the 2014 survey, an inventory book (Fig. 30) made in the early 20th century was disclosed. The
project team provided advice and guidance on data management methods to Ms. T Getsy, assistant curator, who has
been checking the museum’s collection against the old register, renumbering the items and organising basic data suchas the measurements of Buddha statues. As mentioned in Chapter 3, a plan for reutilising an old Kachcheri building
as a cultural complex is underway, and the existing Archaeological Museum, Jaffna is also slated to be relocated to
the new facility.

30

Dr. K Indrapala Archaeological Museum,
Department of History, University of Jaffna

Dr. K Indrapala Archaeological Museum, Department ofHistory, University of Jaffna
MAP：P.35 Fig.43
N. 9°41' 7", E. 80°1' 23"

The University of Jaffna is a distinguished school in the Northern
Province. Students who study archaeology are enrolled in the Archaeology
Course in the Department of History under the Faculty of Arts (establishedin 2003). There are 20 students at present, all undergraduates. The
archaeology course focus on the protection of cultural heritage in the Jaffna Peninsula, which has a history that
goes back more than 2000 years to the pre-Christian era. It also offers classes on heritage management, media
and cultural tourism. At the same time, the university has engaged in an independent excavation of the Northern
Province since before the civil war, and has launched an excavation project in 2010 with the assistance of the
Department of Archaeology, Sri Lanka. Current students are thus involved in the Jaffna Fort conservation project forpractical training and in the creation of a database of cultural heritages in the Northern Province. In the future, theuniversity wishes to enhance its study environment by installing an on-campus laboratory outfitted with dedicatedfacilities for archaeology majors to study the conservation of cultural heritages.
Prof. P Pushparatnam has selected 30 major cultural heritages in northern Sri Lanka from the broad perspectiveof cultural heritage and tourism studies, as also offered by the Department of History, and was in the process ofwriting a book titled Tourism and Monuments of Archaeological Heritages in Northern Sri Lanka at the time of the2014 survey (English; issued in September 2014; scheduled to also be published in Tamil and Sinhalese hereafter).
In addition to a collection of coins from the B.C. era to the modern age, the museum also stores a collectionof Hindu sculptures discovered in Jaffna. The collections all belong to the university. Archaeological artefacts
are mostly those found in surveys conducted between 1989 and 2004, and also include items donated by the
Department of Archaeology, the Central Cultural Fund and individuals. Also, the museum introduces both Buddhist
and Hindu archaeological sites of major importance in Jaffna using panels of photographs and explanatory text
in English. Apart from the Buddhist archaeological sites, the Hindu temples introduced are not necessarily old, as
mentioned earlier. However, each temple seen in the peninsula is carefully described, so that while small in scale,the artefacts and panels of Jaffna speak eloquently of the history of the city.
The museum occupied a room facing the lawn of the university building. While it has a small floor space and very
few items in its collection compared to Archaeological Museum, Jaffna, it offers a thorough display of relevant materials.

Fig. 32

Inside the museum

Fig. 33

31

Stone sculptures4

Museums in the Northern and Northeastern Provinces

Trincomalee
Archaeological Museum

4–2. Trincomalee

Trincomalee Archaeological Museum
MAP：P.50 Fig.86
N. 8°34' 1", E. 81°13' 57"

A building that was previously used as an archaeological museum
stands facing the inner harbour on the west side of the peninsula roughly
1 km southwest of the Naval and Maritime History Museum. The building
dates to the Dutch period. The museum opened in 1987, but closed downin 1989 due to the civil war. Thereafter, it was used as the office of thedivisional secretariat, and today, it houses the police, who simultaneously
manages the facility. Buddha statues and other cultural properties remain abandoned in the building. The inside of
the building has fallen to ruin and does not in the least provide a good preservation environment. The Department of
National Museum was in charge of the museum at the time it opened, but today it is placed under the management of
the Department of Archaeology.
According to the Department of Archaeology, there are plans to restore the building, but specific financial
resources are lacking at present, and no restoration schedule has yet been decided. It estimates that the restoration
will cost 17 million Rs.. Considerations are being given to introducing both tangible and intangible cultural heritages
in the new facility.

Fig. 34

Abandoned Buddha statue in the museum

Fig. 35

The inside of the museum

Fig. 36

Fig. 37

Facade of the museum

The ceiling of the museum

32Archaeological Museum Seruvila

Archaeological Museum Seruvila

MAP：P.50 Fig.85
N. 8°22' 22", E. 81°19' 16"

Seruvila Mangala Raja Maha Vihara is a Buddhist temple locatedapproximately 6 km inland from the famous Lanka Patuna along the coast,south of Trincomalee across from Koddiyar Bay. A new museum was built
to the north of the temple complex and opened in June 2009. Before themuseum was built, cultural properties were stored inside the temple.
The museum has one exhibition room filled with stone Buddha statues
excavated from nearby archaeological sites, gilt bronze Buddha statues from the Kandy period, inscriptions,
earthenware, clay artefacts, metal products, coins, bank notes, and other Buddhist artefacts from the Anuradhapura
period to the modern era. It also displays photo panels that introduce nearby monuments (Fig. 40), and exhibits in thegallery outside the building, including a stone slab with Buddha’s footprint, an urinal stone from an ancient temple,
architectural elements, and other such stone products. Among the museum collection, most of the sculptures aremanaged by the Department of Archaeology, and the rest are owned by the temple. Staffs belong to the Departmentof Archaeology and include two who are permanent employees and three who engage in the management ofmonuments.
Bank of Ceylon has provided financial aid for the construction of the museum.

Fig. 38

Fig. 40

Inside of the museum

Fig. 39

Exhibits in the museum

Panel displays of monuments

Fig. 41

Exhibits in the gallery

33

5. Cultural Heritages in the Northern and Northeastern Provinces
Based on information acquired in the 2013 survey, the February and May 2014 surveys focused on inspecting
religious ruins related to Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam, as well as historical buildings dating to the periods ofcolonial rule by the Portuguese, Dutch and British, accompanied by regional officers from the Department ofArchaeology and local personnel. In the surveys, members of the Department of Archaeology were interviewed
about historical matters and the status of conservation, and in the meeting held on the last day of the survey,
various views were exchanged with them concerning issues in cultural heritage protection in each region. This
chapter provides a report on 29 archaeological sites and historical structures.

5–1. Jaffna
The Jaffna region in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka is still home to many Tamil people today. Among them,
there are minorities of Buddhist, Christians and Muslims, but the majority of Tamils are Hindu, and there are many
Hindu temples of a wide range of sizes in both the urban and rural parts of Jaffna, including large temples withgopurams (gate of the temple) and small shrines on street corners. In contrast, the only major Buddhist temple,
aside from remains of Buddhist temples, is Sri Naga Vihara in the centre of the city. Christian churches are not as
numerous as Hindu temples, but there are a considerably larger number of churches compared to Buddhist temples.
There are a number of mosques as well, as Jaffna is also home to many Muslims. Common to most of the religious
buildings, however, is that they were generally built after the civil war.
In addition to these religious buildings, there are also buildings in city dating from the colonial periods. During
the March 2013 survey, buildings that were destroyed in the civil war were still found in the city, but by the
February 2014 survey, most of them had been removed, excluding those that were registered as cultural heritages.
Among the colonial buildings that were preserved, Jaffna Fort, which was built during the Dutch period, and theold Kachcheri Building, which is planned to be redeveloped as a centre of tourism and cultural promotion, areparticularly worthy of mention. They are both managed by the Department of Archaeology, and restoration work of
Jaffna Fort is currently underway with financial aid from the Dutch government.
This section presents an overview of cultural heritages inspected by the project team in Jaffna, but let us firstprovide a brief history of Hinduism in northern Sri Lanka. The relationship between northern Sri Lanka and India
probably goes back to the pre-Christian era, but Hinduism took root in Sri Lanka after many Tamil people relocatedto Sri Lanka from South India around the 10th century, when South India was ruled by the Chola Dynasty, whichembraced Hinduism. Furthermore, as the Chola Dynasty practiced Saivism, many Hindu temples in northern Jaffna
belong to the Siva sect. It is said that there were close to 500 Hindu temples in the Kingdom of Jaffna, which cameinto existence in the 13th century, but the Portuguese destroyed all Hindu temples as it gained substantial control
from the end of the 16th century. They sacked the temples and forced everyone from the king to the masses toconvert to Christianity. The Dutch, who thereafter came to power in place of the Portuguese in 1658 were tolerant
about religion, and came up with a policy of condoning the reconstruction of Hindu temples. Thus, many temples
were once again built in Jaffna. However, after 1983, when the LTTE became even more active and the civil war
intensified, Hindu temples that survived colonial rule by the Dutch and the British were also engulfed in the chaosof war and fell to ruin. Reconstruction and restoration of the temples began once again after the end of the civil war
in May 2009, and continue to this day.
【Reference】
Brito, C. , The Yalpana-Vaipava-Malai, New Delhi, 1879 (rep. 2007).
Pathmanathan, S., Hindu Temples of Sri Lanka, Kumaran Book House, Colombo, 2006.

35

5

Cultural Heritages
in the Northern and Northeastern Provinces

Kayts Island

Fig. 43
Nainativ Island

Kilinochchi

Jaﬀna Lagoon
Palk Strait

27 29

28
MannarDelft Island

0

Fig. 425km

Wide area Map of Jaffna

Palk Strait

0

Fig. 43

1km

Enlarged Map of Urban District of Jaffna

Jaﬀna Fort

Dambakola PatunaJaﬀna Library

Theru Modi Madam

Jaﬀna Old Kachcheri Building Archaeological Site

Vallipuram

Archaeological Museum, Jaﬀna

St. Antonius Church

Mazrauddeen School

Vadamarachchi

Nallur Kandaswamy Kovil

Fort Hammenhiel

University of Jaﬀna

Naga Pooshani Amman Temple

Mandri Manai

Nagadipa Vihara

Sangili Topu and Foundation base belonging toAncient Buddhist Site

Sangili (Changiliyan) Palace

Ancient Hindu Site

Yamunari Pond

Wild Horse

Nilavarai

Old Dutch Hospital

Kantharodai Buddhist Site

27

Pigeon House

Maviddapuram Temple

28

Baobab Tree

Naguleswaram Temple

29

Old Dutch Fort

36

Mandri Manai

Sangili Topu and Foundation basebelonging to Sangili (Changiliyan) Palace

Cultural Heritages in Mainland Jaffna (Urban District of Jaffna)

Sangili Topu and Foundation base belonging to Sangili (Changiliyan) Palace
Urban District of Jaffna

MAP：P.35 Fig.43
N. 9°40' 34", E. 80°2' 10"

Sangili Topu is considered a gate of the palace of Sangili. There remains part of a building that has a semicircular arch opening at present. It is located close to Muththirai Junction at the south end of Point Pedro Road that
leads to Point Pedro in the northern part of the Jaffna Peninsula.
Sangili refers to Jaffna’s King Sangili Segarajasekaram (1519-1564). He is considered Jaffna’s hero who held out
against the Portuguese rule of northern Sri Lanka until the very end, and is also known for ordering the massacre of
Christian converts and priests. This structure is made of brick and finished with plaster, the entrance arch and upper
decorations of gentle curves are said to exhibit the style of Portuguese architecture. However, only the entrance
portion exists today, and there is no way of knowing the appearance of the entire building. Today, portions of theplaster that had peeled off have been repaired with concrete, and a simple roof has been installed over the building
to prevent damage from rain.
Along a side path stretching from the back of the building, there is an area that appears to be the foundation of
the palace and a pond, but sufficient information is lacking to corroborate their history.

