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NALLUR KANDASWAMY TEMPLE
The north is a world away from the rest of Sri Lanka. Geographically closer to southern India than to Colombo, the region was settled early on by Tamil migrants from across the Palk Strait and has retained its own unique character and culture, one which owes as much to Hindu India as to Buddhist Sri Lanka. From 1983 to 2009 the entire region was engulfed in the civil war between the rebel guerrillas of the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, or Tamil Tigers) and the Sri Lankan Army (SLA), the decades of fighting further reinforcing the two-thousand-year history of difference that separates the Tamil north from the Sinhalese south.
The apocalyptic conclusion to the civil war in 2009 left much of the region in physical tatters. Almost a decade on, the long process of postwar rehabilitation is drawing to a conclusion. Most of the region’s shattered towns and villages have now been rebuilt, fields have been demined, refugees returned to their former homes, major highways repaired and upgraded and the previously defunct railway lines to Jaffna and Mannar reopened.
For the traveller, the north remains Sri Lanka’s final frontier. The fascinating little city of Jaffna is the region’s highlight, with its absorbing mixture of colonial charm and vibrant Tamil culture, while the Jaffna Peninsula and surrounding islands offer a string of remote temples, beaches and an eclectic medley of offbeat attractions. Further south, the vast swathe of sparsely populated countryside known as the Vanni is little visited, even by Sri Lankans, although a trickle of adventurous travellers are now making it to the towns of Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu, scenes of the civil war’s two major concluding battles.
Southeast from here, the remote church at Madhu draws a steady stream of pilgrims of all faiths, while arid and far-flung Mannar Island is also beginning to attract increasing numbers of intrepid kitesurfers, birdwatchers and those seeking a complete escape from the Sri Lankan mainstream.
Transport The reopening of the railway lines to both Jaffna and Mannar means that both towns can now be reached in relatively speedy air-conditioned comfort, while travelling by road is now almost equally swift following comprehensive upgrades to all the region’s major highways. Note, however, that tourism remains nascent going on nonexistent in most parts of the north, meaning that if you want to hire a car and English-speaking driver to explore in more depth, you’ll probably find it easier to bring one with you from elsewhere in the island.
Safety There are currently no major safety concerns in the north bar the danger from uncleared landmines. In the unlikely event that you find yourself in areas of remote northern countryside or jungle, be sure to stick to roads or well-defined paths.
The huge area of northern Sri Lanka between Vavuniya and the Jaffna Peninsula – the Vanni – was always one of the island’s least developed and most sparsely populated areas even before the civil war, which laid waste to most of the region’s towns and villages. For many of the years between 1983 and 2009 the Vanni was controlled by the LTTE, who established their own de facto independent state stretching from just north of Vavuniya through to Elephant Pass, with its “capital” at the modest provincial town of Kilinochchi. Kilinochchi apart, much of the Vanni remains eerily empty, still covered in places with swathes of the dense jungle in which the LTTE’s guerrilla fighters hid themselves so successfully during the long years of conflict.
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MANNAR DONKEYS
Mannar Wander with wild ponies, scout for rare Indian bird species and kitesurf amongst the islets of Adam’s Bridge at this magical and little-visited island.
Jaffna Quite unlike anywhere else on the island, the vibrant city of Jaffna offers a fascinating insight into Sri Lankan Tamil culture, as well as many reminders of its colonial and civil war history.
Nallur Kandaswamy Temple and Festival Sri Lanka’s finest Hindu temple, and home to the north’s largest and longest festival – a 25-day extravaganza of colour, ceremony and spectacle.
Jaffna Peninsula The fertile Jaffna peninsula is home to myriad contrasting sights, from desert dunes and sacred springs to ancient dagobas and war-torn temples.
The islands Splintering off the tip of the Jaffna Peninsula, the starkly beautiful islands of Kayts, Karaitivu, Nainativu and Delft are home to remote Hindu temples, colonial forts and remote beaches.
