Jaffna Peninsula is the northernmost part of Sri Lanka and the centre of its Tamil culture. Indeed, Jaffna differs in many ways from the rest of Sri Lanka, some say it's more similar to southern India. But significant cultural differences also exist between Tamils from India and Tamils from Jaffna. For example, the caste system of traditional Tamils in Sri Lanka is less rigid than that in southern India. So it may be more correct to call Jaffna a unique cultural mix of Sri Lankan and Indian elements.
Geography of Jaffna Peninsula
The name 'Jaffna' designates both the city and the peninsula. Even more confusing is this: Actually, Jaffna peninsula is not a peninsula in the strict sence, rather it is an island, as there is only the called Chundikkulam sandbar in the very west of the peninsula connecting Jaffna with the main island of Sri Lanka - but nobody could walk along this sandbar from the principal island to Jaffna with dry feet, since there is a 200 m wide opening connecting the ocean with the Jaffna Lagoon, thus separating the so-called peninsula from the rest of Sri Lanka and in fact making it an island. The main access to Jaffna Peninsula, the Elephant Pass, is an artificial dam, not a natural link.Jaffna Peninsula is a flat land mass made of limestone, submerged under sea during the Miocene period. Surprisingly, large parts of the barren land are now densely populated and intensely utilised agriculturally. This is due to the efforts of human inhabitants, who have made available surface water surface and ground water ressources in an extraorinarily efficient way for centuries.
The land mass of the peninsula is divided by an interconnected system of lagoons, swamps and brackish lakes. To the west, there are eight larger and some smaller islands in the Palk Strait, half of them are connected with Jaffna Peninsula by causeways. All in all, travelling across this area is a fascinating experience of an amphibian landscape, half land, half water surface, partly an archipelago, partly a lake district.
The land mass of the peninsula is divided by an interconnected system of lagoons, swamps and brackish lakes. To the west, there are eight larger and some smaller islands in the Palk Strait, half of them are connected with Jaffna Peninsula by causeways. All in all, travelling across this area is a fascinating experience of an amphibian landscape, half land, half water surface, partly an archipelago, partly a lake district.
Jaffna City
Jaffna City is the capital of the Northern Province and the best starting point for day trips to the different regions of the Jaffna Peninsula and to the Palk Strait islands further west. The suburb called Nallur was once the capital of the Tamil Jaffna Kingdom. Jaffna city's main attraction is Asia's best example of a Dutch colonial fort with a star-shaped groundplan. The Dutch Fort even served as a modern army base during the Civil War and suffered severe bombardements, e.g. the Dutch Church was destroyed. Several of Jaffna's colonial buildings are from the British period, the most renowned one being the Jaffna Library. It's a reconstruction, since it was burnt down in 1991. Restorations of other damaged buildings have been almost completed, too, though effects of the war are still visible. Some ruins such as the former Kachcheri building will not be reconstructed but are intended to serve as war memorials. More...
Nallur with Kandaswamy Temple
Nallur is a suburb to the northeast of Jaffna, in only 1.5 km distance from the Railway Station. In the precolonial period, Nallur was the capital of the Jaffna Kingdom. Some remnants of palaces can still be seen. The Nallur Kandaswamy Temple, founded in the 10th century and enlarged in the heyday of the Jaffna Kingdom in the 15th century, was destroyed by the Portuguese and replaced by a church building. Today's Nallur Kandaswamy Kovil is not rebuilt at exactly the same location. But now again it's the most impressive Hindu sanctuary of the Jaffna Peninsula. The temple is dedicated to Lord Murugan, who is venerated in the form of the divine spear Vel. This deity, identified with Lord Siva's son Skanda, and its Vel-worship are predominant in Tamil cults in South India and Sri Lanka alike. Foreigners are allowed to attend ceremonies, but all males have to enter bare-chested. More about Nallur here...
Kantharodai
Kantharodai (Kadurugoda Viharaya), located near Chunnakam, is the most significant archaological site in Sri Lanka's Northern Province. It's one of the few impressive ancient Buddhist structures on the Jaffna peninsula, though many more Buddhist sites have once existed here. Kantharodai was discovered in 1917 by P.E. Pieris. It's a quite unique collection of almost 50 small stupas, about 20 are restored. The largest measuring about 7 meters in diameter, the smallest is less than 2 meters wide. All stupas were made of coral stone and plastered. Between 1917 and 1919, the excavation of P.E. Pieris unearthed Buddha and Bodhisattva statues, Buddha footprints and ancient coins. Kantharodai presumably served as a burial place for Tamil Buddhist monks already in the first millennium AD. A similar burial place with lots of small stupas is Alahena Pirivena in Polonnaruwa. More about Kantharodai here...
Kirimalai
Keerimalai is a village at the northern coast of the peninsula, about 20 kms north of Jaffna. Its main attraction is the Naguleswaram temple with the Keerimalai springs. The sacred freshwather bathes are situated very close to the beach. The mineral springs are believed to be of healing power. Naguleswaram temple is one of the five Isvarams, four of them being in Sri Lanka, one in India (Ramesvaram). The sage Nagula Muni, after being cured by bathing in the holy water, built the temple for praising the Shiva Lingam. Another story has it, that in 785 a Chola princess called Maruta Piravika Valli took a bath here on the advice of the sage and was cured from a horse face. Afterwards she was married by the legendary first Jaffna king. Even earlier, the Mahbharata hero Arjuna fell in love with a Naga princess. Sindbad the Sailor is said to have run ashore here on his sixth voyage. More about Keerimalai here...