Fig. 44

Entrance to the royal palace

Fig. 45

Existing foundation baseMandri Manai
MAP：P.35 Fig.43
Urban District of Jaffna

N. 9°40' 34", E. 80°2' 10"

Mandri Manai means “official residence,” stands facing Point Pedro Road, approximately 100 m north of the abovementioned Sangili Topu considered a gate. The building is said to date to the 15th century, but the front façade displays
Dutch colonial-style architecture. Various theories exist about the building, including the theory that it used to be partof a royal palace, and the theory that it was the residence of Prince Paranir Pasinghan, the son of King Pararajasekaran
of Jaffna.
The front entrance of the building shows a combination of columns and irregularly shaped arches, and on the outside
wall is the date 1890 and a person’s name in Tamil and English. At the very top is a spire with an arch and pilasters. Inside
the front entrance, wooden colonnades and pointed arches come into view, in addition to a unique brackets featuring
a plant motif, which together give a glamorous impression leading to the inside space toward the back. The building is37

5Cultural Heritages
in the Northern and Northeastern Provinces

Mandri Manai

Jaffna Old Kachcheri Building
Archaeological sitemade of stone and finished with plaster, but wood is also used in the structural components such as girders and beams,
the colonnade and parts of arches. It is a two-story building with its stairs still remaining today and profusely decorated
with arch designs inside. There are circle and square windows in the rear of the building, which is interesting also froma design perspective. There is a well on the east side of the building.
An information board stands in the site stating that the Department of Archaeology governs the building today, andthe area that includes the building is maintained by its staff.

Fig. 46

External view of Mandri Manai

Fig. 47

Inside of Mandri Manai

Jaffna Old Kachcheri Building Archaeological site
MAP：P.35 Fig.43
Urban District of Jaffna

N. 9°39' 35", E. 80°1' 46"

The building was initially built during the Dutch period, but the building that exists today was built during the
British period, in the first half of the 19th century. Today, the building has neither roof nor doors, but countlessbullet holes remain in the walls. Tiles pave the floor in one of the rooms inside, reminiscent of ancient times. The
building was used by the LTTE police during the civil war, and many landmines are said to have been buried inits surroundings. After the end of the civil war, a new government building was built on the other side of the roadfrom the old building, and the Kachcheri Building was placed under the control of the Department of Archaeology
as a representative building from the colonial period in Jaffna. Today, a current status survey is underway toward
redevelopment of the building as a comprehensive cultural facility that will also house a museum, theatre andtourist information centre (see 3-2. for details).

Fig. 48

Inside the ground floor of the building

Fig. 49

38

Walls of the buildingJaffna Fort

Jaffna Fort
MAP：P.35 Fig.43
Urban District of Jaffna

N. 9°39' 47", E. 80°0' 30"

Jaffna Fort used to be a square fort during the period of Portuguese rule. The Dutch, looking to expand its colonial
power, besieged and attacked the Portuguese for a period of over three and a half months in 1658. Thereafter, itdismantled the Portuguese fort, and built a central star-shaped, pentagonal fort in its place. The fort was completed
in 1792 with the construction of a gate in the outer wall. The top of the gate on the south side still bears the year
1680. In September 1795, the Dutch was deprived of its supremacy by the British, which was rapidly expanding
its power across South Asia, and the fort was yielded to the British unscathed. It remained one of the most wellpreserved forts in Sri Lanka, but suffered marked damage in the civil war with the LTTE, along with the church andQueen’s House within the confines of the fort.

Fig. 50

Fig. 52

External view of the fort

Fig. 51

Destroyed remains of a church

Fig. 54

Fig. 53

Queen’s House

Structure yet to be restored inside the fort

Upper part of outer wall of the fort after restoration

Fig. 55

39

Information centre inside the fort

5

Cultural Heritages
in the Northern and Northeastern Provinces

Nallur Kandaswamy Kovil

Jaffna Fort

A project for the conservation of Jaffna Fort was launched by the Sri Lanka government in 2009 after the
threat of the LTTE was over, and was implemented from November 2009 to December 2012 as the first phase,with financial aid from the Dutch government. Of the total expense of approximately 104.6 million Rs., the Dutch
government disbursed 62.1 million Rs., and the Sri Lanka government 42.5 million Rs.. The stone masons andoverseers who worked in the site were Sri Lankans, and students and alumni of Department of Archaeology inFaculty of Art at the University of Jaffna also participated in the project. Beside the staff of the Department ofArchaeology (North Province Regional Office), 75 people work in the capacity of temporary workers.
At inside the fort, using a small room on the south side of the fort, an information centre exhibits panels ofphotos and brief descriptions to introduce cultural heritages around Jaffna. In addition to these, there is a plan toenhance the facility for further tourism promotion.
Restoration of the fort’s outer walls was completed in December 2013, and visitors may now walk around the topof the walls. At the time of the 2014 survey, the church inside the fort was awaiting its turn for conservation. Thisand the restoration of the inside of the fort are hoped to be completed by the end of 2014. Today, the conservation
project at Jaffna Fort is the largest such project in terms of both the size of the remains and budget among others
in Jaffna. The fort is governed by the Ministry of Economic Development today.

Nallur Kandaswamy Kovil
Urban District of Jaffna

MAP：P.35 Fig.43
N. 9°40' 29 ", E. 80°1' 47"

Nallur Kandaswamy Kovil was built in 948 according to the Yalpana vaipava Malai (History of the Kingdom ofJaffna) . The temple says it was built by King Bhuvanekabahu VI of Kotte between 1450 and 1467 (Cv . 9.2.1), but
literary records in South India note that even before that, Queen Sembian Mahadevi of the Chola Dynasty offereda bronze statue and other ritual implements to the temple in as early as the mid-10th century. In the Age of
Exploration, the temple was exposed to fierce battle between the Portuguese and the Kingdom of Jaffna, and was
demolished by Capt. Phillippe de Oliveira in 1620 after Jaffna’s defeat. It is said that a church was later built in
its place. The temple that exists today was rebuilt in the 18th century during the period of Hindu restoration andlater expanded. It is said to house bronze statues that were brought from India in the 10th century.
The temple is dedicated to Lord Murugan, a Hindu god who originated from Tamil Nadu Province in South
India. Murugan is the most deeply adored among all gods worshipped by the Tamil people, and is depicted riding
on a peacock and holding a spear in his hand, much like Karttikeya, the second son of Siva.
Today, ochre-painted gopurams rise on all sides, and as Gods enshrined in the inner sanctum are unveiled
several times a day, worshippers flock to the temple service and offer an earnest prayer to Gods.

Fig. 56

Nallur Kandaswamy Kovil

Fig. 57

40

GopuramNallur Kandaswamy Kovil

Jaffna Library

Mazrauddeen
School【Reference】
Brito, C. , The Yalpana-Vaipava-Malai, New Delhi, 1879 (rep.2007), p. 17

Jaffna Library
Urban District of Jaffna

MAP：P.35 Fig.43
N. 9°39' 43 ", E. 80°0' 44"

The foundation stone of the library bears the date
March 29, 1955, but the actual construction of the librarycommenced in 1958 and was completed in 1960. The
building incorporates the Mughal architectural style ofIndia, which is characterised by the symmetrical formand domes on top of the building. In the evening of June
1, 1981, before the civil war even gained momentum,
an organised mob drove up to the library on a bus andset fire to it, completely destroying the library’s entire
collection of some 97,000 books. After the end of the war,

Fig. 58

External view of the library

the building was restored and reopened in February 2003 with a donation of some 30,000 books from within andoutside Jaffna.

Mazrauddeen School
MAP：P.35 Fig.43
Urban District of Jaffna

N. 9°40' 41 ", E. 80°0' 21"

A Muslim community was formed in Jaffna around the 8th century, when Arab merchants who arrived on thewest coast of South India to engage in trade formed their own community along the coast. In a country where themajority of the population is Buddhist, Muslims make up an even more minor group than the Hindus. Some 4,000
Muslims lived in Jaffna before the civil war, but they were exiled from the region altogether as the war intensified,and became internally displaced people. Only a mere 10% of them returned to the city after the war.
The building was built in 1908 and used as a madrasa (school) in the past, but when the civil war broke out, allMuslims in Jaffna were driven out of the city. Today, the building bears the scars of bomb damage and bullet holes
as painful reminders of the civil war, but a new building has been built behind the ruins, and a primary school has
been established for Muslim children who have returned to Jaffna. A new mosque that was built after the civil war
also stands to the side of the ruins.

Fig. 59

Mazrauddeen School

Fig. 60

41

Inside of the building

5

Cultural Heritages
in the Northern and Northeastern Provinces

Nilavarai

Theru Modi Madam

Cultural Heritages in Mainland Jaffna (Around Point Pedro Road)

The area around Point Pedro is a prosperous fishing village. Homes that engage in fishery are seen hanging
their catch and dragnets along the side of the road facing the beach, but the area is also home to archaeologicalsites in the ancient times as well as the sites in the colonial periods. Hindu temples also remain and receive many
worshippers to its daily services.

