Twenty-six years of civil war is a long time. A whole generation grows up exposed to the horrors of war, stripped of their right to education, health-care, and utilities. It is hard for one living in a ‘secure’ country to even fathom such dreadfulness day in and day out, year in and year out.

Sri Lanka’s LTTE-Sinhalese civil war started on 23 July, 1983 and ended on 19 May, 2009, during which an estimated 40,000 civilians died according to a UN Experts Report. Those who could leave, left the country. Root causes of the civil war were a series of anti-Tamil riots following independence in 1948 and the 1956 Government Act which recognized Sinhalese as the only official language.

Fuelled further by the government’s citizenship and education policies, it led to the creation of the LTTE or Tamil Tigers, as they were known, and their demand for a separate Tamil state ‘Tamil Eelam.’

Suicide bombers were a trademark of the Tamil insurgency. Even India, Sri Lanka’s neighbour, could not be immune to it. India’s ex-Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated in 1991 by a 22-year-old female LTTE suicide bomber.

Jaffna [Yalpanam in Tamil] on the northern tip of Sri Lanka, was the epicentre of this civil war which spread across the island’s northern and eastern coastlines. Mutilated factories, bombed homes, and walls pock-marked with gunshots are still scattered throughout the city and its surrounds. An echo of its turbulent past.

Three things, by some miracle, have survived from the nearly three decades of fighting: One, the region’s places of worship—magnificent colourful Hindu temples, poignant grand churches, and sacred Buddhist sites—two, its bygone colonial ruins, and three, a bunch of remote sleepy isles on the Palk Strait in the Indian Ocean.

Today, Jaffna has finally found peace. But whilst the rest of Sri Lanka has developed into one of the most popular destinations globally, Jaffna Peninsula, its city Jaffna, and seven Palmyra-swathed islands clustered around its western coast, carry on in oblivion.

Very few travellers make it to Sri Lanka’s extreme north, despite the country’s relatively short inter-city distances. Neither has the region indulged in active marketing of itself. Which in fact, is a boon.

For, just a few hours north of the Cultural Triangle, is a world steeped in vibrant Tamil culture, peppered in colonial remnants, with pristine natural beauty as a backdrop.

Welcome to my photo essay on Jaffna and its myriad charms. Perhaps by the end of this post, you too will want to add Sri Lanka’s unknown north to your island itinerary. ❤

JAFFNA CITY: FROM CAPITAL OF A 13TH CENTURY TAMIL HINDU KINGDOM TO REBIRTH FROM THREE DECADES OF CIVIL WAR

Jaffna’s dramatic history can be traced by its string of monuments from various epochs. But none is grander or more inexplicably tied to the city’s cultural and spiritual heart than the Nallur Kandaswamy Temple dedicated to the Hindu god Murugan [Shiva and Parvati’s elder son]. Built during the Jaffna Kingdom [13th to 17th Century] when Nallur, a neighbourhood in Jaffna was its capital, the earlier temple was destroyed by the Portuguese. The current edifice dates to 1734, with additions continuously made over the years.

Travel tips: 1). Don’t miss the elaborate prayers held at 5 pm every evening. 2) The 25-day Nallur Festival held around August is one of Sri Lanka’s grandest spectacles.

Manthirimanai, the ‘Abode of the Minister,’ is built in a blend of European and Dravidian architectural styles. It is believed to be part of Jaffna Kingdom’s ruins along with Jamuna Eri, an ancient pond, and Sangiliyan Thoppu, a palace facade.

For a crash course in Jaffna’s Colonial and Modern History, make your way to the Jaffna Fort set snugly by the coast. The pentagon-shaped edifice has seen it all!

Built by the Portuguese who defeated the Jaffna Kingdom in 1619, it was enlarged by Jaffna’s new rulers, the Dutch in 1658, and the British in 1795. Much of the fort was destroyed during the recent civil war when the Tamil Tigers had camped inside it. But its bastions and wide moats are still impressive.

