Vallipuram


Vallipuram is a village in Vadamarachchi, near Point Pedro in Northern Province, Sri Lanka. The village is an ancient settlement with rich archeological remains. The village is home to the ancient Vishnu temple Vallipuram Aalvar Kovil.

History

A 2nd century gold plate carrying a Prakrit inscription was found under the foundation of the Vishnu Hindu temple at Vallipuram. It mentions about the establishment of a Vihara in Nakadiva by the minister named Isigiraya under the ruler King Vaha who is identified as King Vasabha. The inscription is important as it confirms that King Vasabha was ruling the whole country including Nakadiva. The language and interpretation of the inscription is disputed. According to Peter Schalk, this inscription is in Prakrit bearing Dravidian influences and the name Nakadiva is a Tamil fiefdom corresponding to modern Jaffna Peninsula, which was ruled under the Tamil minister Isikiraya. The inscription is identified by Senarath Paranavithana however to be in early Sinhalese.
The exact details of the temple complex are not known, and the famous Vallipuram Buddha statue from the 3rd–4th century AD built in the Dravidian art of Amaravathi style was found under the Vallipuram Aalvar temple. This cultural exchange between the Jaffna Tamils and Andhra Pradesh occurred at the height of Tamil trade in the Sangam period, continuing when the Telugu Satavahana dynasty was at the height of its power from 230 BC right through when its 17th monarch Hāla married a princess from the island. Professor Peter Schalk, writes "Vallipuram has very rich archaeological remains that point at an early settlement. It was probably an emporium in the first centuries AD. . The Buddha statue found here was given to King of Thailand by the then British Governor Henry Blake in 1906.
The capital of the Jaffna Kingdom has been referred in several inscriptions as Singainagar. The capital is variously identified as Nallur, Poonakary or Vallipuram.

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