HIGHLIGHTS ARE MARKED ON THE MAP
Gateway to the Vanni is the town of VAVUNIYA (pronounced “Vowvneeya”), the largest between Anuradhapura and Jaffna. Vavuniya sits roughly at the border between Sinhalese and Tamil Sri Lanka and frequently found itself on or close to the front line of the fighting during the war years. There’s a significant Tamil population here, and if you’ve travelled up from Anuradhapura, you’ll start to notice subtle cultural changes in language, food and attire compared with places further south.
Narrow roads to the deep north
Looking at most road maps of Sri Lanka you’ll most likely assume that in order to reach the north you’ll have to first head inland and follow the A9 to Medawachchiya, north of Anuradhapura, where the main roads to Mannar and Jaffna split. Approaching from Colombo/Negombo, however, there’s a much more direct, interesting and adventurous road straight up the west coast. You’ll need first to follow the main highway to Puttalam, then the smaller road to the village of Eluvankulam, at the entrance to Wilpattu National Park. From here, a 40km gravel road heads north through the park (around a 90min–2hr drive), after which the tarmac resumes and you’ve a straightforward drive onto Mannar, and then north, via Pooneryn, to Jaffna. The track is driveable for most cars and vans (and tuktuks too, for that matter) except perhaps during Dec–Jan when mud from the monsoon rains can be a problem, although you might struggle to find a driver willing to take you, while larger cars with low clearance might struggle at any time of year. Buses also travel along this route between Kalpitiya/Puttalam and Mannar (around 5 daily), although services may be disrupted during Dec–Jan if there have been heavy rains. Your best source of information on the route is Wilpattu House, which also makes a great place to break the journey up along of Sri Lanka’s less-travelled byways.
Reaching Jaffna via the east coast is equally feasible nowadays thanks to highway improvements, with a sealed road heading north from Trincomalee and Uppuveli all the way up the coast to Mullaitivu (with a brief detour inland around the Kokkilai Lagoon).
Vavuniya’s only attraction, the modest Archeological Museum has a small collection of fifth- to tenth-century Buddhist statues, although it is only erratically open.
By bus Vavuniya is a major transport hub and the starting point for buses west to Mannar (although if approaching from the south it’s quicker to catch a bus from Medawachchiya).
Destinations Anuradhapura (every 45min; 1hr 30min); Colombo (hourly; 7hr); Jaffna (hourly; 3hr); Kandy (hourly; 5hr); Madhu (every 2hr; 2hr); Mannar (hourly; 2hr); Trincomalee (5 daily; 2hr 30min).
By train The town is a major stop on the northern railway line, with regular connections north and south.
Destinations Anuradhapura (5–7 daily; 50min–1hr 10min); Colombo (5–7 daily; 4hr 30min–6hr 45min); Jaffna (5 daily; 1hr 45min–3hr).
Hotel Nelly Star 84, 2nd Cross St 
024 222 4477, 
nellystarhotel.com. Vavuniya’s most upmarket option (not that that’s saying much), efficiently run and with an a/c restaurant and bar plus decent-sized (although rather murky-looking) pool. To reach the hotel head south down the main road from the clocktower then left down Second Cross St; the hotel is about 300m down the road on your right. B&B Rs.2500, a/c Rs.3800
Some 45km northwest of Vavuniya lies the remote village of MADHU, the most important place of Christian pilgrimage in Sri Lanka. The large, nineteenth-century Portuguese-style church here is home to the allegedly miraculous statue of Our Lady of Madhu. The image was brought to Madhu in 1670 by Catholics fleeing Dutch persecution in the Mannar area, and subsequently became revered for its magical qualities, particularly its supposed ability to protect devotees against snakebite. The shrine is revered by both Sinhalese and Tamil Catholics and, in characteristic Sri Lankan fashion, has also become popular among non-Christians. A festival in honour of the statue held here annually in August draws huge crowds – an estimated 500,000 pilgrims visited in 2011.
Flanking the main highway to Mannar, the impressive Giant’s Tank (Yoda Wewa) is every bit as big as its name suggests. Built by King Dhatusena, it’s still one of the island’s largest tanks, and home to prolific birdlife.