Aggressive evangelists, the Portuguese were able to get large numbers of Hindu Tamils converted into Christianity whilst they were in control of Jaffna. Many of the fishermen are Catholic since then.

Travel tip: Step into the harbour’s fish market for some frenzied selling and bargaining.

What’s a city without its local markets? Bananas, papayas, water melons—Jaffna’s fruit and vegetable market is a sight for sore eyes. Bright and colourful, even the traditional snacks on sale here are in vibrant pinks, yellows, and greens.

Though Jaffna’s culture is focussed around its vibrant Hindu temples, the city was a crucial link in the arrival of Buddhism into Sri Lanka.

In the 3rd Century BC, Sangamitta, Indian Emperor Ashoka’s daughter and a Buddhist nun, brought a sapling from Bodh Gaya’s Bodhi Tree to Sri Lanka. After receiving it from her, King Dewanampiyathissa stopped at Naga Vihara for a week to allow local Naga rulers pay homage to it, making the site a crucial stop in Buddhist pilgrimages.

Jaffna City’s Tamil Christians [16 percent of the population] pray at massive evocative churches built during colonial rule. High-ceilinged with Tamil Bibles, hymns, and sermons—each is unique. Above: Our Lady of Refuge Church [1907]; Left: St. Mary’s Cathedral Jaffna [1789]; Right: St. James’ Church, Nallur [1818].

Travel tip: Other churches worth exploring are St. James’ Church, Gurunagar [1861]; St. John the Baptist’s Church [1888]; and St. Antony’s Church, Passaiyoor. St. Antony is considered to be the ‘Guardian of the Sea’ and is popular with Jaffna’s fisher-folk.

Different rulers, different honours. Jaffna Kingdom’s last king, Cankili II, who valiantly fought against 5,000 Portuguese soldiers in 1619, but lost, and one of Jaffna’s last remnants of colonial rule, the Clock Tower.

Cankili II, according to legend, was taken to Goa by the Portuguese where he willingly converted to Christianity, and was then beheaded. Built in 1882, the Clock Tower commemorates Prince of Wales’ visit to [then] Ceylon in 1875.

One of the biggest victims of Sri Lanka’s civil war was Jaffna’s Public Library. Established in 1933, it used to be one of Asia’s largest libraries with ancient Sinhalese and Tamil texts in its collection. On 1 June, 1981, an organized Sinhalese mob burnt it all to ashes in retaliation to an attack on the police force.

Its present spruced-up facade, airy reading-rooms, and new collection seem to say peace is back in Jaffna, and this time to stay.

JAFFNA PENINSULA: HISTORY, LEGENDS, AND SECULARISM AMIDST PADDY FIELDS AND PALMYRA TREES

Timeless and colourful, Jaffna Peninsula’s Tamil Hindu temples stand sentinel on winding palm-fringed lanes, towering over emerald-green fields, watching over sleepy villages with nandi-topped gates huddled together. Their mandate is clear: they serve as repositories of centuries-old rituals and traditions.

Travel tip: If one had to shortlist, then those in the above images are often considered to be the finest in Jaffna Peninsula. From top: Vallipura Aalvar Temple, dedicated to Vishnu, and one of Jaffna’s oldest Hindu temples; Keerimalai Naguleswaram Temple, dedicated to Shiva, another ancient temple; [left] Anjaneyar Temple fronted with a colossal statue of Hanuman and [right] the 17th Century Murugan Maviddapuram Kandaswamy Temple; Selvasanidhi Murugan Temple, renowned for its focus on piety instead of ritual; and Inuvil Pararaja Segarappillaiyaar Kovil dedicated to Ganesha.

Two mythical pools with two different legends. The one on the left is the Keerimalai Hot Springs and the image on the right is that of Nilavarai Bottomless Well.

Keerimalai, meaning ‘Mongoose Hill’ in Tamil, is said to have cured an ascetic in ancient times of his mongoose face. As a mark of gratitude, the ascetic built the Keerimalai Naguleswaram Temple nearby. Nilavarai Bottomless Well, though not exactly bottomless, is still fascinating. Recent expeditions have revealed it is 52.5 metres deep and contains a string of tunnels leading out of it, including one to the Keerimalai Hot Springs.

