Kandarodai

At Kandarodai, called Kadurugoda in Sinhala, about twenty small stupas stand packed into a small enclosure, out of fifty-six recorded in 1917, from two to seven metres across, built of coral limestone and dating to roughly the first centuries of the common era. What they were for is not settled: burial monuments for monks is the usual reading. Excavation has shown the site was a substantial settlement trading with south India long before that. The scale and density are unlike anything else on the island.

What to look for

• The stupa field - about twenty miniature stupas packed into one enclosure.
• The coral limestone - the local stone the whole site is built from.
• The scale - stupas from about two to seven metres across, unlike anything else on the island.
• The settlement evidence - excavation showing early trade with south India.

When to go

December to March is the most comfortable. Mornings avoid the heat. The site is small and rarely crowded.

What to expect

The site is small and takes half an hour. Interpretation on the ground is minimal. What the stupas were for remains genuinely uncertain despite confident explanations.

Nearby

Keerimalai is north, and Jaffna town is southeast.