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The Sri Lanka Police recorded a statement today from Thiyagarasa Prakash, Chairman of the Valikamam South Pradeshiya Sabha, in connection with the removal of direction signboards bearing the name “Kandarodai Vihara” in Jaffna.
The statement was recorded at the Pradeshiya Sabha premises following the removal of a signboard that had been erected without the approval of the local authority. The signboard, installed by a private insurance company along the Jaffna–Kankesanthurai Road near the Chunnakam junction, directed visitors to a site labelled “Kandarodai Vihara”. Pradeshiya Sabha officials removed the signboard on the 8th of this month.
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The removal followed a formal resolution adopted by the Valikamam South Pradeshiya Sabha earlier this month, which identified the area as the “Kandarodai Archaeological Research Centre”. The resolution emphasised that the site should be recognised for its historical and archaeological significance, rather than designated as a Buddhist religious site.
Local authorities subsequently moved to remove all roadside signage referring to “Kandarodai Vihara”, asserting that the use of such terminology had not been authorised and misrepresented the character of the site. The market building in the same area, which dates back to the Dutch colonial period, now carries a trilingual inscription outlining its recognised historical importance.
The Sri Lankan police action comes amid long-standing Tamil concerns over the reclassification and rebranding of archaeological and heritage sites across the Tamil homeland. Over recent decades, Sinhala Buddhist identifiers have repeatedly been imposed on locations in the North-East through the intervention of state departments, often accompanied by police or military backing. These moves are widely viewed by Tamils as part of a broader project of Sinhala Buddhist colonisation, aimed at altering the historical narrative and demographic character of the region.
