Karaitivu is a fairly large island off the coast of the Jaffna peninsula in Northern Sri Lanka. Karaitivu is connected to the peninsula through a 3-kilometre-long causeway across the shallow waters. The main town in Karaitivu is Karainagar therefore sometimes this island is also called the Karainagar Island.
The island of Karaitivu is rooted deep in the Buddhist history. It was called Karadeepa in the ancient times. This island is mentioned in the Akeerthi Jataka (Akitti Jataka) of the 550 Jataka Stories of Buddha where an ascetic named Akeerthi who wanted to be alone, left to a park in Kavirapattana and came to the county of Soli, where dwelling in a park over against Kavirapattana, he cultivated a mystic ecstasy and supernatural faculties. He then travelled through the air and descended at the isle of Kara, which is over against the Island of Naga. At that time, Karadipa was named Ahidipa, the Isle of Snakes.
Dr. Ponnampalam Ragupathy in his PhD thesis and its publication as “Early settlements in Jaffna : An Archaeological Survey” in 1987 records an archaeologically important site in Verappitti, which lies on the western coast of Karainagar. This area is also known as Curiyanpitti or Elumiccankanraty.
Dr Ragupathi records that this site is a mound of considerable size facing the sea in an area of about 5 acres. He records chiselled corel stones still having traces of lime plaster on them, semi-circular stepping stones (possibly a Moonstone) made out of Jaffna limestone, stones with sockets which was used as pillar bases and tiles scattered in the vicinity confirming the type of structure of the remains of this site. The site is sandwiched between the sea from the west and paddy fields from the east. It was so close to the sea, that the western side of the mound was merging with the shoreline of the island. The sea forms a small bay here where it has been used by local fishermen to anchor catamarans and small fishing boats.
A few years ago this mound was dug across to make a path for the sand scoopers to reach the sand dunes which was a thriving business at that time due to the boom in constructions in Jaffna. A part of the chiselled coral stone baseline was then noticed when this path was opened.
The report has not given any dimensions of the mound but considering the above description, it could be assumed that this would have been a very large stupa of ancient times forgotten and lost in time. Unfortunately, satellite images show that this area is now heavily populated and possibly most of the artefacts destroyed.
Kalapoomy Megalithic Burial Grounds
Dr Ragupathi also reports a possible megalithic burial ground Cattirantai in the Kalapoomy area of Karaitivu island. The site is adjoining the Sundaramurti Vidyalayam Junior School of Karainagar. This site covers an area of around 5-10 acres. it is an elevated land on the fringe of the paddy fields. It was reported that this whole site was once owned by American Missionaries and was registered under one Tompu (land deed). Now it has been divided into 5 plots; one is occupied by the Junior School, and the others are private lands. The plot, where the excavations were done belongs to Mr. A. Kandasamy. He bought this plot 15 years ago and was astonished to find skeletons while constructing his house.
Subsequent excavations have been carried out at this site and 2 pits, 1st one in January 1981 and the 2nd pit in October 1981 were dug and content analysed. The pits have exposed skeletons with pots and burial offerings. The burial offerings were found to be identical to those found in the Anaikkottai burials, but the Kärainagar offerings were comparatively less in quantity. The burial offerings were found placed around the skeleton in dishes, bowls and pots. The traceable remains of the offerings were fish vertebrae bones, fragile animal bones, Crab shells, cattle teeth, paste beads and catfish jaw bones. A microlithic flake of quartz was also obtained along with the offerings.
The locations of the above-mentioned archaeological import sites on the Karaitivu island are given as follows;
Verappitti | 9°44’00″N 79°51’30″E |
Kalapoomy | 9°43’30″N 79°52’30″E |
This report is now over 40 years old and during the Tamil Terrorist war which lasted for over 30 years, whether any remains can be found is doubtful. However, the respective authorities should research such places and preserve any ancient heritage for future generations.
References
- Ragupathy, P., 1987. Early settlements in Jaffna : An Archaeological Survey. 1st ed. Madras: Sudarsan Graphics.
- Jathakakatha.lk. n.d. 466 Akitta Jataka. [online] Available at: <http://jathakakatha.lk/english/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=319:466-akitta-jataka&catid=51:451-500&Itemid=99> [Accessed 16 May 2021].
Also See
Map of Verappitti Ruins in the Island of Karaitivu Jaffna
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.
Driving Directions to Verappitti Ruins in the Island of Karaitivu Jaffna
Jaffna can be reached through 2 directions. The first one is over the Elephant Pass which is the normal route to Jaffna. The other entrance is from Pooneryn over the newly built Sangupiddi Bridge. This road connects to Mannar.
Route 01 from Colombo to Jaffna (Through Kurunegala) | Route 02 from Colombo to Jaffna (Through Puttalam) |
Through : Kurunegala – Dambulla – Anuradhapura – Vavuniya Distance: 400 km Travel Time: 7-8 hours Driving Directions: see on Google map | Through: Puttalam – Anuradhapura – Vavuniya Distance: 400 km Travel Time: 7-8 hours Driving Directions: see on Google maps |
Jaffna town to Verappitti Ruins in the Island of Karaitivu |
Through : Karainagar Distance : 22 km Time to travel : 45 mins Driving Directions : click here for Google Map |
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