Heritage

Welioya Podigalkanda Archaeological Site

57 years ago12 months ago03 mins

RATE THIS LOCATION : 1 Star

(5 votes, average: 2.40 out of 5)

වැලිඔය පොඩිගල්කන්ද පුරාවිද්‍යා ස්ථානයේ නිදන් කොල්ලකරුවන්ට බිලිවූ පුරාණ ආරාම ගොඩනැගිළි - Welioya Podigalkanda Archaeological Site — Welioya Podigalkanda Archaeological Site
Photo Credit: Proposed Kivul Oya Reservoir Project – EIA FINAL Report.

Mullaitivu District is not only a region deeply scarred by three decades of civil war but also the location where the town of Mullaitivu once served as a central base for Tamil Tiger (LTTE) terrorists. Scattered across the district are numerous Sinhala border villages that were frequently attacked during the conflict, as well as abandoned and overgrown ancient reservoirs. Hidden among forested lands reclaimed by nature are many undiscovered and lesser-known Buddhist religious sites and settlements dating back to the Anuradhapura period.

According to the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report conducted under the proposed Kivul Oya Reservoir Project, over fifty archaeological sites in the Mullaitivu District have been identified as potentially impacted by the development.

Podigalkanda and the Hidden Heritage

One such location is known as Welioya Podigalkanda, situated between the flow of Maa Oya and the Weli Ela canal. The area is also referred to as Punchigalkanda. According to the EIA report, ruins of an ancient monastery and, about 70 meters from it, the remains of an ancient stupa mound have been recorded (refer to the Google Map below).

The remains of the stupa lie approximately 150 meters south of the Weli Ela canal, on slightly elevated terrain surrounded by extensive paddy fields. The stupa mound has a diameter of around 20 meters. Unfortunately, treasure hunters have dug approximately 3 meters into its center.

Several years ago, permits were issued to quarry stone from an area near the stupa. It is believed that the stupa was looted for treasure around this same time. The ruins of the monastery to which the stupa belonged are located to the northwest of the stupa.

Ruined Monastery Complex

The monastery was built on land arranged as two raised terraces (malakas), both containing the remains of ancient buildings. These structures, featuring stone pillars, have been heavily damaged by treasure hunters in search of buried treasures. The central areas of both buildings have been excavated in search of hidden relics, and the stone pillars have been broken into pieces.

Under the proposed Kivul Oya Reservoir Project, this archaeological land—home to ancient ruins and religious heritage—is designated to be declared a protected archaeological reserve to ensure its conservation and legal safeguarding.

වැලිඔය පොඩිගල්කන්ද පුරාවිද්‍යා ස්ථානයේ නිදන් කොල්ලකරුවන්ට බිලිවූ ස්තූපය - Welioya Podigalkanda Archaeological Site

References

Mahaweli Consultancy Bureau (Pvt) Ltd, 2020. Environmental Impact Assessment Report for the Proposed Kivul Oya Reservoir Project. Final Report. Colombo: Mahaweli Authority of Sri Lanka.
2014. Proposed Kivul Oya Reservoir Project. EIA FINAL Report. Colombo: Mahaweli Authority of Sri Lanka.

Also See

Map of Welioya Podigalkanda Archaeological Site

Click on the button below to load the Dynamic Google Map

Show Location on Google Maps

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 Welioya Podigalkanda Archaeological Site

From Padaviya to Welioya Podigalkanda Archaeological Site

Via: Welioya
Total Distance: 22 km
Estimated Travel Time: 40 minutes
Time to spend: Approximately 60 minutes
Driving Directions: See on Google Maps