A little further north along the highway, alongside the causeway to Mannar Island, the Vankalai Sanctuary is one of northern Sri Lanka’s finest birding sights, protecting a diverse mix of habitats including wetlands, sand dunes, tanks, mangroves, salt marshes and scrub. The sanctuary is home to numerous aquatic birds including a number of rare migrants, many of which travel south across India and make their first Sri Lankan landfall in the Mannar region – flamingos are a common sight.
Facing Mannar over the lagoon from the mainland, 9km from Mannar Town, the fine Thirukketheeswaram (aka Ketheeswaram) Temple marks one of Sri Lanka’s pancha iswarams, the “Five Abodes of Shiva” (the others being at Naguleswaram near Jaffna, Koneswaram in Trincomalee, Munnesvaram near Chilaw, and Tenavaram near Matara). The original temple was destroyed by the Portuguese in 1575 and not rebuilt until 1903, since when it’s been gradually extended, with a huge mandapa currently under construction around the back.
Close by, on the main Jaffna road by the turn off to the temple, you can’t help but notice the recently restored Our Lady of Lourdes Church, a deliciously eye-catching vanilla and baby-blue confection which looks positively edible.
Connected to the mainland by a 2km bridge, Mannar Island pokes out into the sea, like a skinny finger pointing westwards towards India, around 30km distant over the Gulf of Mannar. The landscape here is quite unlike anything else in Sri Lanka thanks to the Mannar’s geographical location and unusually arid climate, with dense green swathes of spiky palmyrah palms poking up out of the sandy soil and the blue waves of the Indian Ocean lapping beyond – an outlandishly beautiful contrast to the much more lush, coconut palm-fringed beaches of the south
For the time being, Mannar remains one of Sri Lanka’s more authentically off-the-beaten-track experiences. The island is emerging as a major kitesurfing hotspot (best from around April/May through to Sept/Oct), with winds to rival the increasingly busy Kalpitiya down the coast. It’s also a top birdwatching destination (best in December), being the first Sri Lankan stop on the routes of many migratory species heading south from India and offering the chance to spot Deccan species not easily seen further south.
Mannar was long famous for its pearl banks, which were exploited from antiquity until the colonial period: as late as 1905 some five thousand divers recovered a staggering eighty million oysters here in a single season – they also provided the inspiration for Bizet’s The Pearl Fishers, probably the only opera ever to be set in Sri Lanka. Arab traders also flocked to Mannar, introducing donkeys (an animal virtually unknown elsewhere in Sri Lanka), and planting the baobab trees that remain another of the island’s distinctive features. Mannar suffered greatly during the war, when its position close to India made it a major conduit for refugees fleeing the country. The island’s large Muslim population, a legacy of its years of Arab trade, was driven out by the LTTE in 1990, though the local population still includes many Catholics – some forty percent, the highest proportion of anywhere in Sri Lanka.
The island’s main settlement, MANNAR TOWN, makes a dramatic first impression when seen driving in over the long, low-slung bridge from the mainland, rising gradually above the waters like some kind of Sri Lankan Atlantis emerging from the waves. Second impressions reveal the town for the rather dusty, workaday sort of place is really is, although the water-ringed location is beautiful, while the innumerable wild donkeys which roam the town’s streets (said to be the descendants of animals originally introduced by Arab sailors) give the place an entertainingly whimsical touch.
The main sight in the town centre is the crumbling Portuguese fort (later strengthened by the Dutch), perched right on the waterside near the bridge, with a cluster of old buildings nestling inside its well-preserved walls.
Around 1km north of town stands a famous baobab tree, thought to have been planted by Arab sailors in 1477 and now claimed to be the largest (or at least fattest) tree in Asia, standing just 7.5m tall but with a circumference of almost 20m.
Buses run hourly between Mannar and Talaimannar (1hr)
At the far western end of the island, the small town of TALAIMANNAR was formerly the departure point for ferries to Rameshwaram in India, until all services were suspended in 1983 – you can still see the rusty and increasingly derelict pier poking out to sea, with a large white lighthouse beside and vast flocks of gulls and egrets wading the waters and swirling overhead.
