A site with the remains of an ancient Buddhist temple has been discovered in the north-western part of Delft Island, Jaffna District, Sri Lanka.
Stupas of Delft Island, Jaffna
A site with the remains of an ancient Buddhist temple has been discovered in the north-western part of Delft Island, Jaffna District, Sri Lanka (Devendra, 1969; Dias et al., 2016; Goonatilake et al., 2013; Ragupathy, 1987; Wijebandara, 2014). The area where these ruins are scattered is presently known as Vetiyaracan Kottai (the Fort of Vedi Arasan) by the locals ( Goonatilake et al., 2013; Wijebandara, 2014 ). History
This site is identified as the only place on the island that had been subjected to the earliest human activity (Dias et al., 2016). It is estimated that their origin dates back to the 2nd century B.C. (Dias et al., 2016; Wijebandara, 2014). However, definitive evidence about the construction of the Stupas on the island is obscure to date (Dias et al., 2016; Wijebandara, 2014). Sri Lankan chronicles reveal that there were several Buddhist temples in the Jaffna Peninsula during the Anuradhapura Period (Goonatilake et al., 2013). According to the view of Ragupathy, this site …
