TOWARDS OUR PLACES – Iranaytheevu

Towards our places
TOWARDS OUR PLACES – Iranaytheevu

It is located in the middle of the sea in Poonagari area, under the Kilinochchi district in the north of Eelam. There are many miracles and historical evidence buried in it. It look like two islands appear like parallels in the middle of the sea. That is why the name Iranaytheevu was given to the island during the Portuguese period.

Historical geographers believe that Kumarikandam was disintegrated in the great cataclysm of 6000 years BC and the island of Eelam and the smaller islands around it were formed from the Indian subcontinent. Even though it is widely talked about that Iranaytheevu is the remaining part of Kumarikandam, no one has carried out any research related to it.

There are many evidences that said the King Pandiyan roots lived here. Iranaytheevu, which was known as Gurudeepam at that time, has been called by many names. The names of this island are Gurudeepam, Iranaytheevu, Pattitheevu, Paritheevu, Pavalatheevu, Meentheevu, Kurukula Annaitheevu, Kannitheevu, Chinnatheevu, Ullasattheevu, Seethaitheevu, Visuvasatheevu, Pandiyatheevu, Vallaltheevu, Paravartheevu, Aamaytheevu, Murungaitheevu, Tanjaytheevu, Upakarattheevu, Muthdeepam. All these names are causal names of the island. If we study the reasons for the names of the island, the antiquity and greatness of the island will be revealed.

The island is rich in marine and natural resources. People here have been engaged in the sea industry, shell founding, conch founding etc.

The island was inhabited by the Paravars of the Pandiyan dynasty. It has faced many foreign invasions. With Portuguese, Dutch and British invasions and Sino-Burmese connections, the Vanni kingdom also historically has links with the Jaffna kingdom. In 1992, people who could not bear the massacres of the Sri Lankan army migrated and built a village called Iranaymaathaanagar in Kilinochchi. People’s lifestyle has been completely following Christianity with the invasion of the Portuguese. Later after year 2016, they resettled again in some places with many restrictions.