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Mandur Archaeological Site in Kiran (මණ්ඩූර් පුරාවිද්‍යා භූමිය)

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The Anurādhapura-period Mandur Archaeological Site in Kiran sits within marshy terrain near a tributary of Maduru Oya. It features two ruined building complexes with scattered stone pillars up to 5 meters long, heavily damaged by human activity yet preserving distinct ancient tool marks.

The Mandur Archaeological Site is located in the village of Mandur, within the Grāma Niladhāri Division of Utthuchchēnai 210-E, in the Divisional Secretariat Division of Kōrale Pattu South (Kiran) of Batticaloa District.

Access Route

Traveling approximately 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) from Welikanda town towards Batticaloa, turn right onto the Kallichchai road near the 100th kilometer post. Continue along this road for about 6 kilometers (3.7 miles), then turn right again and travel approximately 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) to reach Mandur village. The ruins are located within a low-lying marshy area south of a tributary of the Maduru Oya River, on the right-hand side of the road.

Historical Background

All archaeological evidence associated with the now-destroyed building site and the nearby pillar site can be dated to the Anurādhapura period.

Location and Nature of Archaeological Evidence

These ancient building and pillar sites, situated within the marshy terrain, have been subjected to extensive destructive human activities.

The building appears to have been constructed using stone pillars approximately 2 meters (6.6 feet) in height. At present, two of these pillars remain in a damaged condition, while the others have collapsed onto the ground. Approximately ten damaged pillars can still be seen scattered throughout the site.

Located approximately 200 meters (656 feet) east of this location is another ruined site containing a stone pillar that had been removed from its original position and replanted. Additional fallen pillars measuring approximately 5 meters (16.4 feet) in length are also scattered across the ground. These pillars were roughly hewn, and the tool marks used during their shaping remain clearly visible.

Geographical Coordinates

The exact location of the site is as follows:

North Latitude: 7°55’34.3″N
East Longitude: 81°18’57.1″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 Mandur Archaeological Site

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Traveling Directions to Mandur Archaeological Site

Route from Polonnaruwa to Mandur Archaeological Site

Through: Manampitiya – Welikanda
Distance: 40 km
Travel time: 1 hour
Driving directions : see on Google Maps

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