Homing Pigeons Nest (Dovecote) on Delft Island

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ඩෙල්ෆ් දුපතේ පරෙවි කූඩුව Pigeons Nest on Delft Island

This island, known to the Portuguese as Ilha das Vacas, once contained a fort constructed by them. The Dutch later referred to it as Delft Island, while in Tamil it is called Neduntheevu or Neduntivu. It is the largest island in the Palk Strait in northern Sri Lanka, covering about 46.5 square kilometers (11,500 acres). The island is low-lying and arid, with sparse vegetation and very little natural shade. The most common tree is the Palmyra, and Palmyra toddy remains one of the principal food resources of the island.

The Dutch Dovecote

One of the most distinctive structures on the island is a pigeons’ nest, or dovecote, located on land adjoining the Delft Divisional Secretariat, among other ruins. Historical sources indicate that the Dutch inhabitants of Delft and nearby islands used homing pigeons for communication, and this structure was built specifically for that purpose.

The dovecote is constructed of limestone, which is abundant on the island. It stands on a square base measuring about 1.65 meters (5.4 feet) on each side and contains openings on all four faces, with fifteen cavities on each side. In addition, each of the four corners has five cavities, bringing the total number of nesting holes to eighty. The structure rises to a height of approximately 4 meters (13 feet).

Archaeological Significance

Today, the dovecote is recognized as an important archaeological monument and a major attraction for visitors to Delft Island. It forms part of a wider colonial landscape that includes the ruins of a Portuguese fort, the Queen’s Tower lighthouse, and large stone stables dating from the European period.

The building with the dove cage and the associated building ruins situated in the Grama Niladhari Wasama No. fma/4 Delft Central in the Delft Divisional Secretary’s Division, Jaffna, was declared as a protected monument on 30 December 2011 through a government gazette.

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.
Bassett, R., 1929. Romantic Ceylon: Its History, Legend and Story. 1st ed. London: Cecil Palmer.
2011. The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka 2011.12.30. Colombo: Department of Govt. Printing. p 1093.
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 Homing Pigeons’ Nest on Delft Island

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Traveling Directions to Jaffna (Homing Pigeons’ Nest 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 Homing Pigeons Nest 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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