Old Dutch Hospital on Delft Island (ඩෙල්ෆ් දුපතේ පැරණි ලංදේසි රෝහල)

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Old Dutch Hospital on Delft Island currently being renovated - ඩෙල්ෆ් දුපතේ පැරණි ලංදේසි රෝහල නැවත ප්‍රකෘතිමත් කරමින් — Old Dutch Hospital on Delft Island currently being renovated – ඩෙල්ෆ් දුපතේ පැරණි ලංදේසි රෝහල නැවත ප්‍රකෘතිමත් කරමින්

This island was called by the Portuguese ilha das Vacas, and had a fort built by them. The Dutch called it Delft Island. The Tamils call it the Neduntheevu or Neduntivu. This is the largest island in the Palk Strait, northern Sri Lanka. Delft Island covers 11,500 acres and is a low and arid island. Delft Island is a mostly bare island with little shade. Delft Island is a mostly bare island with little shade. The most common tree here is the Palmyra tree. The Palmyra Toddy is one of the chief articles of food in Delft.

The island has been occupied by the Portuguese, Dutch and British in the past. Other than the Portuguese Fort, much if the ruins found on the island belong to the Dutch period or the British. The hospital built by the Dutch can be found in front of the current police station on the island.

This building has been made using limestone and corrals commonly found on the island. The front of the building has room and a verandah. After the British invaded the country and took over the land from the Dutch, they used this building as an administrative building during their time on the Delft island. The tiles of this building have been imported from Bangalore, India and bear the year 1865. Currently, this building is been renovated.

References

Lewis, J., 1909. NOTES ON DELFT. The Journal of the Ceylon Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain & Ireland, 21(62), pp.341-360.
කෝරළගේ, එස්. බී. and කල්ප අසංක, එම්. වී. ජී. , 2017. යාපනය දිස්ත්‍රික්කය. 1st ed. කොළඹ: පුරාවිද්‍යා දෙපාර්තුමේන්තුව, p.91.

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Map of Old Dutch Hospital on Delft Island

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Traveling Directions to Jaffna (Old Dutch Hospital on Delft Island)

Jaffna can be reached through two principal routes. The most commonly used approach is via Elephant Pass, which has long served as the traditional gateway to the Jaffna Peninsula.

An alternative route reaches Jaffna from the direction of Pooneryn by crossing the Sangupiddy Bridge. This crossing follows what was historically the ancient route to the peninsula before the construction of modern highways. The route provides a connection between Jaffna and the Mannar region.

Route 01 from Colombo to Jaffna Through Kurunegala (Popular Route)	Route 02 from Colombo to Jaffna Through Puttalam and Pooneryn (Lesser Traveled Route)
Through : Kurunegala – Dambulla – Anuradhapura – Vavuniya Distance: 410 km Travel Time: 7-8 hours Driving Directions: see on Google Maps.	Through: Puttalam – Thantirimale – Mannar – Poonaryn Distance: 408 km Travel Time: 8 hours Driving Directions: see on Google Maps.

From Jaffna to Old Dutch Hospital on Delft Island

Total distance: 32 km
Duration: With boat trip (between 2-3 hours)
Driving directions: See Google Map (Kurikadduwan Jetty)

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References

Also See

Map of Old Dutch Hospital on Delft Island

Traveling Directions to Jaffna (Old Dutch Hospital on Delft Island)

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