Leave a ReplyCancel reply

Vakaneri Reserve Buddhist Archaeological Ruins (වාකනේරි වැව් රක්ෂිතයේ බෞද්ධ පුරාවිද්‍යා නටබුන්)
The Anurādhapura-period Vakaneri Reserve Monastic Complex in Panayamuravu Forest, Kiran, contains a severely looted stupa mound and eight ruined buildings. Surviving features include a rectangular structure with 17 stone pillars, an adjacent seven-pillar extension, and a 12-pillar structure. […]
Archaeological Ruins in Vakaneri Reservoir (වාකනේරි වැව තුල පුරාවිද්‍යා නටබුන්)
The Anurādhapura-period ruins in Vakaneri are located within the Vakaneri Reservoir bed near the western end of its bund. Exposed during low water levels, the site features four locations with 1-meter-tall standing and fallen stone pillars, alongside scattered pottery fragments indicating ancient human settlement. […]
Palambachchenai Archaeological Ruins in Punanai (පූනානි පාලම්බච්නෛ පුරාවිද්‍යා නටබුන්)
The Anurādhapura-period Palambachchenai ruins off Punanai, Batticaloa, are situated within paddy fields of Palambachchenai. The heavily disturbed site features six standing and four fallen stone pillars alongside scattered pottery fragments, indicating an ancient structure that has been significantly displaced by treasure hunting and vandalism. […]
Kavarakoshanmadu Buddhist Archaeological Ruins in Muruthtthanai (මුරුත්තනෙයි කවරකොෂාන්මඩු බෞද්ධ පුරාවිද්‍යා නටබුන්)
The Early Anurādhapura-period Buddhist monastic site near Kavarakoshanmadu spans a 0.8-hectare villu area north of a Maduru Oya tributary. It features a looted, 1-meter-tall stupa mound, scattered historic bricks, pottery, multiple stone pillars, four pillar bases, and various stone slabs. […]
Muruthtthanai Buddhist Monastic Archaeological Ruins 3 (මුරුත්තනෙයි පුරාවිද්‍යා නටබුන් 3)
The Anurādhapura-period Muruthtthanai Monastic Site 3 in Kiran features a small structure with seven stone pillars in a 3×4 arrangement. A Padowanada Gala (foot-washing basin) remains nearby, while an associated Siripatul Gala sits at Mariamman Kovil. […]
Kanandanai Archaeological Ruins at in Muruthtthanai (මුරුත්තනෙයි කානන්දනෛ පුරාවිද්‍යා නටබුන්)
The Anurādhapura-period Kanandanai ruins in Kiran are located in a paddy field near the Maduru Oya. The site features five displaced 2-meter-tall stone pillars from an ancient building, along with scattered fragments of ancient bricks, indicating the former presence of a substantial structure. […]
Archaeological Ruins at Mariamman Kovil in Muruthtthanai (මුරුත්තානෛ මාරිඅම්මාන් කෝවිල් භූමියේ පුරාවිද්‍යා නටබුන්)
The Anurādhapura-period ruins at Mariamman Kovil in Muruthtthanai (Kiran) are situated 50 meters east of a Maduru Oya tributary. The site features the remains of a small building, including four broken, 30-centimeter-tall stone pillars currently intertwined within the roots of a tamarind tree. […]
Archaeological Ruins Behind Amman Kovil in Muruthtthanai (මුරුත්තනෙයි අම්මාන් කෝවිල පිටුපස පුරාවිද්‍යා නටබුන්)
Located in Muruthtthanai (Kiran), these small ancient ruins sit within a paddy field directly behind the Amman Kovil. The site features stone pillars and slabs scattered across a circular 10-square-meter area, representing a structure of uncertain historical date, origin, and original function due to limited evidence. […]
Archaeological Ruins on the Land of Vairamuttu Nagendran in Muruthtthanai (වෛරමුත්තු නාගේන්ද්‍රන්ගේ ඉඩමේ පුරාවිද්‍යා නටබුන්)
The Muruthtthanai ruins on Vairamuttu Nagendran’s land in Kiran are situated within private property. The site contains a small ancient structure of unknown date and origin, constructed from roughly worked stone blocks and including at least four stone pillars that still stand in their original positions. […]
Muruthtthanai Werama Archaeological Site in Kiran (මුරුත්තානෛ වේරම පුරාවිද්‍යා භූමිය)
The Anurādhapura-period Muruthtthanai Werama site in Kiran features a monastic complex identified by a Siri Pathul Gala (Buddha footprint stone), ancient pottery, roof tiles, and bricks. Architectural characteristics at the location also suggest the site may have previously served as a prehistoric burial ground. […]
Palakkadu Road Archaeological Site in Kiran (පාලක්කාඩු මාර්ගයේ පුරාවිද්‍යා භූමිය)
The Anurādhapura-period Palakkadu Road site in Kiran is split in two by a modern gravel road. It features nineteen surviving 1-meter-tall, roughly dressed stone pillars, which likely formed a 4×7 grid structure before being partially destroyed. […]
Vakaneri Archaeological Ruins (වාකනේරි පුරාවිද්‍යා නටබුන්)
The Anurādhapura-period Vakaneri ruins in Kiran, Batticaloa, located near the Maduru Oya River, feature a large building originally built with 4-meter stone pillars. Three complete pillars remain grounded, alongside clay brick foundations exposed by illicit excavations. […]
Miniminiththaweli Archaeological Site 1 in Kiran (මිනිමිණිත්තවේලි පුරාවිද්‍යා භූමිය)
The Anurādhapura-era Miniminiththāweli site 1 in Kiran features a historic building complex heavily damaged by forest gravel road construction. This development destroyed the site's archaeological context and displaced ancient artifacts, including a stone-carved flower altar bulldozed to the roadside. […]
Miniminiththaweli Archaeological Site 2 in Kiran (මිනිමිණිත්තවේලි පුරාවිද්‍යා භූමිය 2)
The Maduru Oya Valley site in Miniminiththāweli features an Anurādhapura-period building complex with stone pillars and brick foundations. Unfortunately, illegal excavations by treasure hunters have severely damaged these structures, though they have also exposed various ancient artifacts and pottery. […]
Akkuranai Buddhist Monastic Ruins 1 in Kiran (අක්කුරානයි බෞද්ධ ආරාමික නටබුන් 1)
The Anurādhapura-period Akkuraṇai Monastic Ruins in Kiran feature a central circular stupa surrounded by terraces, multi-sized pillared structures, and drip-ledged caves. Severely damaged by treasure hunters, the site retains a 2-meter carved flower altar, brick foundations with mortised stone doorframes, and shattered sacred chatra fragments. […]
Muruthtthanai Buddhist Stupa Ruins in Kiran (මුරුත්තානෛ බෞද්ධ ආරාමික නටබුන්)
The Anurādhapura-period Muruthtthanai Stupa in Kiran is a 5-meter-high brick monument hidden on a wooded hillock. Plundered by treasure hunters who dug a deep summit pit, the site also includes an ancient rock quarry used for shaping stone architectural elements. […]