House of Jaffna Kingdom period found in Mulliyan Jungle
-K. Vasu
A dilapidated house of Jaffna Kingdom vintage was found in the Nithiyaveddai Mulliyan area, located around seven kilometres southeast of Iyakkachchi Fort, coming under Kilinochchi District. On information from the village people, the Archaeological Faculty students who were on field excavations, that there is a dilapidated palace in the jungle, the students’ team had gone and made preliminary inquiry.
Village people said that this building remains are either a part of a Palace or the prison connected to Iyakkachchi Fort. When the architecture of the building was inspected it seems more like a residential house of olden times. This house had been built on the highland near a big lake in the forest with, clay bricks, clay and lime. This two roomed house is around 9meters long and four and a half meters wide building. There are marks showing that a window was there on the back wall.
Although most of the walls had perished foundations could be clearly seen on three sides. The front side of the house is overgrown with plants and the foundation on that side is not visible. The walls which had been built on these foundations must be around one meter thick. The centre wall dividing the rooms is thicker than the other walls. Prof. Ragupathy is of the opinion that this house must have had two stories judging from the thickness of the walls. As no roof tiles evidence had been found so far, it is assumed that this house had a thatched roof.
The size of the bricks and their technology place them in period prior to brick introduced during the period of Europeans. Further the time of the pot shreds and irrigation tubes found among the ruins of this house are estimated to be pre- 15the Century AD. From these evidences it could be said that this house belong to the period of the Jaffna Kingdom or prior to it. Hence this house could be considered to the oldest ancient resident to be found in Northern Sri Lanka.
It is now known that there are there are ruins of houses and dilapidated temples in the jungles of this area they may be brought to light in the future.
