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Welioya Maha Seya Archaeological Ruins

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වැලිඔය මහා සෑය පුරාවිද්‍යා භූමිය - Welioya Maha Seya Archaeological Ruins

The distance from Padaviya to Weli Oya is approximately 13 kilometers. During the time of LTTE terrorism, Weli Oya was frequently targeted in attacks and was considered a high-risk area.

Just after crossing the bridge over the Ma Oya, the Weli Oya Maha Seya Viharaya can be seen on the right-hand side of the road. Located nearby is a moderately large rock cave with an arched opening facing northwest. The surrounding area is strewn with fragments of clay pots and bricks, indicating that this site likely dates back to the early Anuradhapura period.

Ancient Quarry Behind the Cave

Behind the cave lies an old quarry with several unfinished stone blocks. Judging by the quarrying marks used to break the stone, it is believed that these works also belong to the Anuradhapura era. Among the quarried stones, several remain unused. As there are no visible signs of large stone constructions or stone buildings around the temple premises, it is assumed that these quarried stones may have been transported for use in other locations.

Roughly one kilometer from this site, across the Ma Oya, lie the remains of the ancient Wannadi Bridge (also known as Wannadi Amuna). The bridge is approximately 200 meters long, around 6 meters wide, and has a height ranging from 2.5 to 3 meters. The similarity in the type of stone blocks used for both the bridge and the quarry suggests that this location likely served as a source of stone for the construction of the Wannadi Amuna.

වැලිඔය මහා සෑය පුරාවිද්‍යා භූමියේ ඇති ගල් කොරියේ ඉතිරි වී ඇති ගල් කුට්ටි - Welioya Maha Seya Archaeological Ruins

මුලතිවු වනයේ සැඟවුණු වන්නඩි පාළම හා අමුණ - Ancient Wannadi Bridge and Amuna in Mulathivu

References

Asanga, M. V. P. K., & Nishantha, I. P. S. (2018). පෞරාණික ස්ථාන හා ස්මාරක – මුලතිව් දිස්ත්‍රික්කය (1st ed.). Department of Archaeology, Sri Lanka.
2014. Proposed Kivul Oya Reservoir Project. EIA FINAL Report. Colombo: Mahaweli Authority of Sri Lanka.
Archaeologysl.maps.arcgis.com. 2020. Web GIS Portal – Web GIS Unit. [online] Available at: <https://archaeologysl.maps.arcgis.com/home/index.html> [Accessed 30 September 2020].

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Travelling to Welioya Maha Seya Archaeological Ruins

From Padaviya to Welioya Maha Seya Archaeological Ruins

Via: Parakramapura
Total Distance: 13 km
Estimated Travel Time: 20 minutes
Time to spent: Approximately 30 minutes
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