Pomparippu Ancient Burial Site

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Funeral urns excavated from Pomparippu, Puttalam
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Discovered in the 1920s, the Pomparippu site contains approximately 8,000 urn burials, representing the remains of approximately 10,000–12,000 individuals, illustrating a highly developed Iron Age culture. Featuring unique Black-and-Red Ware and metal jewelry, the site suggests a possible ancestral blend of Sinhalese, Dravidian, and Vedda people.

The Pomparippu burial site has attracted considerable scholarly interest since its discovery by A. M. Hocart during his survey of the Puttalam–Mannar coast in 1923–1924. In 1956, Raja De Silva excavated several urn burials as part of a detailed archaeological survey conducted by the Department of Archaeology. However, it was the excavations carried out in July and August 1970 by Vimala Begley, Bennet Bronson, and Mohamed Mauroof, under a research project led by the University of Pennsylvania on the prehistory and protohistory of Sri Lanka, that revealed much of this previously unknown culture.

Extent of the Burial Ground

According to Vimala Begley (Ancient Ceylon, 1981), the burial ground extended over approximately 3–4 acres (about 1.2–1.6 hectares). She estimated that the site may contain around 8,000 burials, representing the remains of approximately 10,000–12,000 individuals.

She further suggested that the burial ground reflects a large, settled population, whose habitation area likely existed nearby, possibly to the east in the direction of the Galge Vihara complex. However, no systematic efforts have yet been made to identify this associated settlement.

Burial Practices and Material Culture

Excavations uncovered a total of 14 burials containing the skeletal remains of about 23 individuals. The urns, measuring between 40 and 90 cm (approximately 16 and 35 inches) in diameter, had been placed in pits and sealed with limestone boulders. The skeletal remains were disarticulated prior to burial, indicating that the bodies may have been exposed to the elements for some time before interment.

While bones were typically placed inside pots or at the base of the urns, skulls were often positioned separately in dishes made of Black-and-Red Ware. The associated grave goods point to a well-developed material culture, including copper bracelets, paste beads, chert tools, and, in one instance, a leaf-shaped iron blade.

Cultural Connections and Debates

Some archaeologists have attempted to link these urn burials, along with their characteristic Black-and-Red Ware, to the Iron Age burial complexes of South India, suggesting a Dravidian origin for the culture.

However, Begley (1981) identified several differences between the Pomparippu ceramics and those of South Indian burial sites, such as the absence of burnishing in the local ware. Moreover, the technique of producing Black-and-Red Ware has appeared in multiple regions and historical periods worldwide.

It is therefore possible that the local ceramic tradition developed independently or was adapted from external influences, perhaps from neighboring South India, through processes of cultural diffusion rather than direct inheritance.

Chronology and Dating Challenges

Establishing a precise chronology for the site has proven difficult. The absence of charcoal samples has prevented carbon dating, and the fragile condition of the bones renders them unsuitable for such analysis. Raja De Silva (Smithsonian Seminar on the Pre- and Protohistory of Ceylon, 1970) proposed a date range of approximately 200 BCE to 200 CE.

In contrast, Begley (1981) argued for a later date based on comparisons with South Indian burial sequences. She suggested that the culture reached the coastal regions of peninsular India only a few centuries before the Common Era and therefore could not have influenced Sri Lanka before that time.

Wider Context of Black-and-Red Ware Culture

The iron-using Black-and-Red Ware culture of peninsular India appears to have been relatively recent in origin. According to Agrawal and Kusumgar (1968), it succeeded the Neolithic culture at Hallur (Karnataka) around 945 BCE. From there, it spread across the Deccan into the fertile plains of Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu, surviving until the early centuries of the Common Era.

Notably, Black-and-Red Ware has also been discovered as far north as Chirand (Bihar) and at several Harappan sites such as Lothal and Rangpur.

Influences from South India and the Pandyan Connection

Sudarshan Seneviratne (Ancient Ceylon, 1984) proposed that the burial culture of northwestern Sri Lanka was influenced by the urn burial traditions of the Vaigai–Tambapanni plains, the historical homeland of the Pandyan kingdom.

According to the Mahavansa, the 5th-century CE chronicle of Sinhalese royalty, Prince Vijaya (c. 6th century BCE), regarded as the founder of the Sinhalese nation, married a Pandyan princess from Madura, while his 700 followers also took wives from the same region. It is therefore possible that urn burial practices were introduced to the island through this large-scale migration.

Ethnic and Cultural Interactions

A. Parpola (Studia Orientalia, 1984) argued that the Pandyans were an Aryan dynasty established in South India, while the iron-using Black-and-Red Ware culture itself appears to have been Dravidian. This suggests that the Pandyans may have adopted this cultural practice and later transmitted it to Sri Lanka through trade and marital connections.

There are also grounds to believe that the pre-Aryan inhabitants of the island belonged to an Austro-Asiatic population, today represented by the Veddhas. The Mahavansa refers to earlier inhabitants known as Yakkhas, often identified as the ancestors of the Veddhas.

Anthropological Perspectives

Lukacs and Kennedy (1981) identified a degree of genetic continuity between the Late Stone Age inhabitants of Bellan-bandi Palassa, who are related to present-day Veddhas, and the Iron Age population of Pomparippu.

Seneviratne (1984) further noted that Veddha pottery-making techniques closely resemble those used in producing Pomparippu ceramics. This raises the possibility that the Pomparippu population, along with other urnfield communities, represented a composite of different ethnic groups, including Sinhalese, Dravidians, and Veddhas.

Cultural Synthesis and Legacy

The proximity of these burial sites to the coastline would have facilitated maritime trade with India, encouraging the interaction of diverse peoples and cultural traditions. For this hypothesis to hold, it is necessary to assume that the indigenous Veddha population formed a significant, if not dominant, component of the Iron Age society in this region.

Over time, these varied groups may have been assimilated into the broader Sinhalese identity, particularly through the adoption of the Sinhala language, introduced by an Indo-Aryan, Prakrit-speaking population from Bengal around the 6th century BCE or possibly even earlier.

Also See

Pre Historic Burial Sites of Sri Lanka

Map of Pomparippu Ancient Burial Site

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Route from Colombo to Pomparippu

Via: Negombo – Puttlam
Distance: 176 km
Travel time: 4-4.5 hours
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One thought on “Pomparippu Ancient Burial Site (පොම්පරිප්පු ආදී මානව සුසාන භූමිය)”

Ezhan says:
June 29, 2023 at 2:40 pm
The pomparippu’s actual name is ponparappi means gold spreader and srilanka’s old name is thamirabarani which also means gold spreader this proves that the tamils lived in srilanka as civilised society before the arrival of foreign languages and cultures. The tradition followed in south indian tamil areas was also followed in srilanka 3000 years ago which gives more strength to the claim that tamils are the natives of srilanka the 9th century bc seal found in jaffna with tamil script also proves it.
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