Manikkamadu Dagoba Archaeological Site

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Ancient steps cut in the rock to reach top at Manikkamadu Dagoba Archaeological Site in Ampara

Eragama, known in Tamil as Irakkamam, is a town in the Ampara District where over 90% of the population is Muslim. The area is home to several ancient Buddhist monastic sites, which have unfortunately become flashpoints for tension due to opposition from certain local groups. Whenever efforts are made to develop or preserve these sites, disputes arise. Many of these communities show little interest in protecting Sri Lanka’s shared heritage, and as a result, unprotected archaeological locations are slowly being destroyed, erasing traces of their historical value.

Access to the Site

Traveling along the Samanthure–Deegavapi road, past the turn-off to the ancient Deegavapi Stupa, you will come across the Eragama Reservoir. About 1.5 km beyond the reservoir lies the ruin of an ancient dagoba, perched on a picturesque rock on the right side of the road.

Archaeological Evidence and Protection Status

The site contains numerous archaeological features, including ancient rock formations, clay pits, roof tiles, and drainage gullies, all at risk of destruction. Worn-out inscriptions carved into the rock have been found, but no academic excavation or detailed site inspection has yet been conducted (Management of the Archaeological Heritage of Sri Lanka, 2019).

Steps hewn directly into the living rock and other visible ruins have led to the area being officially declared a protected archaeological site. The Government of Sri Lanka issued a Gazette on 10th October 2014 describing the location as:
“Manikkamadu Dagoba mound and rock boulders with stairways situated in No. 5-2-34-005-07 Irakkamam Grama Niladhari Division in Eragama (Irakkamam) Divisional Secretary’s Division in Ampara District in Eastern Province. (latitude 7º 15′ 36” N and longitude 081º 43′ 16” E).”

Relationship with Deegawapi

This stupa is believed to be one of the Parivara Stupa of the Deegavapi Maha Seya. In the late 1990s, one such stupa was bulldozed under the orders of Minister and Sri Lanka Muslim Congress leader, the late M.H.M. Ashraff, during the construction of a road through Deegavapi temple land. A new temple now stands where another Parivara Stupa once existed, while others have disappeared before they could be documented.

According to tradition, King Saddhatissa (137–119 BCE) stored valuable jewels meant for the Deegavapi Stupa in the Manikkamadu Temple, from which the name Manik-Maduwa is said to have originated.

Decline and Abandonment

Until around 1980, a small temple stood at the base of the rock known as Manikkamadu Kanda. With the rise of LTTE terrorism in the region, Sinhalese Buddhist residents were targeted, and about 100 people were forced to abandon their homes. The chief monk, Thangalle Pangnasena Thero, died in an accident, while his main supporter, Rev. Hegoda Indrasara Thero, was brutally killed during the Aranthalawa Massacre by the LTTE.

This temple had been deserted until a residence house for a priest was commenced this year on land offered by the government. Severe opposition from Muslims forced the halt of this construction, and currently, this matter has been taken to the courts.

More ruins with drip-ledge caves on a rock on the opposite side of the road have been declared as a protected archaeological site by the same gazette and describe the location as follows:

“Manikkamadu Kanda with drip-ledged caves with Brahmi inscriptions belonging to Manikkamadu village (hill on the north from Eragama Lake) situated in No. 5-2-34-005-07 Irakkamam Grama Niladhari Division in Eragama (Irakkamam) Divisional Secretary’s Division in Ampara District in Eastern Province. (latitude 7º 15′ 17” N and longitude 081º 43′ 18” E).”

Despite the opposition by politically motivated non-Buddhists, a small temple has been built where the old temple (before the LTTE terrorists’ brutal attacks on the clergy) was located. It is very unlikely that you would get any assistance travelling to the site from the predominately non-Buddhist villagers, who would rather prefer to see such sites disappear.

Ancient Bricks of the Dagoba now scattered on the rock at Manikkamadu Archaeological Site in Ampara

Fallen Pillar among the Manikkamadu Dagoba Archaeological Site in Ampara

Caves at the Manikkamadu Dagoba Archaeological Site in Ampara

Remains of the Stupa at the Manikkamadu Dagoba Archaeological Site in Ampara

A small temple rebuilt after the war at the bottom of the rock with ruins despite protests of non Buddhists at at the ancient Manikkamadu Dagoba Archaeological Site in Ampara

Conservation of the Stupas in 2025

Archaeological excavations at the Manikkamadu site, completed in August 2025, revealed a rare discovery—evidence of twin stupas constructed with brick casings, a feature rarely found in Sri Lanka’s Buddhist heritage. Among the artifacts unearthed were pottery fragments, pinnacle bricks, inscribed bricks, and beads, offering insights into the cultural and religious practices of the period.

Manikkamadu Dagoba Archaeological Site afrer excavation and conservation

References

National Audit Office (Performance Audit Division) (2019) Management of the Archeological Heritage of Sri Lanka.

Also See

Tense situ over historic temple reconstruction
Dighavapi : digging deeper—Controversy looms large but people of the area face more pressing problems than the land issue

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