Point Pedro is located at the northern tip and Dondra Point is at the southern tip of Sri Lanka, making them the most attractive places for travelers to visit. This time the destination of the stranger visiting the northern corner empty-handed is ‘Point Pedro’ or Pedrotuduwa. From the city limits of Jaffna, along the Peduruthuduwa road, the destination is Peduruthuduwa, passing through the tobacco plantations as well as among the other plantations, where the red onion cultivation is seen very lush.
About ten kilometers away from the road leading to Peduruthuduwa is another beautiful area called Nilavarei. It is the area where the famous bottomless well of Jaffna is located. But the curious fact is that by now it has proved to be a well with a bottom.
Even today, many unsolved mysteries remain a secret in this island. Among them are Kaludiya Pond, Pathalamale in Trincomalee Frederick Fort and Ravana’s Dandumonere. But the wonderful story related to this case could be termed as a mystery solution. Because it has been confirmed that this bottomless well now has a bottom.
The Nilavarai well or ‘Navatkanni well’ is the well with a set of steps used by the Naga tribes who lived before the establishment of the Lakdiva Arya settlement to go from the earth to the Naga world. Nilavarai was the place where Prince Rama and Sita, who were going to India after war with King Rama, pierced the ground with a trident to quench their thirst. And the well that Shakra Devendra created for Lord Buddha to drink was called Nilavarai well.
However, this mystery was perfectly solved by filing the facts found as a result of the research done by our archeology department through a scientific background.
Surrounded by concrete walls, it is a different well than what we see in normal life. The specialty is that the diameter is about twenty five meters. According to legend, the Nilavarai Well is connected to the Keeramale Pool at Peduruthudu near the sea. And an inland Donawak also connects to the Matale area. In any case, the salty taste of the water can be used as evidence to accept the cases related to Keramale from the above stories.
This place can be defined as an archaeological reserve because of the archaeological monument near this well. As a result of an investigation carried out by our marine archeology team the other day, this mystery was solved with the help of a person who was specially trained in cave diving in Russian national caves.
As everyone knows, the Jaffna peninsula is a land located on a Hunugal or Hirigal (calcium carbonate) layer. This is why drinking water tastes sour. The mystery of the bottomless well was solved based on this factor. According to the research, this hole dug into the ground was created by the erosion of limestone layers. The pure fresh water layer on top of the two separated water layers is less dense. That is why many people in the area have used this for drinking water.
Below is a layer of denser water. The water is very clear because the sunlight travels well in the upper water layer. The salty taste is caused by seawater seeping through the limestone rocks. If the Nilavarai Well was connected to the sea, we must see a proliferation of brackish fish in brackish waters. But it is not found. But the upper water layer has seen a proliferation of fish.
Then it cannot be accepted that there are donas connected to the sea. In this way, the unsolved mystery of the Nilavarai well with the footprints of the cobras was revealed. Putting an end to this wonderful story, as soon as the month of April passes, when the sun moves from the sign of Pisces to the sign of Aries, the fiery burning sun of this northern corner burns the earth but loves to see the sea.
The motorcycle has always been the traveling companion. Simply all these trips are ‘motor bicycle story’ (The motor bicycle story). The place name of Pedrotuduwa is a deformation of the Portuguese ‘Ponta das Pedras’. It means ‘The rocky cape’. The name of the city in Tamil is Paruthithurai. If you are a long-timer in the northern peninsula, you must admit without a doubt that you have enjoyed a crispy and crunchy Paruthiturai Vada (Murukku) bought from a market using mung beans, rice flour, chillies and onions.
The literal meaning of Paruthithurai is ‘Cotton Harbour’. This port is said to have exported cotton to South India for centuries. Even today there are evidences that suggest that this is a famous port. That is, a traveler can see the Peduruthuduwa Lighthouse, which was shown to many sailors by a beam of light that was near the Peduruthuduwa sea.
The motorcycle traveled to Pedrouthuduwa, Sankottei Tuduwa or (The Northernmost notch of point pedro). It is a wonderful experience that the road has fallen through the headland of Sri Lanka. On either side of the road are the houses of the fishing community and the small, low wadis surrounded by coconut fronds or palm fronds where fish are cut and prepared for drying.
A vessel used to hunt fish in the shallow sea. Multipurpose fishing vessels are also abundant. It is also a pride to see the young fishing community with tough bodies who gather in clusters on the sand in the evening and deal with the water properly to bring the country’s fish resources to shore.
Most of the inhabitants of the coastal regions of Sri Lanka were Catholic devotees due to the rule during the colonial period. It is still the same today. A sight to see near the sea is the Catholic Church with a statue of Jesus Christ crucified on a cross seeking the message of peace. I also experienced this sight during my visit to Kites, Delft and Mannar. Perutuduwa was a trading port during pre-colonial and colonial times. Also Vallipuram village adjacent to Vadamarach near Peduruthuduwa is also an ancient settlement with rich archaeological remains.
Manalkadu in between the creeks is a terrain with amazing topography of sand. Here you can see the remains of an ancient Catholic church belonging to the Dutch era. The most amazing story related to this sandy place is that it has been more than ten years since environmentalist Ketiswaran Thevaraja, who raised the voice of illegal sand smuggling in Jaffna Kudadanai Manalkadu, was abducted and shot in the head and killed.
Professionally, Ketheeswaran Thevaraja, who was an employee of the Jaffna Vadamarachchi Post Office, was a wonderful environmentalist who loved the environment of his birth place.
He stood against the crimes that took place with the political patronage, he fought against the environmental massacre that was carried out by robbing the beach, and he did not stop informing the local authorities about it, fearlessly socializing an opinion against it through the internet social website ‘Facebook’. In the face of threats and intimidation, Tewa, undaunted, took a photo of the Kutadanai beach and shared it among friends on the Internet under the title ‘Kudatanai Beach Resource Massacre’.
But his destiny was that 2010 was his last year and day of his life. On the same night, the ‘Sand Thieves’ who broke into his house searched his computer, then took him to Kudathanai beach and killed him. The year 2011 did not dawn to Tewa.
Manjula Wediwardena attached verses about Theva under the name of ‘Niyangala Mala’ because he was a wonderful Tamil patriot who cried and died for the environment. At a time when a great sea was roaring, Ketheeswaran, a beloved young environmentalist, passed away on the last day of 2010 at this Kudadanai beach.
Niyangala Kavi’ written by Manjula Vediwardena is for that.
The cyberspace of the book
When Sarana’s eyes widened
Sand grains are swept away with the end of a rake
Look at the lovely face drowned in Jaffna
Even after going to work, the mail was delivered early in the morning
The journey is in the art of working to the letter
The sand is crushed by the tireless fight
Boiling potini pages brought power
Near a flower spread with flowing petals
How many feelings are there to swear?
The mother earth that gave color to the flower
Added the scent of flowers to the cookbook
Because of having a non-tired eye
Fell in love with the beach at a young age
‘Ada vara vada vara’ was sung almost
Kutathanai Immattammatte was the fire drop
In the shade of Seetambara’s sashes
If there is a rain, it is in Heluwella
In the free sands with no association
Sangamith Theraniyat immediately mourned
If so, when you visit Jaffna, remember that past. Ask with common sense, we were then and we are now in an era where people make decisions for their own pleasure in front of politics.
Viduni Basnayaka