Walathapitiya Palaveli Archaeological Site
A site with archaeological ruins has been discovered in Palaveli village in Walathapitiya (Tamil: Walathapitty) near Sammanture in Ampara District, Sri Lanka (Sinhala: වලතාපිටිය පලවේලි පුරාවිද්යා ස්ථානය) . Situated near the Walathapitiya Wewa , this site can be reached by travelling along the
Ampara - Sammanture highway about 5.7 km distance from Ampara town. Ruins
Two sites located adjacent to each other have been declared as archaeological sites by two Gazette notifications published on 10 October 2014 (No. 1884) and 26 December 2014 (No. 1895). The monuments that have been identified in the Gazette notification No. 1884, include the ruins of a Bodhighara (the Bodhi tree shrine) and a Chaitya ( Stupa ), both are considered as common elements usually found in Buddhist temples.
However, presently, this site has been given a Hindu appearance by local people by constructing a new Kovil (a Hindu shrine) there.
A protected site The Gazette notification: 10 October 2014.
Palaweli archaeolo…
