Stupas of Delft Island in Jaffna

The largest of the ancient pagodas found at Delft Island in Jaffna

Delft Island is the largest island in the Jaffna seas. This island is located quite a distance from Jaffna peninsula and need to travel by boat to the island. This boat journey takes about an hour. Ferries operate to Delft Island three times a day from the Kurikadduwan Jetty, the same location from which boats to Nagadeepa depart.

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Horse Breeding on Delft Island

Known as Neduntheevu among the people of Jaffna, the island was used for horse breeding during the Portuguese period. The Portuguese therefore named it the “Island of Horses,” or Ilha das Cavalkos. The Dutch, who subsequently took control of the island, continued the practice, and the entire island was reserved for horses. After the British arrived in Jaffna in the early nineteenth century, the southern part of the island was designated for horse breeding, and the activity expanded further towards the end of the century. By 1906, however, horse breeding on the island had ceased completely.

Early Reports of the Buddhist Ruins

The Buddhist ruins on Delft Island were first reported in 1832 by a person writing under the pseudonym “Pen” (PENN) in the Colombo Journal. He mentioned two forts on the island, one of which was said to be located in the northeast. The islanders referred to this structure as the “Fire King’s Fort.” It is possible that this name was derived from a translation of Vedi Arasan, who was regarded by local people as an ancient local king. The ruins are known locally as Vetiyaracanköttai.

According to Penn, this site (mistaken for a fort) was situated in the northeastern part of the island, approximately 200 meters inland from the sea. It measured about 60 yards (55 meters) in circumference and was approximately 20 feet (6.1 metres) high. Its exterior was finished with roughly shaped limestone. The structure itself rose about 12 feet (3.7 meters) above ground level, and steps on its eastern and western sides provided access to the elevated platform. Portions of the square wall were barely visible, while stone blocks containing square holes in their centers, apparently used for setting stone pillars, could also be found in the vicinity. Penn concluded that a structure of this type had not been seen elsewhere on the island and considered it characteristic of Kandy.

Buddhist Stupas

Around the main stupa were the remains of four smaller stupas, all of which were bell-shaped. According to Penn, there had originally been six Parivara stupas surrounding the main stupa. Two were positioned on either side of the steps leading to the square platform from the east and west, while one stupa was located to the north and another to the south.

According to an article published in 1909 by the British writer J. Lewis, the stupa ruins described by Penn had already been extensively damaged by that time. During the 1960s, Charles Godakumbura carried out limited conservation work on the bases of these stupas.

In his 1987 publication on the archaeological heritage of Jaffna, Ponnambalam Ragupathi stated that the discovery of pottery fragments suggested that the island may have been inhabited since at least the first century CE. As the temple was situated along the maritime trade route between India and Jaffna, it is believed that the site may have served as a place of worship for traders in ancient times. Ragupathi further suggested that the temple may have continued to exist until the emergence of the later local Tamil kingdoms.

Inscriptions and Archaeological Evidence

The area remained abandoned for approximately three decades during the period of unrest. Following its liberation from LTTE control in 2009, the site was once again preserved. In 2013, archaeologists from the Maritime Archaeology Unit of the Central Cultural Fund uncovered three previously undocumented inscriptions. These inscriptions were carved on stones laid within the Salapathala Maluwa (courtyard).

Two or three of the inscriptions were written in Tamil script, while another was written in Brahmi script. The Tamil-script inscriptions have been dated to the later fourteenth to fifteenth centuries, while the Brahmi inscription has been dated to the first or second century CE. This evidence suggests that the religious site may have existed from at least the first or second centuries CE through the fourteenth or fifteenth centuries.

Roland Silva, a Sri Lankan expert in archaeology and heritage conservation, stated that, during a study of stupa architecture in Sri Lanka, he identified the remains of Watadage structures around Kadurgoda, Jaffna, and Delft. As this is the only known Buddhist site on Delft Island, he suggested that a Watadage enclosure may have surrounded the stupa in ancient times.

Decline During the Civil Conflict

During the 1980s, with the rise of Tamil militancy in the Jaffna region, archaeological excavations at Kadurgoda and Delft were halted. The three decades of conflict contributed to the rapid deterioration of these religious sites. By the time the conflict ended in 2009, no remains of the Watadage had survived.

ඩෙල්ෆ් දුපතේ තිබෙන බෞද්ධ නටබුන් අතර කුඩා ස්තුපයක නටබුන්

Ancient pagoda found at Delft Island in Jaffna

ඩෙල්ෆ් දුපතේ තිබෙන බෞද්ධ නටබුන් අතර හමුවූ ශිව ලිංගයක්

References

LEWIS, J, 1909, Notes on Delft. The Journal of the Ceylon Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain & Ireland. 1909. Vol. 21, no. 62, p. 341-360.
PEARSON, J, 1923, NOTES ON THE FORTS OF THE JAFFNA ISLANDS. The Journal of the Ceylon Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain & Ireland. 1923. Vol. 29, no. 76, p. 186-193.
SILVA, ROLAND, 2004, MEMOIRS OF THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CEYLON – VOLUME X – PART II :
යාපනයේ ඩෙල්ෆ් දූපතෙන් සෙල්ලිපි තුනක් හමු වේ | ශ්‍රි ලංකා පුරාවිද්‍යාව – Sri Lanka Archaeology, 2015. ශ්‍රි ලංකා පුරාවිද්‍යාව – Sri Lanka Archaeology [online],
Ragupathy, P., 1987. Early settlements in Jaffna : An Archaeological Survey. 1st ed. Madras: Sudarsan Graphics.

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Map of Stupas of Delft Island in Jaffna

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Travel Directions to Stupas of Delft Island in Jaffna

Jaffna can be reached through two principal routes. The most commonly used approach is via Elephant Pass, which has long served as the traditional gateway to the Jaffna Peninsula.

An alternative route reaches Jaffna from the direction of Pooneryn by crossing the Sangupiddy Bridge. This crossing follows what was historically the ancient route to the peninsula before the construction of modern highways. The route provides a connection between Jaffna and the Mannar region.

Route 01 from Colombo to Jaffna Through Kurunegala (Popular Route)	Route 02 from Colombo to Jaffna Through Puttalam and Pooneryn (Lesser Traveled Route)
Through : Kurunegala – Dambulla – Anuradhapura – Vavuniya Distance: 410 km Travel Time: 7-8 hours Driving Directions: see on Google Maps.	Through: Puttalam – Thantirimale – Mannar – Poonaryn Distance: 408 km Travel Time: 8 hours Driving Directions: see on Google Maps.

From Jaffna to the Buddhist ruins of Delft Island

Via : Kurunegala – Dambulla – Anuradhapura – Vavuniya
Total Distance : 32 KM
Time : Including Boat Ride (between 2-3 hours)
Driving Directions : View on Google Map (to Kurikadduan Jetty)

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