
Manalkadu lies about 12 km off Point Pedro and on the eastern cost of Jaffna Penisula which is popular for its sand dunes along the sea.
This sleepy fishing village lies off the general path of tourists and only travelers to this area are the pilgrims to St St. Anthony’s Church lying close to the sea in the vast sandy land. On the route to this church and just before it, lies ruins of an ancient Church built by Dutch. Only the massive walls with arch entrances remain on this impressive structure.
With part of it buried under the sand due to continued attack of sandy winds for over 100 years, this land mark is provides a unique experience for the visitor. This building has been declared as a protected archaeological monument by the department of Archaeology.
One other attraction you would also see is the replica of the 30 meter Christ the Redeemer staue of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil at the new St. Anthony’s Church.
Also See
Map of Ruins of the Manalkadu Dutch Church
The map above also shows other places of interest within a approximately 20 km radius of the current site. Click on any of the markers and the info box to take you to information of these sites
Zoom out the map to see more surrounding locations using the mouse scroll wheel or map controls.
Traveling directions to Ruins of the Manalkadu Dutch Church
Jaffna can be reached through 2 directions. 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) |
Though : 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 |
Travel directions from Jaffna town to Ruins of the Manalkadu Dutch Church |
Distance : 3.2 km Travel time : 6 min Time to spend : 15-30 mins Driving directions : see on google map |