Sangiliyan Thoppu (Jaffna)

Sangiliyan Thoppu is an old arch situated in Nallur in Jaffna. It was a part of the headquarters of Poothathamby Mudaliyar, a Tamil administrator.
Sangiliyan Thoppu (Jaffna)
S angiliyan Thoppu/Sangilian Thoppu , also called Sangilian Facade , Cankilian Thoppu or Poothathamby Walaivu (Tamil: சங்கிலித்தோப்பு; Sinhala: සංගිලියන් තෝප්පු) is an old arch situated in Nallur in Jaffna District, Sri Lanka. The arch is located on the wayside of Jaffna-Point Pedro road, about 950 m distance from Nallur Kandasamy Temple . History Mainly there are two opinions regarding the origin of this monument. As this monument is named after King Sangili/Sangilian (1619 A.D.), some believe this arch could be a part of his palace (Dias et al., 2016). King Sangili is considered to be the last king of the Jaffna Kingdom (Dias et al., 2016). However, according to some, Sangili refers to King Sangili Segarajasekaram (1519-1564 A.D.) who is known for ordering the massacre of Christian converts and priests (Haramoto et al., 2015). According to the other opinion suggested by some authors such as Dr Kunarasa, this arch was a part of the headquarters of Poothathamby Mudaliyar, a Tamil admini…