Nilavarai

MAP：P.35 Fig.42
Around Point Pedro Road

N. 9°45' 26 ", E. 80°5' 31"

In Nilavarai, there is a large, 50m-deep spring that is filled with water even during the dry season. It is said thatthe water toward the bottom contains salt because the rock at the bottom is connected to the sea. According to theIndian epic Ramayana, Nilavarai is the place where Rama took a rest to quench his thirst after crossing to the islandof Lanka (Sri Lanka) to rescue Sita, his wife who was whisked away to Lanka by Ravana, the demon king. Legend
has it that when Rama thrust his arrow into the ground, water gushed out endlessly, and still continues to do so tothis day.
On the side of the spring remains the base of a stupa made of coral stones and brick. A Buddha image has
been excavated from this ruin (Archaeological Museum, Jaffna; inv. No. 54-630-23). The image is 106 cm tall andcharacterized by a low ushnisha and a robe designed with a double-line pattern. It is thought to date from theAnuradhapura period.
【Reference】
von Schroeder, U., Buddhist Sculptures of Sri Lanka , Visual Dharma Publications ltd., Hong Kong, 1990, p. 685.

Fig. 61

The spring today

Theru Modi Madam
Around Point Pedro Road

Fig. 62

Foundation base of a stupa

MAP：P.35 Fig.42
N. 9°49' 24 ", E. 80°14' 16"

Theru Modi Madam is a building that is locatedabout 800 m south from Point Pedro at the northern
tip of Sri Lanka. It belongs to the same categoryofbuildings as the ambalamas, which are resting places
and lodges for pilgrims commonly found near Kandy,
and was used as a rest house for travellers to and from
northern Jaffna. The building has foundations on theFig. 63

42

Theru Modi MadamTheru Modi Madam

Vallipuram

St. Antonius Church

left and right sides of a road, with six irregularly-shaped stone columns on each foundation and a beam stretchingacross the top of the columns. Today, a spandrel wall is erected above the beams for greater height, and a roof has
been installed overhead as though to cover the left and right structures and road. During hours when the sun’s rays
are strong, local people gather under the building and enjoy chatting with each other.

Vallipuram
Around Point Pedro Road

MAP：P.35 Fig.42
N. 9°47' 22 ", E. 80°14' 34"

Vallipuram Temple is a Hindu temple of the Vaishnava
sect, which is a minority in Jaffna, where the majority
is of the Saiva sect. It was supposedly built around the13th century, and has an old history as does Kandaswamy
Temple in Nallur. Rather than enshrining a Visnu image
in the centre of the sanctum, it enshrines sakkaram, one
of Visnu’s attributes. According to temple lore, a woman
who was not blessed with a child prayed with all her heart
everyday with arms outstretches toward the sea, to beg
forgiveness for her own doings. One day, a fisherman in
the village caught a large fish in his net. The fish slipped

Fig. 64

External view of Vallipuram Temple

through the net, jumped into the woman’s arms, transformed into a child resembling Visnu, and disappeared once
again. Having acquired Visnu’s sakkaram, the people worshipped it in this place.
A 1st century A.D. metal plate with an inscription has also been found in the village. The inscription indicatesthat the village was ruled by King Vasabha, and that his minister built a temple.
It is known that a Buddhist temple had stood in the area where Vallipuram Temple now stands, and a Buddha
image from the Anuradhapura period has been excavated. The image was presented to Rama V of Thailand in 1906by then British administrator Sir Henry Blake. Today, it is enshrined in Benchamabophit Temple in Bangkok, built
by Rama V.
【Reference】
von Schroeder, U., Buddhist Sculptures of Sri Lanka, Visual Dharma Publication ltd., Hong Kong, 1990, p. 148, pl. 31.

St. Antonius Church
Around Point Pedro Road

MAP：P.35 Fig.42
N. 9°46 12 ", E. 80°16' 22"

The road from Point Pedro to the Hindu temple in Vallipuram leads southward to a desert landscape along the sea.
This area is called Manalkadu Desert, and as though half-buried in the sand dunes is the remains of St. Antonius Church.
It was built about 100 years ago, and displays extensive weathering, combined with damage from the sea breeze.
The building is made of stone and brick, and coral stone powder is used as plaster to finish the pillar and pillar
capital decorations. The shaft of the pillars has vertical grooves, and the pillar capitals display an Ionic style withswirl patterns on the left and right sides and a leaf pattern design in the centre. Large and small arches are usedprofusely in the gallery of the building, and alcoves of various sizes still remain in the rear wall where images ofChrist and saints had probably been ensconced.
On the north side of the church, many old and new cross graves stand half-buried in the sand.

43

5

Cultural Heritages
in the Northern and Northeastern Provinces

Fig. 65

St. Antonius Church

Structure parts of St. Antonius Church

Fig. 66

Kantharodai Buddhist Site

Inner wall of the church

Cultural Heritages in Mainland Jaffna (Northern Jaffna)

Kantharodai Buddhist Site
Northern Jaffna

MAP：P.35 Fig.42
N. 9°44' 48 ", E. 80°0' 24"

Kantharodai is a large Buddhist archaeological site that represents Jaffna. It is sometimes identified with the
3rd century B.C. Kadurugoda Temple mentioned in the Mahavansa. Discovered by P. Peiris in 1916, Kantharodai
was excavated over the period from 1917 to 1919. The excavation yielded 56 stupas of various sizes (stupas with adiameter of approx. 7 m at the largest and just under 2 m at the smallest) were built extremely close to each other.
In addition to these stupas, other artefacts have also been found, including stone pillars, balustrades, guardstones,
stone footprints of Buddha, Buddha and Bodhisattva images, and coins from the pre-Christian era. Those in goodcondition are all stored or exhibited in Archaeological Museum, Jaffna in the city. The architecture is made of coralstones, displaying a clear difference with buildings built inland.
In 1948, the Department of Archaeology purchased the surrounding area with the objective of protecting thesite. However, ownership was transferred to a Tamil resident in the vicinity thereafter, and today the Department ofArchaeology exercises control only over a plot of land where 20-some stupas remain.
There is a small shrine that enshrine Buddha image near the Kantharodai site today, and the site is maintained in
extremely beautiful condition. There are even information boards that provide an overview of the site in Sinhalese.
At the time of the survey, foreign and domestic tourists were spotted at the site.
【Reference】
Peiris, P. E., “Nagadipa and Buddhist remains of Jaffna”, The Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society (Ceylon Branch) vol. 26, No. 70, 1918, p. 11.

Fig. 67

StupasFig. 68

44

Stupa inscribed with the date of restoration (1970)

Kantharodai Buddhist Site

Fig. 69

Information board at the entrance to the site (Sinhalese)

Maviddapuram
Kanthaswamy Kovil

Fig. 70 Buddha Statue from Kantharodai(Collection of Archaeological Museum, Jaffna)

Maviddapuram Kanthaswamy Kovil

MAP：P.35 Fig.42
Northern Jaffna

N. 9°48' 4 ", E. 80°2' 9"

Maviddapuram is a Hindu temple that stands at the entrance to the road leading to
Nagulewswaram Temple, mentioned later. Yalpana Vaipava Malai or The History of theKingdom of Jaffna contains the following lore about the temple. Maruthap-pira-vikavalli, the daughter of the king of the Chola Dynasty who had a face like a horse andsuffered severe abdominal pains that made her gaunt, visited a spring called Keerimalai
and bathed as instructed by the saint Nagura. Everyday thereafter, she prayed andbathed, and as she did so, she came to have a beautiful face, and even her pain abated.
To commemorate this miracle, the place was named Maviddapuram (ma means horse;

vidda means removed; and puram is holy city or place). The princess pleaded with herfather the king to send people and materials to build a temple in Maviddapuram, andhad a temple built for the god Skanda Kumara. It is said that a priest, as well as images

Fig. 71 Pamphlet about
the temple (English, Tamil)of Hindu gods and goddesses and even ritual implements for use in the temple, were
offered by the King.
The temple was destroyed by the Portuguese in the 17th century, as were other Hindu temples. Part of thebuilding materials were diverted for use in a fort that was under construction at the time on Kayts Island, but it issaid that the temple hid the deity images and ritual implements by burying them in the ground to prevent themFig. 72

Fig. 73

Ritual chariot

45

Statue of horse-faced princess

5

Cultural Heritages
Maviddapuram Kanthaswamy Kovilin the Northern and Northeastern Provinces

Naguleswaram Temple

from being destroyed or looted. The temple was rebuilt in 1782 under the Hindu reconstruction campaign, but the
inner part with the mandapa today was built in 1927. A statue of a hourse faced princess is carved on one of thepillars in the mandapa.
【Reference】
Brito, C., The Yalpana-Vaipava-Malai , New Delhi, 1879 (rep. 2007), pp. 9-11.

Naguleswaram Temple

MAP：P.35 Fig.42
Northern Jaffna

N. 9°48' 48 ", E. 80°0' 44"

The history of Naguleswaram Temple is found in Yalpana Vaipava Malai, a book on Jaffna history. It relates how
King Vijaya, who was a devout follower of Saivism, first built a temple dedicated to Siva in the four directions of his
country before beginning his reign, and the one that was built in an area called Theertha-thampalai near Keerimalai
to the north was renamed to become the temple it is today.
The temple that exists today was rebuilt during the Dutch period in the 18th century, but its gopuram andinterior architecture are still undergoing maintenance today. In the temple precinct is an old gopuram or gate thatis elaborately decorated with three-dimensional sculptures.
A mineral spring called Keerimalai that is said to have curing power against diseases, is located along the coast,
about 200 m north from Naguleswaram Temple. It is separated in two for men and women, respectively, and ispartaken by worshippers to the temple and tourists. The name Keerimalai comes from the Tamil word “keeri,” whichmeans mongoose, and “malai,” which means hill. According to legend, when Nagula Muni (Nagula Swami), who built
Naguleswaram Temple, bathed in the spring, his mongoose face turned into a human face. In the book on Jaffna
history, he is also referred to as Nagula Malai.
【Reference】
Brito, C., The Yalpana-Vaipava-Malai, New Delhi, 1879 (rep.2007), pp. 3-4.

Fig. 75

Fig. 74

Gopuram decorated with sculptures

Fig. 76

Gopuram under reconstruction

46

Keerimalai

Old Dutch Fort

Cultural Heritages on the Islands

The Kingdom of Jaffna continued from the 13th to 17th centuries (1620), and was placed under the effective
control of the Portuguese in the first half of the 16th century. Around forty years later, it fell into the hands of the
Dutch, who gave Dutch place names to eight of the thirteen islands around Jaffna. Today, some of these islands
have returned to their original names. In this survey, Delft Island, the largest of the islands, and Nainativ Island, also
called Nagadipa, were surveyed. Both islands were reached by boat from Kayts Island.

