Trincomalee - Tamil Tablet

Millennium old Tamil inscription found in Trincomalee

A stone slab having a Tamil inscription, clearly in the alphabet of the Chola times, was found in Trincomalee while digging for cricket stadium construction work recently. The land where it was found is a part of the esplanade, on the right side of the Koa’neasvaram Road leading to the Siva temple inside Fort Frederick and is adjacent to the bay where the temple’s Theerththam (water cutting) ritual is held. Sometimes back, a Buddhist Vihara and another structure called Sanghamitta Buddhist Rest were constructed at this place. The inscribed slab was taken into possession by the Trincomalee police and was sent to the Department of Archaeology in Colombo.

Read more here.

Sri Lanka - South Asian Archaeology Conference

One thing I regret from my time in Sri Lanka is not being able to do any wreck diving or underwater archaeology (due to bombings at the time). There is an incredible wealth of maritime treasures that is sure to provide fantastic discoveries - shipwrecks, sunken cities and who knows what else! There is real potential for huge developments.

Wish I could attend the conference in Colombo today! The 3rd International Congress of the Society of South Asian Archaeology (SOSAA)

I am really glad to see that there is still a focus on the archaeological wealth in this region - it deserves proper attention.