Heritage

Miniminiththaweli Archaeological Site 2 in Kiran (මිනිමිණිත්තවේලි පුරාවිද්‍යා භූමිය 2)

56 years ago5 seconds ago03 mins

RATE THIS LOCATION : 1 Star

(2 votes, average: 2.00 out of 5)

Miniminiththaweli Archaeological Site 2 in Kiran

The Maduru Oya Valley site in Miniminiththāweli features an Anurādhapura-period building complex with stone pillars and brick foundations. Unfortunately, illegal excavations by treasure hunters have severely damaged these structures, though they have also exposed various ancient artifacts and pottery.

The Archaeological Site on the Maduru Oya Valley in Miniminiththāweli is located in the village of Miniminiththāweli, within the Grāma Niladhāri Division of Muruthtthanai 209-A, in the Divisional Secretariat Division of Kōrale Pattu South (Kiran) in Batticaloa District.

Access Route

From Kiran Junction, travel along the Thureiyadi road. At the Pulipañchakal Junction, turn right and continue through the Nāpathtthāwil Wewa Reservoir area and Akkuraṇai to reach the Indigenous village of Miniminiththāweli. From near the village school, turn right and proceed towards Maduru Oya River to reach the archaeological site.

Historical Background

An examination of the architectural features and the scattered antiquities found at the site indicates the existence of a building complex belonging to the Anurādhapura period.

Location Setting and Nature of Archaeological Evidence

The ruins are situated in the village of Miniminiththāweli, west of the Maduru Oya River, within a dry forested area extending in a broad curve from the northeast towards the south. The terrain is slightly elevated and generally flat.

On the eastern side of this area, 3 building sites containing stone pillars and one site with a brick foundation have been identified. The stone pillars found at these locations are comparatively short in height.

The central portions of the buildings have been severely disturbed by treasure hunters. As a result, stone pillars, brick foundations, and other structural components have been severely damaged and displaced. Nevertheless, one building site still preserves an undamaged stone pillar approximately 2 meters (6.6 feet) in height, while another site contains several pillar bases that have been gathered together.

Treasure hunters have also excavated areas where no surface pillars were visible. One such excavation pit has exposed the brick foundation of an ancient structure concealed beneath the ground surface.

The widespread presence of archaeological materials, including various clay vessels such as bowls and pots, beads, bricks, stone fragments, and iron objects, indicates that these sites were occupied for a considerable period. Much of this archaeological evidence has become visible as a consequence of the destruction and disturbance caused by illegal excavations by treasure hunters.

Geographical Coordinates

The exact location of the site is as follows:

North Latitude: 7°55’57.7″N
East Longitude: 81°21’35.0″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 Miniminiththaweli Archaeological Site 2 in Kiran

Click on the button below to load the Dynamic Google Map

Show Location on Google Maps

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 Miniminiththaweli Archaeological Site 2 in Kiran

Route from Polonnaruwa to Miniminiththaweli Archaeological Site 2 in Kiran

Through: Manampitiya – Welikanda
Distance: 56 km
Travel time: 1.30 hour
Driving directions : see on Google Maps

