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Akkuranai Buddhist Monastic Ruins in Kiran (අක්කුරානයි බෞද්ධ ආරාමික නටබුන්)

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Akkuranai Buddhist Monastic Ruins in Kiran

The Anurādhapura-period Akkuraṇai Monastic Ruins in Kiran feature a central circular stupa surrounded by terraces, multi-sized pillared structures, and drip-ledged caves. Severely damaged by treasure hunters, the site retains a 2-meter carved flower altar, brick foundations with mortised stone doorframes, and shattered sacred chatra fragments.

The Buddhist Monastic Ruins at Akkuraṇai are located in the village of Akkuraṇai, within the Grāma Niladhāri Division of Muruthtthanai 209-A, in the Divisional Secretariat Division of Kōrale Pattu South (Kiran) of Batticaloa District.

Access Route

From Kiran Junction, travel along the Thureiyadi road. At the Pulipañchakal Junction, turn right and continue through the Nāpathtthāwil Wewa Reservoir area and Akkuraṇai to reach the Indigenous village of Miniminiththāweli. Proceed along the Mandur road. From a side road within the Wilalavi forest, travel approximately 200 meters (650 feet) through the woodland, where no proper road exists, to reach this area of rocky plateaus. It is advisable to travel with someone familiar with the route.

Historical Background

The numerous archaeological remains at this site indicate that all of its known structures belong to the Anurādhapura period.

Location and Nature of Archaeological Evidence

This site is situated in a forested area south of the Maduru Oya, on flat rocky terrain. At its center stands a circular stupa constructed on an elevated and level platform. Surrounding the stupa are various buildings erected on raised terraces. The scale and complexity of the remains suggest that this was once a prominent monastery during the Anurādhapura period. The monastic complex includes drip-ledged caves at the southern end of the rocky outcrop and the remains of buildings distributed across terraces on the western plains.

The stupa has suffered extensive damage from treasure hunting activities. Although the interior of the stupa dome has been destroyed, the structure can still be identified as a mound composed of earth and bricks.

Evidence indicates that the stupa terrace originally had four entrances aligned with the four cardinal directions. At the eastern entrance lies a finely carved stone flower altar measuring approximately 2 meters (6.6 feet) in length. There are clear signs that treasure hunters attempted to overturn this slab, resulting in damage to its edges.

The exposed remains show that bricks were used for the outer construction, while stone slabs formed part of the internal filling. Fragments of a Yūpa Gala, a stone Chatra, and pieces of brick from the original Chaitya structure are scattered across the northern and eastern slopes of the stupa mound.

Two building sites can be identified in the western and southern sectors of the complex. One structure was constructed using stone pillars approximately 2 meters (6.6 feet) in height. At this same location are four large, roughly dressed stone pillars, each measuring about 3.5 metres (11.5 feet) in height.

A short distance west of the stupa, near another rocky plateau, lie the remains of a building complex. Although its pillars can no longer be identified, the brick foundations remain clearly visible. Stone door frames belonging to the entrances survive, displaying distinct mortise slots.

South of this mound are the remains of another building constructed using stone pillars approximately 2.5 meters (8.2 feet) in height. Seven of these pillars still remain in their original positions.

Approximately 10 meters (33 feet) south of this location are stone-cutting sites associated with small rock outcrops. Further south, fragments of another stone Chatra can be found. It appears that this Chatra was removed from its original location and deliberately broken into pieces in search of treasures hidden within.

At the southern edge of the rocky plateau supporting the stupa mound is a cave provided with a drip ledge. The cave entrance faces towards the southeast.

Geographical Coordinates

The exact location of the site is as follows:

North Latitude: 7°55’17.3″N
East Longitude: 81°19’35.9″E

References

Exploration and Documentation Division (Ed.). (2017). පුරාවිද්යා ස්ථාන හඳුනා ගැනීමේ ගවේෂණ වාර්තාව, මඩකලපුව දිස්ත්රික්කය. Department of Archaeology, Sri Lanka.

Also See

Map of the Akkuranai Buddhist Monastic Ruins in Kiran

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Traveling Directions to Akkuranai Buddhist Monastic Ruins in Kiran

Route from Polonnaruwa to Akkuranai Buddhist Monastic Ruins in Kiran

Through: Manampitiya – Welikanda
Distance: 47 km
Travel time: 1.15 hour
Driving directions : see on Google Maps

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Akkuranai Buddhist Monastic Ruins in Kiran (අක්කුරානයි බෞද්ධ ආරාමික නටබුන්)
The Anurādhapura-period Akkuraṇai Monastic Ruins in Kiran feature a central circular stupa surrounded by terraces, multi-sized pillared structures, and drip-ledged caves. Severely damaged by treasure hunters, the site retains a 2-meter carved flower altar, brick foundations with mortised stone doorframes, and shattered sacred chatra fragments. […]
Miniminiththaweli Archaeological Site 2 in Kiran (මිනිමිණිත්තවේලි පුරාවිද්‍යා භූමිය 2)
The Maduru Oya Valley site in Miniminiththāweli features an Anurādhapura-period building complex with stone pillars and brick foundations. Unfortunately, illegal excavations by treasure hunters have severely damaged these structures, though they have also exposed various ancient artifacts and pottery. […]
Miniminiththaweli Archaeological Site 1 in Kiran (මිනිමිණිත්තවේලි පුරාවිද්‍යා භූමිය)
The Anurādhapura-era Miniminiththāweli site 1 in Kiran features a historic building complex heavily damaged by forest gravel road construction. This development destroyed the site's archaeological context and displaced ancient artifacts, including a stone-carved flower altar bulldozed to the roadside. […]
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Pullavi Jungle Buddhist Monastic Ruins (3) in Kayankerni (කායංකේණි බෞද්ධ ආරාමික නටබුන් – 3)
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