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Archaeology Departnment to continue excavations at Kurundumale

27 Jul 2022

  • Mullaitivu Court grants permission on 19 July
BY Dinitha Rathnayake The Department of Archaeology has received permission to continue work at the Kurundumale Archaeological Reserve. Speaking to The Morning, Archaeology Department Director General Prof. Anura Manatunga said that a court order was issued on 19 July to recommence the excavations. The Department had earlier sought the Attorney General’s advice to proceed with excavations at Kurundumale due to a court order issued on 14 July. Manatunga previously said that since the court order issued by the Mullaitivu Court was in the Tamil language, it needed to be translated into English or Sinhala. “After confirming the facts in the court order, we would be able to take action.” A tense situation arose over the Kurundumale Viharaya, an ancient Sri Lankan monument deep in the dense forest of Mullaitivu over the past couple of months. According to the Department, the ancient Buddhist Temple is said to be the only one of its kind in Sri Lanka built fully out of kabok, or laterite, stones. For decades it had been concealed, fully covered with sand and trees that had obscured its view. The valuable historic site also survived the three-decade war without any harm, although some treasure hunters had dug randomly in this area seeking valuables. However, the residents in the area claimed that the temple is of historical significance for the Tamil people, but like many ancient monuments in the Tamil homeland, is coming under attack from Buddhist colonisation.


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