Delft Island

The island was given the name Delft by the Dutch during their colonial rule, but before that it was called
Neduntheevu or Pasuthivu. In contrast to Jaffna, where tourism was developing, hardly any tourists were seen on
Delft Island at the time of the March 2013 survey. The island is home to the navy and some 5,000 residents. There are
ten Christian churches and eight Hindu temples on the island, but the majority of the residents are said to be Catholic.
An information panel is erected on the wharf that introduces the attractions of Delft Island by name and photos.
There are six cultural heritages on the island, including a stupa from the Anuradhapura period and buildings
associated with the periods of Portuguese and British rule. These cultural heritages are mentioned in a report by
the Department of Archaeology as part of its list of cultural heritages in Jaffna, and in Tourism and Monuments ofArchaeological Heritage in Northern Sri Lanka, written by Prof. Pushparatnam and published in 2014. Of the sevensites inspected in 2013 (Pigeon House 1, Old Dutch Fort Site, wild horses 2, the Baobab tree, Ancient Buddhist Site,
stables and the Giant’s Footprint), the Old Dutch Fort and Ancient Buddhist Site are discussed below.

Old Dutch Fort

MAP：P.35 Fig.42
Delft Island

N. 9°31' 66 ", E. 79°41' 99"

The Old Dutch Fort stands in back of the island’s only
hospital. The building, made of coral stones, is mostly
collapsed, so envisioning its entire appearance is difficult,but it can be readily surmised from the width of the wallsthat it had an extremely solid structure. It is also said
that the building was initially built as a Portuguese fort.
Parts that appear to have been windows and passages areextensively damaged, and banyan trees have fractured
stone elements and crushed some of the stone masonry.
The remains of the building include the foundation base.

Fig. 77

Remains of the fort

It is said that a hospital was also built inside the fort.
1 A pigeon house is located several hundred meters west of the front of the navy’s canteen. On the side of the pigeon house, there are
the remains of a courthouse and prison from the period of British rule. A new government office for the island is currently being built
adjacent to the courthouse remains.
2 The horses seen today (a number of them are owned by individual islanders) are of a species that were raised during the Portuguese
era, and inhabit the grassland that spreads over the southwest part of the island. They are restricted from leaving the island by aprotection law.

47

5

Cultural Heritages
in the Northern and Northeastern Provinces

Ancient Buddhist Site

Nagadipa Vihara

Ancient Buddhist Site

MAP：P.35 Fig.42
Delft Island

N. 9°32' 18 ", E. 79°39' 10

Only one Buddhist site has been confirmed on Delft Island, is located at the northeast part of the island, consistingof three stupas and ruined structures. The largest stupa (10 m in diameter) stands on a slightly elevated spot, butsince the island itself does not have much altitude difference, a mound was probably made specifically for the stupa.
The other two stupas are approx. 2 m in diameter, but the remains of only a round base exists for one of them.
Farther along the path towards the sea, other stupa stands by an old well. Between the two stupas is a stone elementwith a mortise (approx. 10 cm depth).
It is believed that the stupas were built during the Anuradhapura period. Small coral stones are used inside
the finial, and stone elements made by grinding down coral stones are used in the foundation and other parts.
According to a manager from Archaeological Museum Jaffna accompanied the survey, Dr. Roland Silva implemented
the first archaeological prospection in 1978, and conservation works have been undertaken under the supervisionof Department of Archaeology as recently as December 2012. Although while no Buddha statues were found during
the 1978 excavation, it appears records that Buddha statues being excavated in the British colonial period.
In addition to this Buddhist site, there is a Hindu temple site in the Pukkadu area (N. 9°30', E. 79°40'),
although it was not studied in this survey. It was discovered in 2010, and the existence of an enclosure that initiallysurrounded the temple was confirmed below the road that was constructed during the Dutch period (17th century)
immediately behind the sanctuary enshrining the main deity. As coins from the 10th to 16th centuries have also
been discovered from around the site, the site is assumed to date from before the 17th century.

Fig. 78

Round stupa foundation

Fig. 79

Enlarged view of the stupa foundation

Nainativ Island

Nagadipa Vihara

MAP：P.35 Fig.42
Nainativ Island

N. 9°36' 76 ", E. 79°46' 46"

The island is familiarly known to Buddhists as Nagadipa, rather than Nainativ. History books say Buddha visited
Sri Lanka three times, and visited this island on his second occasion. According to the Dipavamsa, Buddha headed to
Nagadipa from Jetavana Vihara in India to reconcile Mahodara, the Naga king of the sea, and Chulodara, the Nagaking of the land, who had been fighting over a gem-set throne, and admonished the two using his supernatural power.
It is said that the two Naga kings honored Buddha and mutually ceded the throne (Dip., ch.2). This story of the naga

48

Naga Pooshani Amman Temple

Nagadipa Vihara

kings is also told in the Tamil epic poem Manimekarai as the origin of the throne, before the scene where a brilliant
throne appears in front of the eyes of the main character Manimekarai on Manipallavam Island (Nainativ Island)(Manimekarai, ch.8). In the Mahavamsa, it is written that when the Bodhi tree was brought from India around the 3rd
century B.C., it first arrived at a port called Jambukola in Nagadipa, and two temples were built in commemoration of
the arrival of the tree (Mhv., ch.19-20). It is also said that Vijayabahu I, who purged the Chola army that invaded Sri
Lanka from South India during the Polonnaruwa period, restored Jambukola Vihara in Nagadipa.
After the end of the civil war, this holy place has become a popular destination for pilgrims from the south, andthe ship that crosses to Nagadipa is always crowded with men and women of all ages.
A Buddhist temple is located straight down the pier (completed in 2013) from the wharf, and comes intoview immediately after entering a large white gate at the end of the pier. It is said that the temple fell to ruin
during the civil war, but donations from inside and outside the country after the end of the civil war promoted its
reconstruction. The Buddha image seated under Naga hood, stupas, and two sanctuaries enshrining Buddha images
were built, but maintenance of the temple is still underway today. Buddha images donated from Myanmar andThailand are enshrined in the hall.

Fig. 80

Entrance to the temple viewed from the pierFig. 81

Reconstructed Stupa

Naga Pooshani Amman Temple

MAP：P.35 Fig.42
Nainativ Island

N. 9°37' 14 ", E. 79°46' 50

Naga Pooshani Amman Temple is located in the northern part of Nainativ Island. It is dedicated to the goddess
Naga Pooshani Amman, who garners the fervent faith of the Tamil people not only as a guardian of Nainativ, butalso as a goddess of fertility. This temple is a Hindu temple with a legend that is built by Indra God, appeared inIndia epic Mahabharata. According to the epic, Indra provoked Maha Rishi Gautama’s anger because of approaching
his wife. It is attached to the whole body yonis (vaginas). Indra, who could not bear the humiliation, visited
Manidvipa (Nainativ Island), and devoted intently prayer to the island’s goddess Bhuvaneswari Amman. In responseto the dedication of Indra’s prayer, it is said that the goddess transformed yonis on Indra’s body into eyes. After
this incident, Indra built a temple to worship the goddess on the island. Thereafter, one Naga was caught by his
inveterate enemy Garuda when he was sailing to give prayer for Bhuvaneswari Amman. Merchants found themduring their voyage, and they begged Garuda to free Naga. Garuda freed Naga on the condition that merchants build
a luxurious temple dedicated to the goddess.

49

5

Cultural Heritages
in the Northern and Northeastern Provinces

Naga Pooshani Amman Temple

Historically, the inscription of Parakramabahu I (1153-86) was excavated in the temple is known. The building
was completely destroyed in an invasion by the Portuguese in the 16th century, however, from the inscription
mentioned above, it became known that the temple had already existed on the island by the 12th century. According
to another legend, a merchant who was able to navigate the seas safely by the grace of the goddess Amman built atemple in the Naga sanctuary as an expression of his gratitude. On occasion of the Portuguese's aggression in the
16th century, it is said that the main goddess image was saved being hidden in the trees and in 1788 the temple
was rebuilt by Ramalingar Ramachandirar.
The temple architecture shows the South Indian style of Hindu temples, as with Hindu temples in Jaffna. There
are gopurams in the four directions. Among them, the one on the east side facing the sea is more than 30 m tall, andcan even be seen from the Kurikattuwan jetty on the opposite shore. The east gopuram was built in the first half ofthe 20th century, but the newly painted Hindu sculputures that profusely adorn it give us a glamorous impression.
In addition to the mandapa that enshrines the main deity, there are a number of other mandapas in the temple
precinct.
Between Kayts Island and Karainagar Island, there is a fort called Hammenhiel Fort, built by the Portuguese in the
17th century. It was built with coral stones that were commonly used as building material in Jaffna and the islands,
but suffered serious damage in the battle with the Dutch and was later rebuilt along with a large reservoir for pooling
rainwater. The fort also has a prison that was used until the latter half of the 20th century as a naval facility fordetaining political offenders and holding individuals who engage in illegal fishing. Today, it is reused as a resort hotelmanaged by the navy, Fort Hammenhiel Resort (since 2013).

