Janet's Journal

Nilavarai Well

A very old well here has been the subject of many legends among Buddhists and Hindus alike. 

 It was always thought to be bottomless, but the Sri Lankan Navy sent a team of divers to investigate.  Using a remote controlled robot, they eventually found the bottom nearly 53 metres down.  They also discovered several tunnels at different levels leading in different directions.  At least one tunnel is thought to be connected to the Keerimalai Ponds further west along the coast.  The first 18.3 metres depth is freshwater gradually changing to salty water as it goes down.  The navy divers also found three carts that had fallen into the well.  Railings and a gate now enclose the well and the steps leading down to the water to preserve the site and lessen pollution.  A small charge is made for car parking and entrance to the site.

Kathurogoda

Tucked away down a maze of back roads north of Uduvil is the intriguing site of the Kantharodai Dagobas. There had been torrential rain the day before I got here, hence the flooding.   The site is fenced off to protect the remains of the sixty domed brick constructions, only twenty of which are fully intact.  Excavations on the site unearthed Roman and Indian artifacts dating as far back as the 6^th century BC, Tamil Brahmin manuscripts from 3^rd century BC and potsherds pre 9^th century BC.

Nobody seems certain of the purpose of the dagobas with many theories being expressed.  I like the villagers’ belief that they mark the graves of sixty Buddhist monks who were served a poisoned mushroom curry on the orders of King Cankili I in the mid 16^th century

Manipay

A pleasant affluent town to the north of Jaffna town easily reached by bus. Originally called Periyapulam, the American Ceylon Mission arrived in the 19th century and founded a mission, schools and a hospital.

The Manipay Hindu College for boys was founded in 1910 followed by the Manipay Hindu Ladies College some fifty years later both still prominent schools.

Maruthady Pillaiyar temple is prominent among several Hindu temples and churches

I visited the Green Memorial Hospital, founded in 1848 by Dr Samuel Fisk Green. The second oldest medical school in South Asia, it was the first in Ceylon and Dr Green trained more than sixty local people as doctors during his 30 year tenure. 

In the middle of the 20th century, it was a state of the art medical institution that served the rich and the poor alike. Due to the civil war the hospital became in a state of disrepair. It is no longer considered to be a premier medical institution.  Repairs and refurbishment were begun in 2017. 

The Institute of Medical Sciences provides a neuro-rehabilitation service, a free medical clinic, the Gabriella Rasaiah pediatric program, a center for women’s health, as well as educational programs at the Green Memorial Hospital.  The Manipay School of Nursing aims to increase the quality of nursing in the region.

It remains a charitable institution run by the Jaffna Diocese of the South India Church.