Neduntheevu or Nedunthivu (; ) (also known by its

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

name Delft) is an island in the

Palk Strait Palk Strait is a strait between the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and Northern Province of Sri Lanka. It connects the Palk Bay in the Bay of Bengal in the north with the Gulf of Mannar in the Laccadive sea in the south. It stretches for about ...

, northern

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

. This island is named as Delft in the

Admiralty Chart Admiralty charts are nautical charts issued by the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office (UKHO) and subject to Crown Copyright. Over 3,500 Standard Nautical Charts (SNCs) and 14,000 Electronic Navigational Charts (ENCs) are available with the Admira ...

unlike the other islands, whose names are Tamil. The island's area is 62 km² and it is roughly oval-shaped. Its length is 11 km and its width about 6 km at the widest point. Neduntheevu is a flat island surrounded by shallow waters and beaches of coral chunks and sand. It is home to a small population of Tamil people, mostly living in quiet compounds close to the northern coast. The vegetation is of a semi-arid tropical type, with palmyra palms, dry shrubs and grasses that grow on the pale grey porous coralline soil. Papayas and bananas grow close to the local people's homes. The groundwater is slightly brackish, and it is taken from shallow wells using buckets made from palmyra palm leaves. A

naval battle Naval warfare is combat in and on the sea, the ocean, or any other battlespace involving a major body of water such as a large lake or wide river. The armed forces branch designated for naval warfare is a navy. Naval operations can be broadly d ...

was fought off the coast of the island in 2008 during the Sri-Lankan Civil War. There are feral ponies on the island, descendants of forebears abandoned there in the Dutch period. The island was named after the Dutch city of

Delft Delft () is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, Netherlands. It is located between Rotterdam, to the southeast, ...

Rijckloff van Goens Rijcklof Volckertsz. van Goens (24 June 1619 – 14 November 1682) was the Governor of Zeylan and Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies. He was the Governor of Zeylan from 12 May 1660 to 1661, then in 1663 and finally from 19 November 166 ...

. He named the eight most important islands after Dutch cities.

Archaeological ruins

In the north-western part of Delft Island, the ruins of an ancient Buddhist temple have been discovered. The remains of a Hindu temple built in the

Chola The Chola Empire, which is often referred to as the Imperial Cholas, was a medieval thalassocratic empire based in southern India that was ruled by the Chola dynasty, and comprised overseas dominions, protectorates and spheres of influence ...

style in the 10th or 11th century as well as the ruins of a Dutch colonial fort have been identified on the western coast of the island.

Inscriptions

In 2013, marine archaeologists from the Maritime Archaeology Unit (MAU) of the Central Cultural Fund (CCF) discovered a few eroded coral slabs containing Tamil scripts. According to their early suggestions, these Tamil scripts belong to the 14th to 15th centuries.Three inscriptions discovered in Delft Island
/ref> However, as another coral slab engraved in modern English script was discovered on the same site in same eroded condition, it was later identified that all these inscriptions were not engraved in the 14th to 15th centuries but in the recent past.

Gallery

File:Growing rock.JPG, Growing Rock, observed to be accreting File:Giant footprint.JPG, Giant footprint, also known as Adam's or Shiva's footprint File:Horse stable.JPG,

Stable A stable is a building in which working animals are kept, especially horses or oxen. The building is usually divided into stalls, and may include storage for equipment and feed. Styles There are many different types of stables in use tod ...

remains File:Wild horses (Delft Island).JPG, Feral ponies File:Pigeon house (Neduntheevu).JPG, Pigeon house (

dovecote A dovecote or dovecot , doocot (Scots Language, Scots) or columbarium is a structure intended to house Domestic pigeon, pigeons or doves. Dovecotes may be free-standing structures in a variety of shapes, or built into the end of a house or b ...

), used by colonial powers File:Baobab (Adansonia digitata), Neduntheevu.JPG, Baobab ( ''Adansonia digitata''), native to

East Africa East Africa, also known as Eastern Africa or the East of Africa, is a region at the eastern edge of the Africa, African continent, distinguished by its unique geographical, historical, and cultural landscape. Defined in varying scopes, the regi ...

, introduced by Arabian sailors in the 7th century File:Coral walls of Neduntheevu.JPG, Coral walls, a common sight File:Ancient temple or Vedi Arasan fort.JPG, Ruins believed to be an ancient temple or Vedi Arasan fort. File:Coral Walls.jpg, The Manmade Coral Walls of Delft File:Horses of Delft.jpg, Wild horses

References

{{Reflist Delft DS Division Islands of Jaffna District

Archaeological ruins

Inscriptions

See also

Gallery

References