Fig. 82

East gopuram (gate of temple)

50

Fig. 83

The temple precinct

Fig. 84

Hammenhiel Fort

5–2. Trincomalee

05km

Bay of Bengal

Anuradhapura

Fig. 86
Naval Headworks Sanctuary

Tambalagam Bay
Koddiyar Bay

DambullaFig. 85

Wide area Map of Trincomalee

Trincomalee Archaeological Museum
Naval and Maritime HIstory Museum Trincomalee
Gokanna Viharaya
Fort Frederick

Back Bay

Koneswaram Kovil
Kanniya
Velgam Vehera
Kuccaveli
Girikandaka Vihara
Rideekanda

Dutch BaySri Akbopura Raja Maha Vihara
0Archaeological Museum Seruvila

500m

Mangala Rajamahavihara, Seruvila
Lanka Patuna

Fig. 86 Enlarged Map of Central Trincomalee51

5

Cultural Heritages
in the Northern and Northeastern Provinces

Koneswaram Kovil

Kuccaveli

Koneswaram Kovil

MAP：P.50 Fig.86
Central Trincomalee

N. 8°34' 58 ", E. 81°13' 43"

Koneswaram Kovil is a Hindu temple that is important not only to Trincomalee but also to all of Sri Lanka, andis dedicated to Siva. It is said to date to the Sangam period (3rd century B.C. – 4th century A.D.), but the truth is
not known. During periods when Sri Lanka was invaded by Hindu dynasties such as the Chola Dynasty and Pandya
Dynasty of South India, the temple was protected by their hands. The name meaning “temple of the thousand
pillars” has remained, and serves as a reminder of the temple’s dignity in ancient times. However, the Portuguese
destroyed the temple when they invaded Sri Lanka in 1622, and used the stone elements of the temple to build afort (which later came to be called Fort Frederick). The temple that stands at the tip of a rocky hill called Swami
Rock overlooking the Indian Ocean today was built in the 1950s, and the large, golden image of Siva seated on theside of the entrance to the hall was also installed in recent years. In front of the temple, there is a rock with a large
fissure which, according to legend, was made by the sword of Ravana, King of the Rakshasa in Lanka.

Fig. 87

Koneswaram Kovil

Fig. 88

Legendary rock with fissure

Kuccaveli

MAP：P.50 Fig.85
Northwest Trincomalee

N. 8°49' 15 ", E. 81°6' 6"

The Kuccaveli site is located along the sea 34 km northwest of Trincomalee along the coast. The ruins of abrick hall of statues remain immediately on the east side of the main road (B424) that exists today, and to thenorth stands a storage of excavated artefacts. A stupa had previously stood in the place where the storage now
stands. It is said that a temple complex had also spread across the west side of the main road, although this has
not been confirmed. A brick stupa measuring approximately 6.2 m in diameter stands on top of a rocky hill thatjuts out over a sandy seacoast, and a large rock with a bas-relief lies at the bottom of the hill. As the bas-relief isoverturned, it is thought that the rock that originally stood on top of the hill fell to its present spot. Although it ispartly buried in the sand, the bas-relief shows an 18.5×16 cm grid made up of 16 cells, 4 cells across and 4 cells
down, with a drawing of a stupa shown in each cell. Below this grid on the right side, there is one stupa shown
facing forward, and on the right side of this stupa (on top, in its present state), there is an inscription showing
eight lines of Sanskrit. Judging by the writing, it is believed to date from around the 6th century. Paranativitana
estimates the inscription as dating from the 5th to 8th centuries judging by its writing style, and notes that the52

Kuccaveli

content refers to a Mahayana philosophy, whereby the author of the inscription, by making the dedication, wished
to attain Buddha’s state of sublimity himself and save the people from the sufferings of reincarnation.
In 1955, a Buddha head made of limestone was found in this place when constructing a building. It shows
the late Amaravati style of South India, with its large hair knots and low ushnisha . In 1984, two Buddha heads
and a torso were found in a survey conducted by the Department of Archaeology. These were made with locally
produced dolomite, but also show a South Indian style. Furthermore, in 2011, various types of pottery, as well
as Chinese porcelain and Roman coins were found in a joint excavation survey conducted by the Department ofArchaeology and a French research team. Based on these findings, it is thought that the area was not only home toa religious facility, but also functioned as a seaport in ancient times.
In addition to the above artefacts, the storage houses limestone and dolomite Buddha images, seated Buddha
images, Bodhisattva heads, stone footprints of Buddha, and terracotta tiles, all estimated as dating to theAnuradhapura period. The Kuccaveli site thus provides important materials on the history of how temples in theregion embraced Mahayana Buddhism in the 4th to 5th centuries and thereafter.
Pillars with inscriptions that have been found in the surrounding area are stored outside the storage.
Today, the navy resides on the rocky hill along the coast where the stupa remains and provides coastal patrol.
【Reference】
Bopearachchi, O., “Sri Lanka and Maritime Trade: Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara as the Protector of Mariners”, Asian Encounters:
Networks of Cultural Interaction, edited by Dhar P. & Singh U., New Delhi, 2013, pp. 163-190.
Cicolani, V., “Kuchchaweli2011: Campagne de fouille 23_08_2011/13_09_2011”, Rapport preliminaire Sondage 1 et 1bis, 2011.
Paranavitana, S., Epigraphia Zeylanica, vol. III, Colombo, Archaeological Survey of Ceylon, London, 1933, pp. 158-161.

Fig. 89

Fig. 91

The stupa in rocky hill

Fig. 90

Ruins in flatlands

Fallen massive rock with a bas-relief

Fig. 92

53

Inside of the storage

5

Cultural Heritages
in the Northern and Northeastern Provinces

Girikandaka Vihara

Girikandaka Vihara

MAP：P.50 Fig.85
Northwest Trincomalee

N. 8°52' 22 ", E. 81°1' 56"

Approximately 50 km northwest along the coast from Trincomalee is a village called Thiriyaya. Girikandaka Vihara
is located in the mountain to the west and roughly 4 km inland from Thiriyaya. There are two large ponds at the footof the south side of the mountain. After passing between the two ponds and climbing the mountain in the northern
direction, a rock outcrop containing an inscription about Thiriyaya appears midway up the mountain. It is written
in Sanskrit using Pallava Grantha script, and dates to the 7th and 8th centuries. It is written in the inscription that
Girikandaka Vihara was built by merchants “Tapassu” and “Bhalluka” during the Age of Exploration. The remains arereferred to as Nitupatpana (also means “place where merchants gather”) in the 18th century literary material called

Nanpota, and respectively as Girikanda (Mhv. 10.28; 82) and Girikandaka Vihara (Cv. 60.60) in the Mahavamsa andCulavamsa, and corresponds to the name of the temple mentioned in the inscription.
The tale about offerings made by the two travelling merchants (Sarthavahas) Tapusswa (Skt. Trapusa) and Bhalliya(Skt. Bhallika) is well known as an episode of Buddha after gaining enlightenment. It is interesting that the tale andGirikandaka Vihara are linked together. Furthermore, the Visuddhivagga, Samantapasadika, and the 13th-century
Buddhist sutra Pujavaliya contain the following story:
49 days passed since Buddha attained enlightenment and on the 50th day, two merchants named Tapassu andBhalluka passed by in front of Buddha and offered Buddha a meal mixed with honey. In return, Buddha gave them alock of his hair. The two merchants received the gift and once again set out to sea. They reached Sri Lanka and cameto a place called Girikanda while searching for firewood and water. They placed the container of Buddha’s hair on topof the hill and went off to have a meal. When they returned, they found that they were unable to move the containerfrom where they placed it. They then realised that the spot is sacred, so they piled stones around the container andlaid flowers on them before continuing on their journey.
In the Pujavaliya, it is stated that a monastery called Girikandaka was later built in this place.
In addition to these inscriptions, there is also an ancient stone cave that displays an inscription written in Brahmi
script dating from around the 2nd century B.C.
Before reaching the mountaintop on the east side, there is a small stupa with a round brick foundation, and at
the top of the mountain are a vatadage that marks the core of the temple and a number of statue halls around it. A
vatadage is commonly composed of poles arranged around a stupa and a roof placed over the columns to cover the
stupa. At Girikandaka, the vatadage is composed of two concentric rows of columns arranged around a stupa. Resultsof an excavation by the Department of Archaeology indicate that the original stupa was approximately 7.6 m indiameter, but around the 8th century it took on the form that spanned almost 10 m. A number of buildings remainaround the vatadage, including statue halls that enshrined Buddha and Avalokitesvara. Among them, in the hall of
statues on the southwest side of the vatadage, a standing Buddha image still remains, toppled over on its side. On thesouth side, there is a hall that enshrines a reclining Buddha, arranged facing the stupa. The inner brick elements of the
Buddha image are exposed to the extent that the outline of the image can barely be deciphered.
The mountaintop area has a gate on the east and north sides. Near the east gate, there are a number of stones withinscriptions. There are inscriptions that indicate the worship of Avalokitesvara, and other inscriptions that mention
the name of Aggabodhi VI (733-772), it is known to date from around the 8th century.
A flight of stairs leading from the north gate opens onto the grounds of a monastery, with the monastery locatedon the east side and a padhanaghara (meditation hall) of which surroundings have been dug and dented on thewest side. Originally, water flew around the padhanaghara. During the Anuradhapura period, as in the temple, the54Girikandaka Vihara

Fig. 93

Fig. 95

Fig. 94

Stupa on the east side of the mountaintop

Fig. 97

Fig. 99

Entrance to the temple

Fig. 96

Hall that enshrines a reclining Buddha

Vatadage at the top of the mountain

Fig. 98

Remains on the north side of the mountaintop(padhanaghara is seen in the right rear)Fig. 10055

Thiriyaya Rock-wall Inscription

Toppled Standing Buddha Statue

Remains on the north side of the mountaintop

5

Cultural Heritages
in the Northern and Northeastern Provinces

Girikandaka Vihara

Rideekanda

padhanaghara was frequently placed on the west side of a temple as through to encircle the area with water. As in
the temple, the padhanaghara was located the same style in this period. The excavation of the ruins in 1983 yielded
many bronze sculptures from the site of a padhanaghara. They include Buddha images displaying characteristics ofthe late Anuradhapura period, in addition to images of Avalokitesvara, Maitreya, and number of other Bodhisattva
images that are difficult to identify (now housed in Colombo National Museum). They also include lalitasana or relaxedseated images of the sacred Avalokitesvara that were frequently seen during the Pala Dynasty period in India, images
exhibiting features similar to Vajradharma wearing a crown bearing effigies of the Five Buddhas that are commonly
found in the Orissa region in India, and other such sculptures thought to have been brought to Sri Lanka fromthe Indian subcontinent. The fact that there existed elements not only of Mahayana Buddhism but also of Tantric
Buddhism differentiates these ruins from other monuments in eastern Sri Lanka.
Having a good port that overlooks the Bay of Bengal, ancient Trincomalee prospered through trade with various
foreign countries. The above-mentioned artefacts are evidence of its close exchanges with India, and speak of thesignificance of Girikandaka Vihara.
Today, a temple (built in 1957) of the Amarapura sect stands at the foot of the mountain. The priest evacuated the temple
during the civil war, and the building suffered damage, but it was rebuilt after the civil war, and is being developed into amonument. Tamil Hindus who live in the region refer to the mountain that is home to the temple remains as “Skanda’s Hill.”【Reference】
Bopearachchi, O., “Sri Lanka and Maritime Trade: Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara as the Protector of Mariners”, Asian Encounters: Networks ofCultural Interaction , edited by Dhar P. & Singh U., New Delhi, 2013, pp. 163-190.
Paranavitana, S., Epigraphia Zeylanica, vol. IV. Colombo, Archaeological Survey of Ceylon, London, 1943, pp. 151-160.