Leave a ReplyCancel reply

Miniminiththaweli Archaeological Site 2 in Kiran (මිනිමිණිත්තවේලි පුරාවිද්‍යා භූමිය 2)
The Maduru Oya Valley site in Miniminiththāweli features an Anurādhapura-period building complex with stone pillars and brick foundations. Unfortunately, illegal excavations by treasure hunters have severely damaged these structures, though they have also exposed various ancient artifacts and pottery. […]
Miniminiththaweli Archaeological Site 1 in Kiran (මිනිමිණිත්තවේලි පුරාවිද්‍යා භූමිය)
The Anurādhapura-era Miniminiththāweli site 1 in Kiran features a historic building complex heavily damaged by forest gravel road construction. This development destroyed the site's archaeological context and displaced ancient artifacts, including a stone-carved flower altar bulldozed to the roadside. […]
Mandur Archaeological Site in Kiran (මණ්ඩූර් පුරාවිද්‍යා භූමිය)
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. […]
Kallichchai Buddhist Monastic Ruins (කල්ලිච්චෛ බෞද්ධ ආරාමික නටබුන්)
The Anurādhapura-period Kallichchai Monastic Ruins in Kiran feature a forest stupa breached by treasure hunters, exposing its inner chamber. Nearby artifacts include scattered stone pillars, a fragmented octagonal Yūpa Stambhaya (central pillar), and a circular Chatra Gala (umbrella stone). […]
Harakagala Buddhist Monastic Ruins (හරකාගල බෞද්ධ ආරාමික නටබුන්)
The Harakagala Monastic Ruins in Kiran date to the Early Anurādhapura period. Situated on a rocky outcrop near a reservoir, the complex features a brick stupa foundation, a cave with a Brāhmī inscription, a massive multi-story pillared building, and a stone chatragala (umbrella). […]
Vadamunai Dastota Wewa Reservoir (වඩමුනෛ වැව)
The Vadamunai Dastota Wewa Reservoir in Kiran is a large 650-acre irrigation system with a 920-meter embankment dating to the 2nd century CE. Identified as Vadamanaka in a Nelugala rock inscription, it sustained a prosperous Anurādhapura-period agricultural economy and a dense network of surrounding Buddhist monastic communities. […]
Karakpattiyadi Forest Buddhist Monastic Ruins (කරක්පට්ටියඩි කැලයේ බෞද්ධ ආරාමික නටබුන්)
The Anurādhapura-period Karakpaṭṭiyadi monastic ruins in Vakarai feature a heavily pillaged stupa with a 3-meter-deep pit and a 4-meter stone pillar. The jungle site includes a northern brick structure, a circular southern foundation, a Siri Pathula stone, and subterranean walls. […]
Omadiyamadu Archaeological Site (ඕමඩියාමඩු පුරාවිද්‍යා භූමිය)
The Anurādhapura-period Ōmaḍiyāmadu Archaeological Site in Vakarai sits on a rocky terrace. Heavily destroyed during local village resettlement activities, its original structures are unidentifiable, leaving only scattered stone pillars, brick fragments, and rubble collapsed down the rock slope. […]
Palm Leaf Fan Carved Rock in Vakare (වාකරේ වටාපත් කැටයම් සහිත පර්වතය)
Located in Vakarai, this late Anurādhapura-period site features a unique carving of a traditional palm leaf fan (Vāṭapatha) on a rocky outcrop's northeast side. No other clear structures exist, though various loose stones lie at the rock's base. […]
Drip Ledged Cave near Omadiyamadu Reservoir (ඕමඩියාමඩු වැව අසළ කටාරම් සහිත ලෙන)
The Rock Cave near the Ōmaḍiyāmadu Reservoir is an Early Anurādhapura-period monastic site. Facing north on a rocky outcrop, the cave features a continuously carved drip-ledge around its entrance designed to deflect rainwater from the interior living space. […]
Sitamalai Rock Buddhist Monastic Ruins (සීතාමලායි පර්වත බෞද්ධ ආරාමික නටබුන්)
The Anurādhapura-period Sītāmalai Monastic Ruins in Vakarai are centered on a 90×90-meter rocky outcrop. The site features a damaged brick-and-rubble stupa visible up to its first basal ring, a brick foundation eastward, and two building sites at its southern foot. […]
Omadiyamadu Forest Buddhist Monastic Ruins (ඕමඩියාමඩු වනයේ බෞද්ධ ආරාමික නටබුන්)
The Anurādhapura-period stupa ruins in the Ōmeḍiyāmadu Forest, Vakarai, sit atop a rock formation. Treasure hunters have damaged the small, dilapidated stupa by digging a 2.5-meter-deep pit into its dome. Excavated bricks and stone debris lie scattered nearby. […]
Padigala (Padiettanamalei) Buddhist Monastic Ruins (පඩිගල පඩිඑත්තනමලෙයි බෞද්ධ ආරාමික නටබුන්)
The Anurādhapura-period Paḍigala Monastic Ruins in Vakarai feature a ruined brick stupa atop a rock plateau, reached by an ornamental 69-step stone staircase. The complex includes large building foundations, primitive moonstones, and pottery, though treasure hunter activity has severely damaged the site. […]
Archaeological Site near Kayankerni School (කායංකේණි පාසල අසල පුරාවිද්‍යා භූමිය)
The Anurādhapura-period archaeological site near Kayaṅkerni School in Vakarai features five short stone pillars from a three-row structure. Characterized by distinct chisel marks, the palm-covered site also contains scattered broken pillars, ancient roof tiles, and stone slabs. […]
Vannathimadu Ancient Pond in Pullavi Jungle (පුල්ලාවි වනයේ වණ්ණාතිමඩු පැරණි පොකුණ)
The Vannāthimadu Ancient Pond (Vannathimadu Kulam) in Vakarai is a 2.42-hectare, oval-shaped reservoir dating to the Early Anurādhapura period. Enclosed by an earthen embankment, it still holds water and served as the primary water source for three nearby forest monasteries. […]
Pullavi Jungle Buddhist Monastic Ruins (3) in Kayankerni (කායංකේණි බෞද්ධ ආරාමික නටබුන් – 3)
The Pullavi Jungle Ruins (3) in Kayankerni are an early Anuradhapura-period Buddhist monastery complex. Despite treasure-hunting damage, the forested site preserves carved foundation stones, stone pillars, a mortised doorway slab, and balustrade fragments. It represents one of three interconnected yet distinct monastic centers in the area. […]
Ambewela New Zealand Farm (අඹේවෙල නවසීලන්ත සත්ව ගොවිපල)
Ambewela is a small town in Nuwara Eliya district popularly known for its 2 dairy farms called “Ambewela Farm” and “New Zealand Farm”. The wide grasslands Ambewela lies 6,064 ft (1,848 m) above sea level. The maximum temperature of this area is about 23° C and the lowest goes down to about 9° C. […]
Mahaweli Flood Plains National Park (මහවැලි ජලගැලුම් නිම්න ජාතික වනෝද්‍යානය)
Established in 1984 under the Mahaweli Project, Flood Plains National Park in Polonnaruwa features vital villu wetlands. It serves as a crucial elephant migration corridor between Wasgamuwa and Somāwathiya parks while hosting an ancient cave monastery dating back to the 2nd century BCE. […]
Wadamunai (Wadamune) Megalithic Burial Site in Maduru Oya Valley
In this Wadamunai (Wadamune) Megalithic Cemetery, scattered across the landscape, lie between 15 to 20 graves. Unfortunately, the peaceful serenity of these resting places has been disrupted by thorn bushes, which have taken root amidst many of the tombs. Adding to the desecration, some graves have fallen victim to the destructive hands of treasure hunters, who have ransacked them in search of valuables. […]