Ariyalai East Pumpukar Archaeological Site in Jaffna

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Ariyalai is long stip of sandy land projecting out to the sea from the Jaffna peninsula lying between Jaffna and the main land. The whole strip at Ariyalai is strategically a vital one for the communication system of the Peninsula. This strip is separated from the Manniththalai stretch of the mainland of Sri Lanka by the narrow Jaffna lagoon. On the northern side, it is separated from the rest of the Peninsula by the Upparu lagoon which merges with the Jaffna lagoon at Cemmani Thus, this tail like formation acts as a link and provides the nearest accessible point to the main island of Sri Lanka. By crossing the Jaffna lagoon one can reach Manniththalai, another sandy stretch that projects from Pooneryn in mainland.

Dr. Ponnampalam Ragupathy in his PhD thesis and its publication as “Early settlements in Jaffna : An Archaeological Survey” in 1987 records 2 archaeologically important sites on this sandy stretch, both lying in the Ariyalai east area.

The first site is Maniyvamtottam and pottery site which has been dated to medieval times. Maniyvamtottam is a coconut estate, south of the road, and Pumpukar is a new colony, also known as S.S.R. Colony, near an Aiyanar kovil. The pottery found at Pumpukar has been dated to early centuries of Christian era. Pumpukar site is located adjoining the Aiyanar kovil of Ariyalai East. In fact, the Aiyanar kovil itself stands on the site.

In addition to the older pottery found scattered around this area, structural remains like grooved tiles, socket stones of pillars, roughly hewn stone pillars, and stone slabs. The socket stones were found in a particular arrangement. The stone slabs must have come from outside as this material does not belong to Jafina. Further coins from Srimath Sahassamalla from Dambadeniya era (1200 – 1202), Dutch and early British era has been discovered. The artifacts were found distributed in an area of approximately 10 acres.

This report is now over 40 years old and during the the Tamil Terrorist war which lasted for over 30 years, whether any remains can be found is doubtful. However the respective authorities should research on such places and preserve any ancient heritage for the future generations.

References

  • Ragupathy, P., 1987. Early settlements in Jaffna : An Archaeological Survey. 1st ed. Madras: Sudarsan Graphics.

Also See

Map of Ariyalai East Pumpukar Archaeological Site

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Driving Directions to Ariyalai East Pumpukar Archaeological Site

Jaffna can be reached through 2 directions. The first one is over the Elephant Pass which is the normal route to Jaffna. The other entrance is from Pooneryn over the newly built Sangupiddi Bridge. This road connects to Mannar.

Route 01 from Colombo to Jaffna (Through Kurunegala)Route 02 from Colombo to Jaffna (Through Puttalam)
Through : Kurunegala – Dambulla – Anuradhapura – Vavuniya
Distance : 400 km
Travel Time : 7-8 hours
Driving Directions : see on Google map
Through : Puttalam – Anuradhapura – Vavuniya
Distance : 400 km
Travel Time : 7-8 hours
Driving Directions : see on Google maps
Jaffna town to Ariyalai East Pumpukar Archaeological Site
Through :
Distance : 11 km
Time to travel  : 20 mins
Driving Directions : click here for Google Map

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