Rideekanda

MAP：P.50 Fig.85
Western Trincomalee

N. 8°40' 10 ", E. 80°56' 15"

Rideekanda is a Buddhist temple ruin found at the western foot of a small mountain located some 5 km north indirect distance from Maha Divul Wewa. A hut stands just before the entrance to the temple on the right side, whichhouses a number of Buddha images and earthenware. The artefacts were excavated from nearby. An office of the
Department of Archaeology used to be located here before it was transferred to Trincomalee, where it is located today.
There is a two-tiered terrace at the foot of the mountain on the west side. A stupa stands on the bottom tier anda stupa and hall stand on the top tier. The retaining wall around the terrace, the stupas, and hall are made of brick.
The stupa on the bottom tier stands slightly toward the north side of the vertically long terrace in the northsouth direction. It is a round stupa that stands on a large, square platform. On top of the platform, stone footprints
of Buddha are found on the four sides of the platform as though to encircle the stupa. There is a flight of stairs on
the east side of the platform. On the upper terrace, a stupa stands on the south side and a hall of statues on the northside. The stupa stands on a round foundation, and on the north side of the stupa, there is a pedestal that is thought
to have ensconced a seated Buddha image. The statue of halls has a main entrance on the east side, and moonstoneson the floor of the entrance. There is another small entrance/exit on the south side. Restored pillars stand in thehall. On a mountain approximately 120 m east of the upper terrace, there is a round stupa made of brick. Also in the
middle of the mountain approximately 150 m northeast of the terrace, there is a hall that utilises the space beneatha massive fallen rock. There are Brahmi script inscriptions on the ceiling of the massive rock.

56

Rideekanda

Fig. 101

Remains on the north side of the mountaintop

Fig. 103

Fig. 102

Fig. 104

Stupa of the lower terrace

Velgam Vehera

Inside of the storage

Inscription carved in a massive rock on the hillside of amountain

Velgam Vehera
Suburb of Trincomalee

MAP：P.50 Fig.85
N. 8°38' 43 ", E. 81°10' 16"

Velgam Vehera is a Buddhist temple located approximately 6 km northwest of the centre of Trincomalee in straightline distance. It is composed of an ancient Buddhist remains and a modern temple. The enclosure and buildings of thecomplex are made of a combination of brick and stone. Today, the site is accessed from the north side, but there arealso entrances to the complex on the south and east sides of the site. The original front entrance probably faced either
east or south. The complex spreads across a 110 ×110 m area, with the north-south axis slightly angled to the west.
On the east side just before entering the south entrance, there is a stone water well for offerings. Then, on thewest side immediately after the entrance, there is a hall of statues standing facing east on a plot of land made a tierhigher with bricks.
A stupa stands facing west on the east side of the complex. The top of its large square foundation is covered with
cut granite stones and brick. The part from its cylindrical body to the anda (dome) is made of brick, and the repair
work that has been applied has left the inside exposed, as though to display traces of expansion on the northeast side.
The sides of the square foundation of the stupa display stone reliefs of designs such as lotus flowers, elephants
and celestial beings. Bricks displaying Brahmi text dating from the 2nd century B.C. have been found in the stupa.
The east entrance to the complex has a flight of stairs with 10 steps and a pair of guardstone with an incised

purnaghata motif, placed at the foot of the stairs. It is the largest and most elaborate of all entrances of the complex.
A south-facing hall of statues stands slightly north of the centre of the complex, at the end of a road stretchingstraight from the south entrance. The inside of the hall has been paved and restored using stone slates and brick.
In the centre of the hall, there is a small brick sanctuary for enshrining the main deity, a dolomite standing Buddha

57

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Cultural Heritages
in the Northern and Northeastern Provinces

Velgam Vehera

image (7-8th century; total height 278 cm, statue height 214 cm). Small chambers flank the left and rights sides of
the hall of statues. One of the chambers on the west side houses yantragala (the compartmented stone reliquary),
though in a careless manner. Stone inscriptions line the south side of the hall.
The origin of the temple goes back to a story about King Devanampiyathissa (3rd century B.C.) planting a
Bodhi tree in this site. Among the 24 inscriptions found within the site, some date to the period of rule by King
Bhatika Tissa (reigned 140-164 A.D.), but the majority were Tamil inscriptions around the 11th century. Amongthem is an inscription that indicates that the monastery was donated by a Tamil, and that the ruins were called
Rajarajaperumpalli. The inscription provides a documentation of restoration work on the temple, and contains such
names as Bhathiya I, Agbo IV, Vijayabahu I, Parakramabahu I, and Rajendra (Tamil king).
King Nissankamalla, who was in power during the Polonnaruwa era in the 12th century, is said to have made apilgrimage to the island, including Velgam Vehera, which indicates that this temple was an important Buddhist site in
the 12th century.
Today, the temple in the flatland area can be easily confirmed, but there are also ancient ruins in the mountainadjacent to the site on the east. They mainly consist of two stupas, including one which was found with a room forstoring a reliquary vessel. A meru stone symbolizing Mt. Sumeru was found in the room along with a gold reliquary
vessel, and inside the vessel was another reliquary, a crystal reliquary vessel, containing Buddha’s ashes wrappedin gold. In the room, a small bronze Buddha image used to be enshrined. It was said that these artefacts werecollectively housed in Trincomalee Archaeological Museum, but their situation after the closing of the museum has
not been confirmed in the recent survey.
There is also a stone cave in the mountain that is said to date to the pre-Christian era. On the east side of themountain is a large reservoir called Periyakulam, and the ruins in the mountain are called Periyakulamkanda.

Fig. 105

Remains in the flatland (hall of statues in the back)Fig. 107

Fig. 106

Stupa

Buddha image remaining in the east side ruins

Fig. 10858

Adjacent New Temple

Kanniya

Kanniya
Suburb of Trincomalee

Lanka Patuna

MAP：P.50 Fig.85
N. 8°40' 10 ", E. 80°56' 15"

Kanniya, which neighbours the north-western suburb of Trincomalee, is home to Kanniya Hot Springs, in a country
where hot springs are rare. Although they are called hot springs, they differ slightly from those in Japan. In Kanniya,
men and women of all ages enjoy the hot springs out in the open by wearing minimum clothing and scooping hot waterthat gushes forth from seven square water wells and pouring the water over their bodies. Today, they are crowded withlocal residents and tourists, but it is believed that the hot springs themselves were used since ancient times. In fact,
local lore even dates them to the Ravana period. The ruins of a Buddhist temple thought to date to the Anuradhapura
period are found near these hot springs. Immediately to the north of the hot springs is a stupa with a square brickplatform standing on a stone foundation. The platform
has protrusions on each face, and displays a cruciform
plan. Around the stupa, a stone bas-relief engraving of
Buddha’s footprints is carelessly left derelict. There issaid to be two stupas in the temple site, but only one wasconfirmed in the survey. On the west side of the stupa
stands a hall of statues. Part of the yantragala and otherexcavated artefacts are placed here. As of 2014, a partial
excavation has been implemented, but the entire temple
grounds have not yet finished being surveyed.

Fig. 110

Fig. 109

The hall of statues and excavated artefacts

Fig. 111

Stupa remains

Kanniya Hot spring

Lanka Patuna
Southeast Trincomalee

MAP：P.50 Fig. 85
N. 8°21' 26", E. 81°23' 23"

Lanka Patuna is a Buddhist monument located north of a narrow water channel thatconnects Ullackalie Lagoon and the Bay of Bengal, approximately 60 km south-southeast
across Koddiyar Bay from Trincomalee.
A square base is created on a small rise of land overlooking the water channel thatconnects the lagoon and the sea, and a brick stupa stands on top of the base. The stupa
has a round platform roughly 3 m in diameter. Restored in 2007, it now supports aFig. 112

Pamphletmodern monument made in the image of a stupa. Immediately to the side is a standing

59

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Cultural Heritages
in the Northern and Northeastern Provinces

Lanka Patuna

Mangala Raja Maha Vihara, Seruvila

Buddha image that was created in recent years.
In the 4th century A.D., King Guhaseeva of the Kalinga Kingdom in India ordered his daughter Hemamala(Ranmali) and nephew Dantha to deliver the relic of Buddha’s tooth that he had in his possession to his friend KingSri Megawarna of Sri Lanka, for safekeeping. Hemamala is said to have carried the tooth relic by hiding it in her hair,and the couple are said to have landed in Lanka Patuna. However, no archaeological evidence of this lore exists.
【Reference】
Yabuuchi, Satoko. Kodai chuusei Sri Lanka no ouken to bukkyo (Royal power and Buddhism in ancient Medieval Sri Lanka). Sankibo
Busshorin, 2009, p.88. (in Japanese)

Fig. 113

Stupa

Fig. 114

Standing Buddha Statue

Mangala Raja Maha Vihara, Seruvila

MAP：P.50 Fig.85
Southeast Trincomalee

N. 8°22' 13", E. 81°19' 12"

Mangala Raja Maha Vihara, Seruvila is a Buddhist temple located in an area slightly inland roughly 6 km west of
Lanka Patuna. It is regarded as one of the holiest temples in Sri Lanka, owing to a historical lore that says it is home
to a stupa that holds a relic of Buddha’s frontal bone. In the 2nd century B.C., King Kavantissa of the Kingdom of
Ruhuna, who feared an invasion by the Chola and Pandiya Dynasties in South India, sought cooperation from Seru,
a force in northeast Sri Lanka ruled by King Siva, in an attempt to avoid military confrontation. When Seru assented
to Kavantissa’s request, Kavantissa created a stupa known as Tissa Maha Vehera and enshrined Buddha’s frontalbone that he had in his possession in the new stupa. Kavantissa developed the temple grounds, and as a result, thename of Seruvila Temple spread, and many worshippers began to make pilgrimages to the temple. Thereafter, thetemple fell into decay due to the invasion by the Tamils, but in the 20th century, Ven. Dambagasare Sumedhankara,a priest from south Sri Lanka rediscovered it in 1922, and the stupa was restored by 1931. Development of theinside of the temple proceeded after the 1970s.
The temple is enclosed by gates in the four directions. In the centre stands a white stupa, a bodhigara (housearound the Bodhi tree) southwest of the stupa, and a bathing pond made of stone masonry roughly 10 m square andnearly 6 m deep in the southeast. There are also a hall of statues, a monastery, assembly hall, and a large four-story
hall that was recently built directly south of the stupa.
It is said that the name of Seruvila comes from the fact that the area used to be a vast marsh that was home toa large flock of child ducks (seru).
【Reference】”Seruwila Mangala Raja Maha Vihara”, UNESCO World Heritage Centre < http://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5083 >60

Mangala Raja Maha Vihara, Seruvila

Fig. 115

Fig. 117

Stupa

Fig. 116

Bathing site

Fig. 118

Gokanna Viharaya

Bodhigara

Four-Floored Large Hall

Gokanna Viharaya

MAP：P.50 Fig.86
Central Trincomalee

N. 8°34' 36", E. 81°14' 27"

Gokanna Viharaya is a Buddhist temple that takes the name Gokanna from Trincomalee’s ancient name. It is
located on the north side of the base of the peninsula that juts out to the northeast as if to command both Back
Bay to the north and Dutch Bay to the south. The area is occupied by military facilities, and the temple itself isincorporated in Fort Frederick.

