Nilaveli, Beach settlement in Trincomalee District, Sri Lanka.

Nilaveli is a beach settlement on the eastern coast of Sri Lanka with a 4-kilometer stretch of white sand tinged with gold, lined with palm trees, and edged by transparent water. The coastline provides calm swimming conditions and open views across the Indian Ocean.

Nilaveli is a Tamil village whose history is documented by a 10th-century CE Tamil slab inscription recording a land grant to the Koneswaram temple of 1,710 acres (254 veli) of dry and wet land. Tourism declined after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and during the Sri Lankan Civil War, then rose again from 2010.

The name Nilaveli comes from Tamil, meaning a place where moonlight lights up open spaces near the shore. This language root reflects how local residents have traditionally seen and named this location across generations.

The location is accessible from Colombo through buses, private vehicles, and domestic flights to Trincomalee. Visitors should check seasonal conditions and local travel advice before departing to ensure a comfortable journey.

The 10th-century Tamil Nilaveli inscription records a grant of 1,710 acres (254 veli) of dry and wet land to the Koneswaram temple, showing the temple served the local community by 900–1000 CE. The slab was published by S. Gunasingham in 1975 in The Ceylon Journal of the Humanities.