The Director General of Sri Lanka’s Department of Archaeology, Professor Thusitha Mendis, conducted an inspection of a Buddhist temple, built around 2022 in the Kurunthurmalai region of Thannimurippu, Mullaitivu District - despite a court order explicitly prohibiting further construction at the site.
Accompanied by a team from the Department of Archaeology and members of the Sri Lankan military, Mendis visited the controversial site, which lies atop Kurunthurmalai Hill. The location is home to the Athi Ayyanar temple, a centuries-old shrine revered by Tamil Hindus in the region. The area has long been at the centre of a legal and cultural dispute over attempts to establish a Buddhist presence in a predominantly Tamil Hindu region.
The constructed Buddhist vihara stands in violation of existing judicial rulings and has deepened fears of continued state complicity in the Buddhisisation of Tamil lands. Local residents and landowners have decried the visit as a signal that the new Sri Lankan government, under the guise of archaeological preservation, intends to legitimise ongoing encroachments on Tamil cultural and religious heritage.
The authorities are accused of enabling the seizure of over 300 acres of land traditionally belonging to Tamil villagers in and around Thannimurippu. These lands, which include the Kurunthurmalai hill area, have reportedly been unlawfully occupied by a Buddhist monk, with the support of the Department of Archaeology and protection from the Sri Lankan military.
Despite clear opposition from the local Tamil population and multiple legal interventions, Buddhist structures have been rapidly constructed across the North-East. The presence of military personnel during such visits has only reinforced concerns that these projects are being advanced through coercion and state-backed intimidation.