Fig. 119External view of the temple

Fig. 120

61

Stupa

5

Cultural Heritages
in the Northern and Northeastern Provinces

Fig. 121

Gokanna Viharaya

Standing Buddha image and stupa

Fig. 122

Fort Frederick

Remains of a standing Buddha image from theAnuradhapura period

A white stupa and a modern standing Buddha image are found on a small rise of land. A small hall that enshrines
Visnu stands on the side of the stupa. Additionally, a standing Buddha image, pedestal and stone footprints of Buddha
dating to the Anuradhapura period are placed against a wall in the site where the stupa stands. A small hall also stands
at the entrance of the temple, and enshrines a seated Buddha image that was presented as a gift from Thailand.

Fort Frederick

MAP：P.50 Fig.86
Central Trincomalee

N. 8°34' 30", E. 81°14' 29"

Fort Frederick is a fort that spreads across an area occupying roughly 900 m in the east-west direction and 500 m in
the north-south direction across the base to the centre of the peninsula that juts out to the northeast between Back Bay
to the north and Dutch Bay to the south. It has a ground plan that matches the shape of the peninsula, and the northeast
side in particular utilises the natural gradient of the land. Even today, the bastion on the south side that juts out overDutch Bay, the bastion on the north side of the base of the peninsula and stone wall that extends to the northeast, and thegate on the south side inscribed with the date 1675, are conspicuous presences. A cannon that used to be attached to thebastion now lies on the shore facing Dutch Bay.
The fort was built in this location in the 17th century. Before that, legend has it that King Mahasena (reigned 275-303)of the Anuradhapura period destroyed a Jaina temple that was originally located here and built a Buddhist temple in its
place, and that Koneswaram Temple existed here from before the fort was built. In 1622, Portuguese colonial Constantinode S-á de Noronha destroyed Koneswaram Temple and built the fort in the following year. The stone elements of thetemple were diverted for construction of the fort.
In 1639, the Dutch invaded the land and destroyed the fort in the following year, and built a new fort thereafter. In
1672, the fort was attacked by France, which allied with the Kingdom of Kandy, but the Dutch resisted, and the French
troops withdrew. In January 1782, the fort was taken over by the British, but in August of the same year, it was re-invaded
and occupied by the French. In the following year, it was ceded to Britain and the Netherlands. In 1795, it came to beoccupied once again by the British, and was named Fort Frederick in 1803. It was dismantled in 1905 and the militaryforce withdrew in 1916, but a defense force was organised again in 1923.
During the Second World War in 1942, Colombo and Trincomalee were bombed by the Japanese army in an attack
that was supposedly intended to target the British navy. The air raid on Trincomalee occurred on April 9. Today, the fort
is under the management of the Sri Lanka Army, and is garrisoned by the army.

62

Fort Frederick

Sri Akbopura Raja Maha Vihara【Reference】“Trincomalee Fort Fredrick”, Department of Archaeology Sri Lanka < http://www.archaeology.gov.lk/web/index.php?option=com_co
ntent&view=article&id=98%3Atrincomalee-fort&catid=51%3Asites &Itemid=99&lang=en >Kawashima, Koji. “Trincomalee” in Yoshio Sugimoto ed., Sri Lanka wo shirutameno 58 shou (58 chapters on Sri Lanka). Akashi
Shoten, 2013, pp. 293ff.-. (in Japanese)

Fig. 124

Fig. 123

Fig. 125

Decorations at the entrance of the fort

Exit of the fort

Fig. 126

The Basion of west side of the fort

Explanation about the transition of the fort

Sri Akbopura Raja Maha Vihara

MAP：P.50 Fig.85
Southwest Trincomalee

N. 8°26' 59", E. 81°4' 15"

Sri Akbopura Raja Maha Vihara is a Buddhist temple that can be reached from Trincomalee by taking RouteA6 approximately 25 km to the southwest Kandy, turning left in Route B618 at Mollipothana, turning left again
after passing acrossthe railroad, and proceeding about 1 km to the northeast. There are a number of new modernbuildings in a dense growth of trees, and a brick stupa and other ancient remains are found within the site. Ancientstone sculptures thought to date to the Anuradhapura period also lay scattered around the stupa. In its existingstate, the stupa is a mound roughly 3 m high occupying a 20×20 m area. Its bricks are exposed in part, but its
original form is undecipherable. Such artefacts as statues of Buddha and Bodhisattva, pedestals of standing images,
and architectural elements have been found.

63

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Sri Akbopura Raja Maha Vihara

Cultural Heritages
in the Northern and Northeastern Provinces

The temple was surveyed in the 1960s, and the principal artefacts have been housed in Trincomalee
Archaeological Museum at the time (presently closed; see 4-2.). Among the artefacts of the temple, a Buddha
image seated on a Naga (dolomite; 7th century; Acc. No. S177) from the Anuradhapura period, considered the mostimportant of all the artefacts, remains inside the closed museum.
【Reference】
von Schroeder, U., Buddhist Sculptures of Sri Lanka , Visual Dharma Publications ltd., Hong Kong, 1990, pl. 27.

Fig. 127

Scattered artefacts

Fig. 128

64

Stupa remains

Samalamkulama

Madhukanda

6. Related Surveys in Other Regions
In the February 2014 survey, museums and Buddhist sites in Anuradhapura and Vavuniya were also inspectedon the way from Colombo to Jaffna. This chapter introduces ancient Buddhist sites and archaeological museums in
Vavuniya and Anuradhapura Archaeological Museum, which is presently under renovation.

6–1. Vavuniya
Vavuniya is located north of Anuradhapura, along the national road leading to Jaffna. During the civil war, itfell under the control of the LTTE. Vavuniya Archaeological Museum stands on the right side at the junction in
the centre of Vavuniya, and Buddhist monuments are also scattered in the vicinity. The following two Buddhist
monuments were surveyed in the recent survey.

Samalamkulama

N.8°43' 34", E. 80°30' 78"

Samalamkulama is reached by proceeding east along Trincomalee Road, which passes in front of Vavuniya
Archaeological Museum, and turning south onto Umamaheswaean Road. Today, it has been modified to a Siva
temple (Samalamkulama Pilaiyar Kovil), but it was originally a Buddhist temple. The ruins of a brick monastery andstupa remain today, along with a few stone elements in the vicinity that are thought to be architectural elements.
A bronze statue of Bodhisattva Avalokitedvara image has been discovered from the site (now stored at Vavuniya
Archaeological Museum). The remains of the stupa show an octagonal and hexagonal lower structure on a square
platform that is rarely found elsewhere in Sri Lanka.
【Reference】
von Schroeder, U., Buddhist Sculptures of Sri Lanka , Visual Dharma Publications ltd., Hong Kong, 1992, p. 264.

Fig. 129

The remains of the stupa

Fig. 130

Madhukanda

Monastery ruin

N.8°44' 70", E. 80°31' 84"

Madhukanda is located in Ambalangodella Village. As with Samalamkulam, it is reached by proceeding about 4
km east along Trincomalee Road in front of Vavuniya Archaeological Museum until a sign appears on the left-handside. Madhukanda Vihara is also called Sri Dalada Raja Maha Vihara. Dalada refers to Buddha’s tooth. According to
the Sri Lankan chronicles, such as the Dipavamsa and Culavamsa, Madhukanda is one of the sacred places where astopover was made while transporting a Buddha’s tooth relic to Anuradhapura. A Buddhist temple thus still remains

65

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Related Surveys in Other Regions

Madhukanda

in the site. In the temple, there are the remains of a monastery, a pair of guardstones with the relief of Nagajara, aheavily damaged Buddha image, and an urinal that was used by monks. Additionally, artefacts discovered from thesite include a pair of guardstones with the design of purnaghata and footprints of Buddha. They are both displayedin Vavuniya Archaeological Museum; the former at the entrance to the central gallery, and the latter in the corridor.

Fig. 131

Madhukanda archaeological site

Fig. 132

Vavuniya Archaeological Museum

6–2. Anuradhapura
During the May survey, there was an opportunity to inspect Anuradhapura Archaeological Museum that wasunder renovation. As the project has many elements in common with the redevelopment of the Northern andEastern Provinces, the information acquired in the inspection is provided below as reference.
Anuradhapura Archaeological Museum was founded in 1947 by reutilising the building of a regional
administrative institution (Kachcheri). It is governed by the Department of Archaeology, whose office is locatedFig. 133

External view of the building under renovation

Fig. 135

Fig. 134

Renovation work

Inside of the building under renovation

Fig. 136

66

Storage next to the buildingMadhukanda

adjacent to the museum. Cultural properties that have been discovered from various places throughout Sri Lanka
are stored and displayed both inside and outside the museum building.
The building dates to the period of British rule, and is being restored under the budget of the Department ofArchaeology, with the actual field work contracted to army personnel stationed in Anuradhapura.
It is a two-story building made of wood and cement. It is believed that the wooden parts were originally teak, butmanilkara hexandra or terminalia arjuna (kumbuk) that are produced in the region are being used in the restorationin place of teak, while giving due consideration to reproducing the original design and construction techniques. The
restoration is scheduled to run for approximately two years.