West of Talaimannar, a chain of islets and sandbanks known as Adam’s Bridge stretch all the way to India, 30km distant. According to the Ramayana, these were the stepping stones used by the monkey god Hanuman to travel from India to Lanka, and also served as the causeway by which the earliest human settlers reached the island some 250,000 to 300,000 years ago. The sandbanks lie less than 2m under water in many places and (according to local temple records) may have been submerged following a cyclone as recently as 1480.
Most visitors approach Mannar either by train or via the main A14 highway from Medawachchiya (just north of Anuradhapura), although it’s also possible to drive directly from the south along the old coastal road from Puttalam through Wilpattu National Park. Heading north to Jaffna, a superb (and still little-used) road heads up along the coast to Jaffna over the bridge at Pooneryn.
By bus There are regular services to Vavuniya (for Jaffna and Trinco) and Anuradhapura (for everywhere else).
Destinations Anuradhapura (hourly; 3hr); Colombo (4 daily; 7–8hr); Jaffna (via Pooneryn 4 daily, 3hr; via Vavuniya 4 daily; 5hr); Vavuniya (hourly; 2hr).
By train The station is about 2km west of the town centre along South Bar Rd, while the train line extends to the far end of the island, at Talaimannar pier, with two intermediate stations (at Thoddawelli and Pesalai) en route.
Destinations Anuradhapura (2 daily; 2hr 30min); Colombo (2 daily; 8hr); Madhu Rd (3 daily; 45min); Talaimannar (3 daily; 30min).
Hotel Agape 7 Seminary Rd 023 225 1678, 
hotelagape.mannar@gmail.com. Easily the best place to stay in Mannar town, with friendly, efficient service and a range of comfortable, well-equipped a/c rooms, plus restaurant. Choose between the older downstairs rooms or the smart, sunlit new rooms above (Rs.1000 extra). B&B Rs.5000
Baobab Guest House 83 Field St 023 222 2306, baobabguesthouse.com. The cheapest deal in town, with basic but acceptable fan rooms (optional ac for Rs.1000 extra) in a quiet side street north of the centre. Breakfast available, but no other meals. Rs.2000
Mannar Guest House 55/12 Uppukulam, 077 316 8202, mannarguesthouse.com. This conveniently central guesthouse, about 400m from the bus station, usually has space when other places are full, and is a good choice if you don’t mind the slightly grubby fan rooms (optional a/c for Rs.500) and Fawlty Towers-style service. No meals apart from breakfast, which is best avoided. Bearable for a night. B&B Rs.2500
Four Tees Rest Inn Station Rd, Thoddawelli, 8km northwest of Mannar Town 023 323 0008, 4teessrestinn@gmail.com. The oldest guesthouse in Mannar, with friendly service, decent food and large, old-fashioned rooms (a couple with a/c). Close to Thoddawelli train station, one stop beyond Mannar Town, although rather a long way from anywhere else. Rs.3000, a/c Rs.4000
The Palmyrah House Talaimannar Rd, Karisal, 11km from Mannar Town (and 4km from Pesalai train station) 023 205 0910 or 077 772 3534, palmyrahhouse.com. Roughly halfway across Mannar Island, this upmarket boutique guesthouse is a real get-away-from-it-all haven, and a great spot for birding too. Accommodation is in fourteen soothingly stylish rooms set amidst private grounds, while amenities include a well-equipped mini-gym and a neat little pool. Full board $160
Shell Coast Resort Uvary, Pesalai, about 17km from Mannar Town 077 144 9062, shellcoastresort.com. Neat but pricey little a/c wooden cabanas on a remote stretch of beach on the southern side of Mannar Island, with attached restaurant and pool. $80
Vayu Western end of the island 077 368 6235, kitesurfingmannar.com. Remote retreat spectacularly located amidst coastal sandbanks at the far western end of Mannar Island, with gorgeous views over the first four islets of Adam’s Bridge. Mainly aimed at kitesurfers coming to ride the crisp breezes blowing in steadily from the Gulf of Mannar, although it’s great for birding too. Accomodation is in a mix of tents and rustic cabana-style “bungalows”, and there are also yoga classes, motorbike hire and other activities available. Full board: tents €70, bungalows €100
The small town of KILINOCHCHI, about 80km north of Vavuniya, served as the headquarters of the LTTE administration – effectively the Tamil Tiger capital – for many years. It was finally recaptured in January 2009 after an intense three-month battle between government troops and rebel cadres, an event which effectively marked the beginning of the end for the Tigers.
