Pokkaravanni Archaeological Site in Mannar

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Pokkaravanni Archaeological Site in Mannar District

Archaeological excavations in the Mannar district were resumed about ten years ago, with the end of thirty years of war. Accordingly, through the excavations carried out at different places in Mannaram district, many historical relics were found. Pokkaravanni area with ancient ruins is a historical area where the ruins have been excavated.

Pokkaravanni Archaeological Site is located in Mullikulam village in Madhu Divisional Secretariat of Mannar District. Located in a forested area, the ruins lie on a rocky plateau. On this plateau, one finds a stupa mound, 2 ponds and ruins of ancient buildings. According to archaeologists, this vast Sangharama complex belongs to the Anuradhapura period.

The stupa is the most significant ruin at the site. It has a diameter of 15 meters and a height of 3 meters. Treasure hunters had dug a gaping hole at the top in search of treasures within. The whole stupa is covered in thorny bush jungle. This stupa has been built with bricks and some of the bricks are found around this mound.

Eleven meters away from the stupa mound, one finds an oval shaped rock pond. This is about 13×8.7 meters in size and 50 cm deep.

Ruins of a building is found 26 meters away from the stupa mound. Currently, the remains of this building are about 1 meter high. It has been built with bricks and blocks of stone. This is 11×11 meters in size. Two conical holes are found 22 meters away from the mound. They are 16 and 11 cm deep respectively.

Another pond is found next to the conical holes on the rock. Next to the pond is another mound of ruins, presumed to be a building. This building too has been built using bricks. The remains of another square-shaped mound of a building have been found not far from that building. The length of one side is estimated to be nine meters. Fragments of old bricks and fragments of roof tiles are scattered around this mound. Next to this mound of ruins, you can also see a mound that is considered to be the ruins of another building. Fragments of ancient bricks and fragments of roof tiles are also found around this mound.

In addition, a part of a wall and a stone used for a foundation have also been found. The base is about 80 meters long and about 40 meters wide. A hole can be seen in the centre of that foundation rock. The hole is about ten centimetres deep.

While passing this mound, you will find the remains of another circular pond. It is about one meter deep. This is a large pond with a diameter of about 22 meters. Archaeological excavations have revealed evidence that there was a wall around this pond in the past. Another circular pond can be seen next to this pond. It is also a large pond with a diameter of about 20 meters. Its depth is estimated to be one meter.

The remains of another unique building have been found near this pond. This building, which is believed to be an image house, is about two meters high. It is believed to be about 15 meters long and 15 meters wide. Parts of several statues have been found near this building. Archaeological research has found that a part of one of the statues belongs to the Anuradhapura period. Only its base and torso have been found. Fragments of ancient bricks have been found in the ruins of this image house. Some whole bricks have also been found among them. Generally, the length, width and height of this brick are estimated as 38, 15 and 5 cm respectively.

As you pass by the remains of the image house, you can see a pair of pillars that were used as a foundation. Ruins are found of another building near the Image House. It is a large ruined building compared to other buildings found on this site. It is estimated to be 13 meters long and 9 meters wide. The remains of another pond are found next to the large ruined building. It is also circular in shape. Its depth is about half a meter.

In addition to this, there are many ruins of ancient archaeological value such as ruins, bricks, roof tiles, and processed stones in the stone embankment parts throughout this site.

To reach this site, proceed along Mallawi Road at Puwarasankulam junction on Mannar-Vavuniya road, turn to the left at Iranaiiluupaikulam junction (to Mullikulam-Palampiddi road), proceed 2 km from Mullikulam School, and come across a paddy land. Proceed along the road towards the Talayankulam tank in the middle of the paddy field, continue along the tank bund to the left end, and proceed 300m northwards to the forest to reach the site.

References

Asanga, M.V.P.K. and Nishantha, I.P.S. (2018) in මන්නාරම දිස්ත්‍රික්කය. Colombo , Sri Lanka: Department of Archaeology, pp 130-134.
The Green Movement of Sri Lanka (no date) Guide to Archaeological Values for Tourism in Mannar District. The Green Movement of Sri Lanka.
Ratiyala, P.M. (2022) පොක්කරවන්නි බිමේ මැකී නොගිය නටබුන්, දිනමිණ . Available at: https://archives1.dinamina.lk/2022/11/11/විශේෂාංග/158825/පොක්කරවන්නි-බිමේ-මැකී-නොගිය-නටබුන් (Accessed: 28 January 2024).

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