NILAVARI BOTTOMLESS WELL

Jaffna is home to an bottomlessnatural water well popularity known as nilavari well .Tourist make a trip to seethis mystical attraction more so for the tales that surround it than for it's physical appeal.

The bottomless well is in Jaffna District and nearly 16km apart from Jaffna city, Northern Province. The well is easy as to reach via Jaffna-PointPedro road and then left turn to get Puttur Road.

The Bottomless well Nilaveri is geometrically square shaped. The well is surrounded by fence to protect the sightseers. As the water of Nilavari

well is fresh and drinkable, nearby farm lands uses this water for irrigation. Also the well never get dried up even in heavy drought is another reason for the usage. 

Those who interested in having a fresh water bath and tourists of local/foreign used to visit the well. There is a separate staircase path to reach.

This natural well in Puttur is said to be bottomless although locals believe it to be around 45m. The first 40 feet contains fresh water and thereafter it is salty. This is because salt water is denser hence it sinks to the bottom. The salt water bears evidence that this pond is connected to the sea however the fresh water is a mystery. Some say the pond is connected to the Keeramale Ponds while some believe that the fresh water supply is through a tunnel all the way from Matale.

Legend says that this is the place where Rama from the Hindu epic Ramayana, stopped to rest and finding himself thirsty plunged his arrow into the ground whereupon water came spurting out. This story has a number of variations within the epic replacing the characters involved. Some say to quench Seetha’sthirst Rama shot the arrow and another says Hanuman shot the arrow to quench Rama’s thirst. Whichever the story this well has ever since provided a never-ending supply of fresh water.