The town – which was more or less obliterated in the course of the 2008–09 siege – has now risen energetically from the ashes. A rash of shiny new shops, offices and government buildings has sprung up along the main road and almost all the wartime devastation has been patched up, although a huge water tower, blown up by the LTTE during the final stages of fighting, has been left where it fell next to the road, serving as a powerful reminder of the appalling physical devastation wrought by the war. Slightly further down the road stands a striking war memorial – an enormous grey stone cube, pierced by an artillery shell and with a lotus blooming out of the top.
By bus Virtually all buses between the Jaffna Peninsula and the rest of the island travel via Kilinochchi.
Destinations Jaffna (every 30min; 1hr 15min); Vavuniya (every 30min; 1hr 45min).
By train Kilinochchi’s neat, modern station is right in the centre of town.
Destinations Jaffna (5 daily; 50min–1hr 30min); Vavuniya (5 daily; 1hr–1hr 25min).
Reopened to foreigners only in 2015, the area around the coastal town of Mullaitivu is one of Sri Lanka’s most remote and sombre destinations, scene of the concluding battle of the civil war in 2009 during which thousands of helpless Tamil civilians were penned into a narrow strip of beach north of the town and then ruthlessly butchered by both the Sri Lankan Army and LTTE. Physical mementoes of the battle are now increasingly thin on the ground following extensive post-war reconstruction, although the entire area is rich in associations for anyone with an interest in the island’s tragic recent past, providing a painful but necessary reminder of the many innocent lives pointlessly lost.
By tour Regular buses run between Jaffna and Mullaitivu, although to really explore the area you’ll need you own transport, most conveniently arranged through Sri Lanka Click in Jaffna, who run extended day-tours of the area.
Around 16km before Mullaitivu itself, the tongue-twisting town of PUTHUKKUDIYIRUPPU was largely destroyed during the final phase of the civil war but is now gradually reviving. Next to the main road around 3.5km east of the centre is another of those grandiose war memorials inflicted on a beleagured Tamil populace by the victorious Sinahlese government, set in the middle of a lake and showing a soldier apparently buried from the waist down in a huge pile of rocks. A sign commemorates “the remarkable success and achievements” of those involved in what is laughably described as the “Wanni [Vanni] Humanitarian Operation” – a curious description of the Sri Lankan Army’s massacre of thousands of defenceless and desperate Tamils. A small museum next to the lake shows photos of the conflict (explanations in Sinhala only), including images of the victorious army’s heroic humanitarian efforts.
Around 7km north of the town, you may also be able to track down the bizarre LTTE swimming pool (geo-coordinates 9.362289, 80.687338), hidden amid the trees. The huge, steeply stepped pool is said to have been used as a training tool for the LTTE’s Sea Tiger divers.
Stretching for around 10km north of Mullaitivu itself, Mullaitivu lagoon and beach are where the horrendous final act of the civil war was played out in 2009. Pursued by the Sri Lankan Army (SLA) following the fall of Kilinochchi, surviving LTTE forces fled east, followed by thousands of Tamil refugees, who were encouraged to take refuge in two “no fire zones” established by the army, hemmed in between the sea on one side and the SLA and the Mullaitivu Lagoon on the other. Having rounded up the fleeing refugees, the SLA began systematically shelling the alleged safe zones in which they had been told to assemble. Those who attempted to flee, it’s said, were shot in the back by LTTE troops. Thousands died (the exact number will never be known) and, while allegations of widespread war crimes were levelled against both sides, not a single military commander has even been charged.
The area today is strangely – almost eerily – peaceful, with miles of largely deserted beach and a few dusty villages dozing beneath the palms. Most roads and houses have now been rebuilt, although the area remains one of the poorest and least developed in the country, with most of the population still scraping a meagre living from fishing and agriculture.