677. Summary & Potential Schemes of Future Cooperation
This chapter summarizes the survey implemented as a Japan Foundation programme in 2014 with a focus
on the survey findings related to initiatives for cultural property protection and utilisation in the Northern andNortheastern Provinces of Sri Lanka, and discusses the country’s expectations of aid and cooperation from Japanand potential schemes of future cooperation based on the results of these findings.
7–1. Present Status and Issues of Cultural Property Protection in the Northern and Northeastern Provinces of Sri Lanka
Five years have passed since the end of the civil warthat continued for some thirty years, and a whirlwind ofchanges has occurred in the Northern and Northeastern
Provinces of Sri Lanka. In Jaffna, landmines that still
remained during the survey in March 2013 werecompletely eliminated within less than a year, and therapid development of road and railway infrastructures
has facilitated travels to and from Colombo. Traces of
the civil war are still evident here and there, but central
Jaffna and Trincomalee and famous temples in thesecities are attracting domestic and foreign tourists, andFig. 137

Information board in front of the Jaffna Old Kachcheri
Building

the construction of accommodation facilities is underway.
The effective utilisation of cultural properties in the process of tourism and regional development is expected topromote a widespread re-awareness of their values.
The Department of Archaeology is presently pushing forward regional development in the Northern andNortheastern Provinces by maximizing their cultural characteristics. The Northern Province, centred on Jaffna,
is a unique region even within Sri Lanka, in that it preserves not only the history of Buddhism, Hinduism andChristian beliefs in the region, but also diverse cultural heritages, including architecture built during the colonial
periods by the Portuguese, The Dutch and the British. An important issue thus lies in how to represent anddisseminate the region’s diverse culture in and outside of Sri Lanka. In the Northeastern Province, centred on
Trincomalee, initiatives for the protection of cultural properties are underway with an emphasis on two aspects—
the fact that it was an important centre of marine transportation for external trade in ancient times, and that manymonuments of the traditional religion of Buddhism remains in the region. The province’s locality as a centre ofmarine transportation is expected to be made more widely known in the future through Naval and Maritime History
Museum Trincomalee. With respect to Buddhist monuments, however, Trincomalee Archaeological Museum, which
was built immediately before the civil war, has closed and has remained closed without functioning as a museum.
Given existence and management of various Buddhist monuments located over a wide area in the Northeastern
Province, the establishment of an information centre for these monuments in central Trincomalee could give aboost to the Department of Archaeology’s plans for regional development based on cultural properties.
To call greater attention to these characteristics of regional culture in and outside the country, the Departmentof Archaeology is not only pressing forward with the development and management of historical buildings
and monuments in each region, but is also making plans for the establishment of cultural facilities that offer
an aggregation of regional information. Among the historical buildings and monuments, some, like Jaffna Fort69

7

Summary & Potential Schemes of Future Cooperation

and Naval and Maritime History Museum Trincomalee, have already undergone large-scale restoration by thegovernment with aid from foreign countries. There are also religious facilities that have been rebuilt with donations
from followers, monuments that have been maintained by local workers, and monuments that have a storage forcultural properties. At the same time, however, as there are numerous cultural heritages in the two regions, somerecognised monuments have not been properly placed under the management of the Department of Archaeology
as of yet.
As discussed in Chapter 3, there are plans for the establishment of cultural facilities in Jaffna and Trincomalee.
That is, a project is underway to reutilise historical buildings that used to be government buildings and regional
commissioner’s residences for a different purpose—i.e., as a cultural complex. There are even plans to offer
performances of intangible heritage and workshops on handicrafts of the region at the cultural facility in Jaffna.
Giving consideration to both tangible and intangible cultural properties is important for the development of regional
culture, but its realisation poses many issues in regard to personnel, funding and technology.
At Archaeological Museum, Jaffna, curators are in the process of enhancing their management of the museum’s
collection, in anticipation of its relocation to the above-mentioned cultural facility in the future. As the Departmentof Archaeology is promoting training of young specialists in Jaffna, particularly with a focus on students who have
graduated from the University of Jaffna, a management framework based primarily on local specialists from theregion will likely be established in the future. Naval and Maritime History Museum Trincomalee, which has opened
to the public just recently in May 2014, offers a small number of exhibits and still needs some improvement, such as
by installing air conditioners and sitting areas. Its good location near the seacoast could be used to attract tourists
if actively publicized, but initiatives that could more effectively convey the attractiveness of the region are sought.
Furthermore, when taking into consideration the possibility that the museum might act as a catalyst for introducing
a museum education project for the first time in the region, it is necessary to formulate a concrete action plan formaking such new initiatives a success.
7–2. Expectations of Cooperation and Assistance from Japan
Regional development utilising cultural properties has just begun in post-civil war regions in Sri Lanka, andsuch regions are in need of foreign assistance in terms of specialists, human resource development and financial
means. Expectations of assistance from Japan are particularly high, as has been found in interviews with the
Department of Archaeology and specialists. This is partly owing to the high evaluation of assistance schemes thatJapan has implemented in Sri Lanka and other countries in the past. Particularly with respect to the plan for theestablishment of a cultural complex in Jaffna, the Department of Archaeology and university specialists expressed
their expectations for the following types of assistance and cooperation.
First, they expressed their wish for the involvement of Japanese specialists in materializing the concept ofJaffna's cultural complex drafted by Prof. Mandawara and others. Particularly in regard to the restoration of thebuilding, they demanded the implementation of a workshop with specialists in Sri Lanka to involve Japanese
specialists in the formulation of a specific restoration master plan. They also requested assistance for outfitting thecultural complex with such facilities as an exhibition hall, an archive and a laboratory for conservation of culturalproperties. Moreover, based on the exchange of views held at Archaeological Museum, Jaffna, they requested
Japan’s continuous engagement in exchanging information about exhibition plans and management methods ofcultural properties in the new exhibition hall after relocation. They also sought advice regarding the utilisation ofglass plates and other ancient materials in regional cultural heritage archives, the provision of equipment for theestablishment of a laboratory for cultural property restoration, and assistance for human resource development.

70

7–3. Potential Schemes of Future Cooperation
Upon completion of the international cooperation survey and the subsequent Japan Foundation programme,
the project team gave a debriefing at the Southeast Asia Subcommittee of the JCIC-Heritage. As the state of culturalproperty protection in the Northern and Northeastern Provinces of Sri Lanka is not well known yet in Japan, theSubcommittee suggested the project team to compile a report of the information acquired in the survey and to
widely share that information with relevant parties. This assignment has been fulfilled with the publication of thisreport, which has been shared with relevant local institutions and international institutions.
Additionally, to provide ongoing cooperation that could contribute to reconstruction efforts in the Northernand Northeastern Provinces, the project team proposes the following five potential schemes of assistance by Japan,
based on the exchange of views held with employees of the Department of Archaeology after completion of thesurvey.
①Assistance by private foundations in Japan
As has been clarified in this survey, projects for cultural property protection are already underway in the
Northern and Northeastern Provinces of Sri Lanka under the authority of the Department of Archaeology,
but the execution of these projects is facing a funding issue. The recent Japan Foundation programme was a
subsidy for the implementation of a survey by Japanese specialists, but there are also private foundations inJapan, such as the Toyota Foundation and the Sumitomo Foundation, that subsidize projects implemented byoverseas institutions. Information that the JCIC-Heritage possesses on such private foundations shall be sharedwith the Department of Archaeology and universities in Sri Lanka to promote projects implemented under the
initiative of local institutions.
②Assistance for the capacity building of curators
In Sri Lanka, there is strong interest in the display and management methods of Japanese museums, andparticularly strong expectations of assistance for capacity building in museums. Thus, a study tour of Japanesemuseums may be effective for Sri Lankan curators, also with an eye to promoting exchanges between museums
in Japan and those in Sri Lanka. At the same time, Sri Lankan curators shall be encouraged to participate in
the Museology Course offered every year by the National Museum of Ethnology and Lake Biwa Museum as a
JICA-sponsored programme.
③Advice on displays and management of newly established museums
In the recent survey, an exchange of views was held with local personnel of Naval and Maritime History
Museum Trincomalee toward enhancing the museum’s exhibits and attracting larger numbers of visitors in
the future. Such information exchange opportunities shall be continued, to cooperate to further developmentof the museum. Furthermore, once the plan for relocation of Archaeological Museum, Jaffna is well underway,
advice shall be given regarding display methods and management of the museum’s collection.
④Assistance for development of young specialists in monument management
Every year, ACCU Nara offers group training to young specialists from Asia on the survey and preservationof monuments and artefacts and the protection of wooden buildings. More specialists shall be encouraged to71

participate in the programme by providing ongoing assistance for recruiting participants and disseminating
the results of past achievements.
⑤Promotion of joint studies with Japanese specialists
Japan has an accumulation of studies on Buddhist art and archaeological monuments of Sri Lanka, but not
many studies have yet been made on cultural heritages in the Northern and Northeastern Provinces. It is hopedthat this survey will prompt Japan to pursue surveys and research in cooperation with the University of Jaffnaand other universities in Sri Lanka. The promotion of research exchange among Sri Lankan and Japanese
specialists would allow prompt response to new requests for assistance.
The recent survey shed light on the fact that while there are plans for regional development through the useof cultural properties as salient characteristics of the Northern and Northeastern Provinces, foreign assistance isneeded in terms of capacity building, material, technology, and funds to execute the plans. The survey team thus
hopes to work together with Japanese specialists and relevant institutions in continuing to seek potential assistanceschemes that would link regional development and cultural property protection, as the Department of Archaeology
is striving to do in the Northern and Northeastern Provinces, and also contribute to reconstruction in those regions.
Lastly, it should be noted that this survey was able to be implemented efficiently in a short period of time owing
to the cooperation of the Department of Archaeology, Sri Lanka. It can be said that the friendly relationship between
Sri Lanka and Japan, and the high evaluations that Japanese assistance and exchanges have received thus far haveresulted in the relationship of trust that has developed between the parties concerned. In particular, the project
team extends its sincere appreciation to the Department of Archaeology for generously catering to the survey,
such as by introducing specialists at universities, accompanying the team on field trips and hearing surveys, andproviding venues for holding information exchanges.

Fig. 138

At the headquarters of the Sri Lankan
Department of Archaeology