Manthai
மாந்தை මන්තොට | |
|---|---|
  Manthai | |
| Coordinates: 8°59′22″N 79°59′53″E / 8.98944°N 79.99806°E | |
| Country | Sri Lanka |
| Province | Northern |
| District | Mannar |
| DS Division | Manthai West |
| • Chairman | (TNA) |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (Sri Lanka Standard Time Zone) |
Manthai (Tamil: மாந்தை, romanized: Māntai) is a coastal town and an ancient harbor situated in the Mannar district, of the Northern Province of Sri Lanka. Manthai functioned as the main port of the Anuradhapura Kingdom throughout its history.
Historically known as Manthottam in Tamil and Manthota or Mahathiththa in Sinhalese, it is an important religious site in the island for the Hindus, due to the Ketheeswaram Kovil, one of the five Ishwarams dedicated to Shiva in the island.[1]