Geo-coordinates 9.314141, 80.792373
Towards the southern end of the beach around 6km north of Mullaitivu are the scant remains of the Farah III Jordanian cargo ship, lying in shallow waters just off the beach – haunting images of the rusting mega-vessel’s beached skeleton still provide one of the civil’s war most striking visual images, although little now survives of the original ship. One of the stranger casualties of the civil war, the Farah III experienced engine troubles whilst passing Sri Lanka en route from India to South Africa in 2006 and dropped anchor off Mullaitivu, where it was promptly boarded by the Sea Tigers, the naval wing of LTTE, who cut the anchor, causing it to run aground on the coast. The crew were released unharmed but the vessel was appropriated, being used as an operational base for the Sea Tigers and gradually being stripped bare of all usable equipment, and much of its metal as well – the remains of an improvised armoured vehicle, perhaps constructed using iron salvaged from the boat, can still be seen on the beach nearby.
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
Terrorists in the eyes of some, freedom fighters to others, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), popularly known as the Tamil Tigers, were until their final defeat in 2009 one of the world’s most committed, effective and ruthless militant organizations. The LTTE was founded in the early 1970s, one of a string of paramilitary groups established by young Tamils in response to the decades of official discrimination meted out by the Sinhalese governments of Colombo to the Tamils of the north and east. The failure of the older Tamil leaders to secure political justice for Tamils and the heavy-handed behaviour of the Sinhalese-dominated Sri Lankan Army and police in Tamil areas drove many young Tamils to espouse violence. All these militant groups called for the establishment of an independent Tamil state in the north and east of the island, to be called Eelam (“Precious Land”), and a number received training from special Indian government forces who were initially sympathetic to their cause.
The LTTE gradually rose to pre-eminence thanks to its ruthless suppression of all competing political groups and the assassination of rival politicians, and by the beginning of the civil war in 1983 had become the leading player in Tamil affairs. At the heart of its mystique lay its founder and leader, the enigmatic Velupillai Prabhakaran (1954–2009). Legends about this reclusive figure abound. According to some, he was a shy and bookish student with a fascination for Napoleon and Alexander the Great, who turned militant when he saw an uncle burned alive by Sinhalese mobs, and who later trained himself to endure pain by lying in sacks of chillies. Known as Thambi, or “Little Brother”, Prabhakaran was held in quasi-religious veneration by many of his recruits and proved both a consummate political survivor and a gifted military strategist, although reports suggest that many of the LTTE’s earlier engagements were based on the study of Rambo and Arnold Schwarzenegger videos – a classic example of life imitating (bad) art.
The LTTE began life as a classic guerrilla operation, harrying the (to begin with) far better equipped and numerically superior forces of the Sri Lankan Army and later the Indian Peacekeeping Force with hit-and-run attacks, before retreating back into the countryside and mixing with local populations. These guerrilla tactics were combined with gruesome, attention-grabbing attacks such as that at Anuradhapura in 1985, when dozens of civilians and pilgrims were gunned down by LTTE soldiers in the symbolic centre of Sinhalese culture. The LTTE also pioneered the practice of suicide bombing (whose technology they are believed to have exported to militant Palestinian organizations such as Hamas), with notable attacks in Colombo, at the international airport and in the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy, among many others. Suicide bombers were also used in a string of high-profile political assassinations – victims included former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991, and Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranasinghe Premadasa in 1993, making the LTTE the only militant organization to have assassinated two world leaders. As the war progressed and the LTTE acquired better armaments and military know-how, they gradually began to function more as a conventional army – exemplified by their seizure of Elephant Pass, at the southern end of the Jaffna Peninsula, from the heavily entrenched forces of the SLA in 2000.
The LTTE’s ability to take on and defeat the huge forces of the Indian and Sri Lankan armies reflected its legendary discipline and commitment to the cause, fostered by relentless political indoctrination and quasi-monastic discipline. In addition, hardly any LTTE fighters were ever captured alive, thanks to the phials of cyanide which all cadres wore around their necks. They also – by Asian standards at least – had impeccable feminist credentials. The shortage of men of fighting age led to many women – the so-called “Freedom Birds”, memorably described by British writer William Dalrymple as “paramilitary feminist death squads” – being absorbed into the LTTE military apparatus and often pitched into its toughest fighting engagements.