Jambukola
Jambukola, also spelt Dambakola Patuna, is the most important ancient harbour in the north of Sri Lanka. It's situated in the northwest of Jaffna Peninsula. This port played an important role in the Buddhist history of the Sinhalese kingdom. After Emperor Ashoka's son, Monk Mahinda, had introduced Buddhism in Anuradhapura in the mid 3rd century BC, his sister, Nun Sanghamitta, also arrived in Sri Lanka, bringing with her the sapling of the famous Bo-Tree. Thus, this national palladium is said to have reached the soil of the island just here in the port of Jambukola. After the Anuradhapura period, King Vijayabahu I (1070–1110), who liberated the island from Chola occupation, restored the temple. In recent times, a new white stupa and a garden sanctuary have been created at this ancient site, with the help of the Sri Lankan Navy. The current Bo-tree was planted by the Navy in 1998. More...
Nilawari
Nilawari is situated near Puttur, 14 kms northeast of Jaffna town. It's the most impressive well of Jaffna Peninsula. People say, it never dries up and is bottomless. In fact, 1895 the depth was recorded to be 44m. Remarkably, the salinity of the water is higher at the bottom than at the surface, indicating that there must be freshwater springs close to the water surface and an additional influx of sea water further below. The slightly changing water levels correspond to the tides. People believe, there is a connecting tunnel to the Kirimalai hot well. The Nilawari well, of course, has a supernatural origin. When Lord Rama's army entered Lanka, one part of it camped in the northern dry zone and faced a severe water crisis, until Rama shot a magic arrow into the ground. Water sprung out instantly. Another version of the legend has it that the arrow was shot by Hanuman to satisfy Rama's thirst. More...
Point Pedro
Point Pedro is the Christian name of the northernmost point of Sri Lanka. Coordinates of this extreme point of the island is 9°50′8″ North and 80°12′44″ East. A lighthouse is nearby. A small fishing harbour is situated slightly further west. Some fish species from this coastal area are of excellent taste, therefore being exported even to East Asian posh restaurants. Point Pedro is also the name of the nearby city, which is one of the three largest municipalities of the district, besides Jaffna and Chavakacheri. The population of Point Pedro is 31,000, the size of its area is 12 square kilometers. The Tamil name is "Paruthithurai", which translates to "cotton harbour". Indeed, this area has been famous for cotton production for a long time. The Boxing Day tsunami of 2004 destroyed coastal areas of Point Pedro, some houses are still in ruins. Salinity of ground water has increased due to the natural disaster. More...
Manalkadu
Manalkadu is a small village at the northeastern coast of Jaffna Peninsula. This region is called Vadamarachchi. It's one of the four historic divisions of the former Jaffna Kingdom, the other three are Thenmarachchi and Valikamam and the islands. "Vadamarachchi" means "belongings of the northerners". Point Pedro is the principal city of this region. East of Point Pedro, Vadamarachchi is an almost 50 km long and up to 3 km wide sandspit. It is well-known for its untouched beaches and its sand dunes. Many of the dunes are now covered with Casuarina as a result of a project of the Forest Department. The highest sanddunes are to the east of Manalkadu. One sight otherwise rarely seen in Sri Lanka are ruins partly covered by sand. This is the former St. Anthony Church, which dates back to the Portuguese period, it was built in the early 17th century. A Christian cemetery is on the sand dune next to it. More...
Elephant Pass
Elephant Pass is the gateway to Jaffna Peninsula, where the mainroad A9 from Kandy crosses the Jaffna Lagoon on a causeway. Once, the pass was a ford. Elephants were driven through its shallow water, after being captured in the Vanni region of Sri Lanka's dry zone, to be brought to Jaffna harbour for being shipped to India. During the civil war, the strategically important Elephant Pass was controlled by the Sri Lankan Army. But in 2000 the LTTE rebels captured the Elephant Pass Army camp. Only a short time after being recaptured by the Army in 2009, close to the end of the war, the northern end of the Elephant was chosen to be the site of the 42 m high Elephant Pass War Hero Memorial. It was opened by the then Secretary of Defence, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, brother of President Mahinda Rajapakse. Another memorial for a particular war hero is at the southern end of the causeway. More...
Nainativu
Nainativu is a narrow island off the coast of Jaffna Peninsula, inhabited by about 2,500 Hindus and very few Muslims. The name of the island alludes to the Naga people, the legendary inhabitants of northern Sri Lanka during the pre-Buddhist period. "Naga" means "snake", snake-worship was wide-spread among ancient Tamils. There are two religious sites of supra-regional significance on the small island, a Buddhist Vihara and a Hindu Kovil. Buddhists believe, the Nagadipa temple was visted by Buddha to settle a dispute between two Naga princes. Close to the temple is an inscription of the medieval Sinhalese King Parakramabahu, in Tamil language. Nagapooshani Amman Kovil is in only 300 m distance. An annual temple festival attracts tens of thousands of pilgrims, also from India. Passenger ferrys to Nainativu depart from Kurikkaduwan Jetty (KKD), which can be reached from Jaffna by road. More about Nainativu here...
Delft Island
Delft Island ('Neduntivu' in Tamil) is within day-trip distance from Jaffna City. Like Nainativu, it can be reached by passenger ferry service from Kurikkaduwan Jetty (KKD). Day trippers taking the first boat from KKD will be able to spend about three hours on the island. Delft Island is worth a visit due to its scenic beauty. The southern half of the island is a wildlife conservation area, being protected due to its population of feral horses. In Sri Lanka, herds of freely roaming horses can only be seen on the islands of Delft and Mannar. Their ancestors where brought by the Portuguese and the British, who used Delft Island as a horse trade entrepot and also for horse breeding. Ruins of colonial buildings such as the Dutch fort and the Queens tower are landmarks of the island. Delft is also home to an impressive Baobab tree, imported by Arabs or Portugueses from Africa, it's a very rare species in Sri Lanka. More about Delft...