Kuruhinna Tharaagandu

4°57′24″N 73°27′47″E / 4.956628°N 73.462924°E / 4.956628; 73.462924

Kuruhinna Tharaagandu is an archaeological site in the island of Kaashidhoo, Maldives. The site was a Buddhist Monastery and is believed to have been used by pre-Islamic Maldivians dating back to the 7th to 8th century[1] AD. The excavation work was done in various periods from February 1996 through 1998.[2] During this period, an area of 1,880m2 was excavated, revealing 64 coral stone structures.[2] For the vast majority, only the lower most parts have been preserved.

Weathering and erosion

Due to the exposed nature of the archaeological site, and the fact that the structures were of coral stone, the site soon started showing signs of weathering and erosion.[3][4] On 6 October 2008,[4] US ambassador Robert O. Blake Jr. handed over a grant of 370,000 Rufiyaa ($28,950)[1] under the Ambassador's Fund for Cultural Preservation, with the aim of helping the conservation efforts.

Further reading

References

  1. ^ a b "AidData | AidData Core Research Release, Version 3.1".
  2. ^ a b "Celebrating the hallmark of South Asian Culture". Archived from the original on 7 October 2017.
  3. ^ "US grants aid for preservation of Kashidhoo archaeological site". Miadhu News. 24 October 2008. Retrieved 8 December 2012.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  4. ^ a b "Ambassador Blake's remarks to the Ambassador's Fund for Cultural Preservation, hand-over of grant documents ceremony". United States Virtual Presence Post Maldives. 6 October 2008. Archived from the original on 15 February 2013. Retrieved 8 December 2012.