Attitudes towards the LTTE have always been sharply divided. In the early years of the civil war they were often seen as heroes who were prepared to lay down their lives in the fight against Sinhalese oppression. As the conflict dragged on, however, opinions changed thanks to the LTTE’s systematic assassination of rival Tamil politicians; their massacres of innocent Sinhalese civilians, Muslims and suspected “collaborators”; their use of child soldiers and abduction of young Tamils to fight for the LTTE; the widespread extortion of money from Tamils at home and abroad; the ethnic cleansing of areas under their control; and their indiscriminate use of suicide bombers – all of which led to their being proscribed as a terrorist organization by over thirty governments worldwide. In addition, their apparent use of thousands of Tamil civilians as human shields during the concluding stages of the war would most likely have seen their leaders charged with war crimes, had any of them survived.
Virtually the entire leadership of the LTTE was killed by the end of the war (as well as a large proportion of its fighters), with Prabhakaran himself finally ambushed and killed by the SLA in May 2009. Rumours of surviving LTTE activists attempting to resurrect the organization regularly circulate, although it seems unlikely that the Tigers will rise again in any meaningful way, not least because their widespread atrocities against their own people effectively destroyed whatever popular support they once enjoyed. The fact that the LTTE are held responsible for the deaths of over eight thousand of their fellow Tamils proves that it was ultimately the Tigers, far more than any Sinhalese government, that ended up oppressing and brutalizing the very people they claimed to protect.
Now comprehensively rebuilt, Mullaitivu itself (approached via a pretty twisting causeway over the deadly Mullaitivu Lagoon) was largely obliterated during the SLA offensive of 2009, but now offers virtually no reminders of the war years. The main road, lined with shiny new banks, shops and offices, looks virtually indistinguishable from any other provincial town in Sri Lanka, running down to a wide and beautiful beach, dotted with fishing boats and a ramshackle fish market.
Some 15km north of Kilinochchi along the A9, the Elephant Pass is where a narrow causeway connects the Jaffna Peninsula with the rest of the island – a rather bleak and featureless stretch of land divided by a narrow strip of water. The pass was so named after the elephants that were once driven across to the peninsula here, though it’s now best known as the location of two of the civil war’s largest battles, fought here in 1991 and 2000; it was during the latter that the LTTE finally succeeded in dislodging the Sri Lankan Army from its heavily fortified position at the entrance to the Jaffna Peninsula – a crucial moment in the progress of the war, though they narrowly failed to follow up this victory with the capture of the Jaffna Peninsula itself. The tables were turned in 2009 following the fall of Kilinochchi when the SLA returned, driving the remnants of the LTTE out of their long-held positions. A triumphalist war memorial now stands next to the main highway on the north side of the causeway, showing four hands holding up a map of Sri Lanka with a lotus blossoming from the Jaffna Peninsula.
Some 2.5km futher south, over the causeway on the west side of the highway, the scorched remains of an armoured bulldozer provide another – altogether more realistic – memorial of the conflict. The bulldozer was used as an improvised tank by the LTTE during their unsuccessful attempt to capture the Elephant Pass in 1991. Seeing the damage machine-gun fire from the vehicle was causing to government positions, young Sri Lankan Lance Corporal Gamini Kularatne jumped aboard the vehicle and detonated two grenades, instantly killing himself and everyone inside – an act of suicidal bravery for which he subsequently became the first recipient of the Parama Weera Vibhushanaya, Sri Lanka’s highest military honour. A large memorial to Kularatne stands close by.
