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Ruins of the Murungan Rajamaha Viharaya in Mannar

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මන්නාරම මුරුන්ගන් රජමහා විහාරය පුරාවිද්‍යා නටබුන් - Ruins of the Murungan Rajamaha Viharaya in Mannar — මන්නාරම මුරුන්ගන් රජමහා විහාරය පුරාවිද්‍යා නටබුන් – Ruins of the Murungan Rajamaha Viharaya in Mannar
ජයාරුපය : මන්නාරම දිස්ත්‍රික්කය ග්‍රන්ථය – පුරාවිද්‍යා දෙපාර්තමේන්තුව

The remnants of a Buddhist monastery from the Anuradhapura period are strewn across this region, now enveloped by a banana plantation. The agricultural activities on this land have significantly damaged the archaeological features of the site. Within the devastated Buddhist ruins, parts of two stone Buddha statues are still present.

Throughout the LTTE terror period, these regions were inaccessible to the general public and government officials. Despite the lack of protection for these antiquities during that time, they remained relatively undamaged, mainly experiencing overgrowth or being reclaimed by the forest. Following the cessation of terrorism and the resettlement of people in these areas, the once-protected antiquities started facing destruction as land was cleared for plantations.

The limbs of both statues have been damaged or destroyed, and one of them has toppled to the ground, breaking into two pieces. While this statue is crafted from stone, the other is made of spatial limestone, with its torso positioned vertically amidst the ruins.

To the east is an area raised from the ground with old bricks scattered around. This area is covered by jungle and difficult to identify the ruins there. Most likely this place is an old stupa or an image house.

With the defeat of the LTTE terrorists, the Department of Archeology has preserved this archaeological site to some extent.

This site is located in K. K. Kulama village in the Irettekulama 125A Gramaseva area in Nanattan Divisional Seceratiet. To reach the site, you need to turn towards Katte Adampan Road from Murukkan K.K. Kulam junction on the Medawachchiya-Mannar road and turn left from the cemetery to reach the land known as Pansalwatta.

References

අසංග, එම්. වී. පී. කේ. සහ නිශාන්ත, අයි. පී. ඇස්., 2018. මන්නාරම දිස්ත්‍රික්කය – පුරාවිද්‍යා දෙපාර්තමේන්තුව. 1වන සංස්කරණය. කොළඹ: රජයේ මුද්‍රණ දෙපාර්තුමේන්තුව,පිටු 40-41
The Green Movement of Sri Lanka (no date) Guide to Archaeological Values for Tourism in Mannar District. The Green Movement of Sri Lanka.

Also See

Map of Ruins of the Murungan Rajamaha Viharaya in Mannar

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Driving Directions to Ruins of the Murungan Rajamaha Viharaya in Mannar

From Manar to Ruins of the Murungan Rajamaha Viharaya

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Total Distance : 24 Km
Travel Time : Around 30 minutes
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References

Also See

Map of Ruins of the Murungan Rajamaha Viharaya in Mannar

Driving Directions to Ruins of the Murungan Rajamaha Viharaya in Mannar

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