Travel Guide Thiriyai

48 kilometers north of the city of Trincomalee. This ancient Tamil village of about 650 souls was an important international emporion and trading port from the 6th century BC. It is here that the ruins of a Buddhist temple of great value, the Girihandu Seya, can be found, as it would have probably collected sacred relics of Buddha and would be, moreover, the very first Buddhist temple of the island. It is what is called here a "vatadage", i.e. a temple of circular form. These types of monuments are rare in Buddhist architecture, and it is one of the attractions of this place, which deserves a visit. The temple is rather dilapidated and abandoned, but it is of inestimable spiritual and cultural value.