Wilpattu Kudrimalai Point: Queen Kuveni palace ruins and red iron sand cliffs?

Kudrimalai Point (Horse Mountain) on the northwestern coast of Wilpattu National Park is a prominent coastal promontory of profound archaeological significance. The headland features striking red iron-rich laterite cliffs dropping sheer into the Gulf of Mannar. According to the Mahavamsa chronicle, this is near Tambapanni where exiled Prince Vijaya landed in 543 BC, naming the island for the copper-red sand that adhered to his crew's palms. Archaeological ruins atop the cliff feature ancient burnt brick foundations and stone pillars historically associated with indigenous Queen Kuveni and classical Greco-Roman port trade.