Iluppakadavai Padavuthurai Old Survey Tower
Iluppakadavai Padavuthurai Old Survey Tower (Photo credit: Google Street View) Iluppakadavai Padavuthurai Old Survey Tower (Sinhala: ඉලුප්පකඩවයි පඩවුතුරෙෙ මිනුම් කුළුණ) is a colonial-era survey tower located in Mannar District, Sri Lanka. History According to folklore, this tower is constructed by the Portuguese who arrived in Sri Lanka at the beginning of the 16th century (Asanga & Nishantha, 2018). However, observing its architectural features, it can be assumed that this tower was built by the British after the establishment of the Survey Department in 1800. Department of Survey of Sri Lanka The Department of Survey of Sri Lanka (or the Department of the Surveyor General) which is the oldest unchanged government department in the country, was established by the British on 2 August 1800 (Vithana, 2006). Under the Surveyor General W. D. Gosset (1855-1858), the establishment of control for surveys on the island commenced with the base measurements in 1857 for Principal Triangulation a…
