The Daily News

A heap of ruins where a Hindu temple of Chola period was believed to have been buried has been unearthed in the Northern part of Delft.

The temple is 40 feet long and 10 feet wide. It is built with lime stone.

The roof is covered with lime mixed plaster.

The other parts of the temple are in ruins.

Professor P. Pushparatnam of the Jaffna University History Department commenting on the findings, said the people of the locality are unable to say when this temple was built. The ruins indicate that the building would have been built many years ago. It is opined that if this temple had been built during the latter period of the Dutch reign or in the beginning of British rule in Sri Lanka, the people would be in a position to give some clues about the origin of the temple, he said.

The people of the area would not have allowed the temple to go to ruin if it had been built during the Dutch or British period. It can be surmised that the temple was built before European rule in Sri Lanka, Prof. Pushparatnam said.

The statues and the art work on stones, irrigation pipes made of baked clay and a coin found by one of Prof. Pushparatnam's students with the name of Rajaraja Cholan embossed on it clearly indicate that the temple would have been built during the Chola period.