The Pigeon Nest, Delft Island (Sri Lanka)

This Pigeon Nest (Sinhala: ඩෙල්ෆ් දූපත පරෙවි කූඩුව) is standing among the ruins on the land adjoining the District Secretaries Office on the island of Delft (Tamil: Neduntheevu), Sri Lanka. It is considered a special creation of Dutch administrators who occupied the Jaffna Peninsula in the 17-18th centuries A.D.

History

According to historical sources, the Dutch who were controlling the Delft island at the time (Dutch Ceylon: 1658–1796 A.D.) had used pigeons as an expedient to send messages between the islands, ships, and the mainland (Dias et al., 2016). This pigeon nest found on Delft Island has been made by them for the arrival, exit, and resting of these messenger pigeons (Dias et al., 2016).

Nest

This square-shaped nest is completely made of coral and still remains in an unharmed condition. The total height of the nest is about 4 m and each side contains holes for 15 pigeons (Dias et al., 2016; Wijebandara, 2014).

A protected monument

The building with the dove cage and the associated building ruins situated in the Grama Niladhari Wasama No. fma/4 Delft Central in the Delft Divisional Secretary’s Division are archaeological protected monuments, declared by a government Gazette notification published on 30 December 2011.