[2] The Godavaya port probably pre-dates a Brahmi script inscription of the 2nd-century king Gamani Abaya, probably Gajabahu I, which states that the customs duties obtained there were dedicated to the Buddhist monastery, the Godapavata Vihara.
[5] In ancient times, Sri Lanka exported dark red garnets, which have been found as burial objects in many European graves of the early mediaeval period.
[7] From 1994 onwards, a team of German archaeologists from the University of Bonn directed by late Prof. Dr. Helmut Roth, Dr. Udo Recker (1994-1996) and Oliver Kessler M.A.
They unearthed evidence to prove Godavaya's importance in the maritime Silk Route, revealing connections from China in the east to the Red Sea and to Europe in the west.
[6] Among the finds have been: On top of the rock overlooking the entire area lay the monastery, the Gota Pabbatha Rajamaha Vihara, which had been a religious and administrative centre since the reign of King Gajabahu I.
The Brahmi inscription on a rock next to the ancient shrine room is unique, being the sole evidence for the transfer of customs duties to a monastery in the Indian Ocean world at that period.
One big pillar covered with many drill marks dating to the middle Anuradhapura period before the 5th century, lies in front of the huge rock, close to the ocean.
[9] It has been proposed that the leatherback turtles of Sri Lanka and the Nicobar Islands form a separate, genetically distinct Indian Ocean subpopulation.
[11] When the Boxing Day tsunami of 2004 struck Sri Lanka, the villagers of the fishing hamlet, among them two archaeologists, took refuge in the temple on the rock.