The Giant Footprint

On the remote northern island of Delft, between the old Queens Tower to the south-east and the Dutch fort to the north, lies a small settlement called Sarapiddi. Halfway along the southern coastline, the village sits close to the island's western shore — and it is here, carved into a flat rock surface, that visitors find one of Delft Island's most intriguing landmarks: a giant footprint said to belong to a being roughly 13 metres tall.

What is the Giant Footprint of Delft Island?

The Giant Footprint is a large impression engraved in the stone near Sarapiddi village, on the path leading toward the ruins of an old horse stable complex. The scale of the carving is unmistakable — it dwarfs a human foot by many times over, which has fed centuries of mythological interpretation by the island's largely Tamil Hindu community.

A comparable giant footprint exists on the smaller island of Nainativu, where it is attributed to the Buddha during one of his three legendary visits to Sri Lanka. On Delft, however, the Hindu tradition credits the deity Hanuman — the monkey-faced divine helper of the god Rama — with leaving the mark.

What does Hindu mythology say about the footprint?

Hanuman holds a central place in the Ramayana, one of Hinduism's great epics. According to the narrative, he visited the island of Lanka on three separate occasions. His first visit was a covert mission to search for Sita, the wife of Rama, who had been abducted by the demon king Ravana. He returned a second time leading Rama's monkey army during the war to free her. A third mission sent him north to the Himalayas to retrieve medicinal herbs capable of healing the otherwise fatal wounds of Rama and his brother Lakshmana.

One strand of local belief holds that a fragment of the Himalayas, carried by Hanuman on his return journey, fell into the sea and became Delft Island itself. Proponents of this story point to the island's unusually rich flora — around 62 species of Ayurvedic plants reportedly grow here — as evidence of its Himalayan origins. More commonly, however, that same legend is associated with the smaller island of Kachchativu further south. Whatever the exact tradition, the consensus among Delft's Hindu community is clear: Hanuman either landed here or launched himself back toward India from this very rock, and the footprint is his parting mark.

What makes Sarapiddi village worth visiting?

Sarapiddi is less a conventional village and more a dispersed settlement — inhabited houses interspersed with small gardening plots, surrounded by remarkable coral-stone walls. These low walls enclosing private properties are characteristic of Delft Island and set it apart from Tamil settlements elsewhere on the Jaffna peninsula, where wooden fences are the norm. The coral walls give the landscape an unexpectedly European quality, reminiscent of the dry-stone walling found in coastal Ireland or the Scottish islands.

This is no coincidence. The Dutch colonial administration, which controlled the island for an extended period, brought different building traditions and materials to Delft, and the coral walls reflect that layered history. The island's Dutch-era structures elsewhere on Sri Lanka's coast tell a similar story of colonial construction using local resources.

Sarapiddi is also noted for having the best freshwater supply on Delft Island, a reputation connected to its geology and, in local lore, to the same mythological origins that explain the coral walls.

Where exactly is the Giant Footprint located?

The footprint sits along the walking route from Sarapiddi toward the ruins of the old horse stables — a complex that served Delft's once-celebrated horse breeding tradition. Travellers typically stop at Sarapiddi and walk the short distance along this path, encountering the carved rock surface before reaching the stable ruins. Both sites can be comfortably combined in a single on-foot visit from the village.

How do I get to Delft Island from the mainland?

Delft Island (known in Tamil as Neduntheevu) is reached by ferry from Kurikadduwan jetty on the Jaffna peninsula, which is itself accessible from Jaffna city. The ferry crossing takes around 45 minutes to an hour. Passenger ferries operate on a fixed schedule, so it is advisable to confirm timings locally before travelling, as services can be affected by weather and seasonal demand.

Once on the island, the most practical way to explore is by bicycle or tuk-tuk, both of which can typically be hired near the jetty. Delft is small enough that most points of interest — the footprint, the stable ruins, the coral walls, the baobab trees, and the wild ponies — can be covered in a single day.

What else can I see on Delft Island?

Delft rewards unhurried exploration. Beyond the Giant Footprint and the horse stables, the island holds several other points of interest:

• Wild ponies — descendants of Dutch-era horses roam the island semi-freely and are one of Delft's most memorable sights.
• Baobab trees — enormous African baobabs, introduced during the colonial period, stand in stark contrast to the low scrub landscape around them.
• Cholan Ruins (Vediyarasan Fort) — the remains of an old stupa close to Sarapiddi, reflecting the island's pre-colonial history.
• Queens Tower — a colonial-era lighthouse structure in the island's south-east corner.
• Coral walls — the distinctive enclosure walls of Sarapiddi and nearby areas, a living heritage of Dutch colonial influence.

The island's flora is also of botanical interest. The claimed presence of dozens of Ayurvedic plant species — including several found in Sri Lanka's famous medicinal traditions — makes Delft something of an open-air herbal garden. For those interested in the island's religious landscape, the stupas scattered across the north and east of Sri Lanka provide broader context for the sacred geography that shapes sites like the Giant Footprint.

Is the Giant Footprint a religious site?

The site carries genuine spiritual significance for the Tamil Hindu community on Delft and across the Jaffna peninsula. Visitors should approach it with respect — avoiding loud behaviour near the rock and being mindful that this is not simply a curiosity but a place of active cultural meaning. Removing shoes before approaching is a reasonable gesture of respect when locals are present and observing devotion.