Though Hinduism is the mainstay of Jaffna Peninsula, the region has played an equally significant role in the advent of Buddhism into Sri Lanka. It is at the ancient Port of Jambukola on the peninsula’s northern coast that Sangamitta landed from India in the 3rd Century BC, the Bodhi Tree sapling in her hands.

In contrast to the pragmatism of the Port of Jambukola is the mystical site of Kantharodai Viharaya. As per Buddhist legend, the 20 Buddhist stupas contain the ashes of 60 monks in the distant past who achieved ‘arahantship,’ and then died by eating poisoned food. The rest is all steeped in mystery. When did it happen? Who exactly were these monks? Why did they choose to be buried here? No one knows for sure.

Completing Jaffna Peninsula’s secular circuit are its numerous colonial-era churches. Painted in pretty pastel shades, they are oases of peace. The above, one of my favourites, is St. John the Baptist Church.

From religion, legends, and rituals, to remnants of colonial rule and the heady mix of sun, sea, and sand! Left: 18th Century Manalkaadu Dutch Church buried inside a sand dune, and KKS Beach.

Point Pedro, the northern point of Sri Lanka with the island’s northern-most letterbox. Sri Lanka Post has letterboxes located on each of its four further-most cardinal points. 🙂 Next to it stands Point Pedro Lighthouse dated 30 June, 1931 with a dizzying set of ladders inside.

JAFFNA ISLANDS: REMOTE SUN-KISSED CORAL ISLES SCATTERED ACROSS THE PALK STRAIT

Of the seven main islands scattered across Palk Strait, Nainativu, a 10-minute ferry-ride away, is the most sacred—to both Hindus and Buddhists. For the Hindu pilgrim, it contains the elephant-flanked Nagapooshani Amman Temple, one of the 51 Shakti Peethas. On the Buddhist side, Nagadeepa Purana Viharaya is a site where Buddha, in person, settled a dispute between two fighting Naga princes.

Echoes of Jaffna’s colonial history reverberate across Karainagar Island through the Dutch-era Fort Hammenhiel [now a hotel run by Sri Lanka Navy] and British-era lighthouse [1916]. But that’s for the history-buffs. Its more popular claim to fame is its paid Casuarina Beach with spotless stretches of powdery white sand.

Travel tip: The restaurant at Fort Hammenhiel Resort serves reasonably-priced delicious meals.

However, the most magical of all the islands for the intrepid traveller is Delft Island. Windswept and bleached with Dutch ruins made of petrified coral, it is a 90-minute ferry-ride across the Palk Strait. Furthest away from the Jaffna Peninsula, the remote isle was first occupied by the Portuguese, and thereafter the Dutch whose ponies, descendants from the colonial days, still run wild through it.

NOTE:
You may also like to read The road less travelled: Delft Island

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Travel tips:

• Don’t miss the Jaffna Archaeological Museum [free entry]. Behind the nondescript front is a large collection of artifacts spanning millennia.
• Staying in Jaffna: I stayed at Jaffna Heritage Hotel on Temple Road, a 5-minute walk from the Nallur Kandaswamy Temple. Super-comfortable rooms, vegetarian breakfasts, and helpful staff, but it is its location which is its biggest winner.
• Getting around Jaffna: I explored partly on my own and partly through multiple tours with Dilushan from Elite Travels using his tuk-tuk and public ferries. Dilushan’s in-depth knowledge about Jaffna, professionalism, and warm personality made my explorations so much fun. He can be contacted on WhatsApp at +94 77 953 5200.
• Getting to Jaffna: I used Sanara Travels’ car rentals. Highly recommended. Sanjeewa can be contacted on WhatsApp at +94 76 941 5579.

[Note: This blog post is part of a series from my solo independent travels to Sri Lanka. To read more posts in my Sri Lanka series, click here.]

A rich man’s hearse. Quintessential Jaffna: Colour in life, as well as in death.