Far and away the largest town in northern Sri Lanka, JAFFNA has always been a place apart, closer to India than Colombo, and culturally more akin to the Indian state of Tamil Nadu just over the Palk Strait than to the Sinhalese south. Arriving in Jaffna can come as something of a culture shock if you’ve spent much time in the rest of the island. You can’t fail to notice the profound Indian influence here, exemplified by the replacement of the Buddhist dagoba with the Hindu gopuram and by the switch from singsong cadences of Sinhala to the quickfire patter of Tamil – as well as myriad other details, like the sultry Indian pop music that blares out of shops and cafés, the quasi-subcontinental hordes of kamikaze cyclists who rattle around the congested streets, and the occasional free-range cow wandering placidly amid the busy traffic. Yet although there’s a fair bit of India in Jaffna, the town has its own unique and complex identity shaped, in true Sri Lankan fashion, by a wide cross-section of influences, including Muslim, Portuguese, Dutch, British and Sinhalese. Although Hinduism remains the dominant religion, Christianity is also strong, and Jaffna presents an intriguing mixture of Tamil and European elements, with colourful temples set next to huge churches, and streets of a beguiling, faded colonial charm dotted with old Dutch and British residences.
The Jaffna Peninsula has always been a focus for Tamil settlement in Sri Lanka, thanks to its proximity to India’s Tamil heartlands. The earliest settlers arrived as far back as the second or third century BC, and this population was constantly supplemented over successive centuries by migrants, mercenaries and assorted adventurers. Interestingly, some of these early settlers may have been Buddhist rather than Hindu, as borne out by the enigmatic cluster of dagobas at Kantharodai.
By the thirteenth century Jaffna had developed into the capital of a powerful Tamil kingdom known as Jaffnapatnam. In 1284, a Pandyan general, Arya Chakravati, seized control of the north. Over the next fifty years, his successors extended their power gradually southwards, gaining control of Mannar and its valuable pearl industry and continuing to push south. For a brief period in the mid-fourteenth century they gained control of the whole of the west coast, almost as far as Colombo – the greatest expansion of Tamil power in the history of Sri Lanka – before being pushed back.
Northern power suffered further blows following the arrival of the Portuguese, who seized Jaffna in 1621, destroying Hindu temples and building churches in their place. In 1658 the Portuguese were evicted from Jaffna by the Dutch, who gave the town an imposing fort before being succeeded in their turn by the British, who took over in 1796. Jaffna became something of a backwater during the later colonial era, although the railway arrived in 1905 and the Jaffna Tamils continued to thrive under the British administration.
Following independence, Jaffna found itself increasingly at the centre of the island’s growing ethnic storm, with regular clashes between young Tamil militants and Sinhalese soldiers and police culminating in the infamous destruction of the Jaffna library by government thugs in 1981. The town was the focal point of many of the early civil war’s fiercest battles, suffering considerable physical damage, although having remained under government control since 1995 it at least avoided being caught up in the devastating fighting that enveloped the rest of northern Sri Lanka during 2008–09.
Jaffna divides into the busy, modern commercial district centred on the Hospital Road and the area around the bus station, and the much more sedate colonial-era suburbs east of the centre, with their enormous churches and atmospheric Dutch-era buildings. Hospital Road forms the spine of the commercial district, a vibrant mercantile thoroughfare lined with shops and banks. Traces of old Jaffna can still be seen here and there, particularly in the old-fashioned shops around the Hotel Rolex (opposite the large white central market building) with their colourful hand-painted signs, wooden counters and glass-fronted display cabinets stacked high with merchandise. You may also see a few of the lovingly preserved vintage cars – Morris Minors, Morris Oxfords, Austin Cambridges and the like – that were formerly a common sight in Jaffna, kept going through the long decades of the civil war when the import of new vehicles was banned.
Kevin Clogstoun
JAFFNA
On the northwest side of the centre, up Kankesanthurai (KKS) Road, a tall grey-blue gopuram marks the Vaitheeswara Temple, the most interesting of central Jaffna’s numerous Hindu temples, built during the Dutch era by an influential local merchant and dedicated to Shiva. At its centre lies a richly decorated stone shrine surrounded by a beautiful old wooden-roofed ambulatory, rather like a Dutch veranda, complete with Doric columns. As with all Jaffna’s Hindu temples, the best time to visit is during the late afternoon puja (roughly 4–5pm) when the resident bare-chested Brahmin priests dash about the temple performing their devotions to the various gods amid great clouds of incense and the tremendous clanging of a remarkable little mechanical-bell contraption which sits just inside the main door.
A short walk east of the Vaitheeswara Temple is Kasturiya Road, the heart of Jaffna’s jewellery industry, home to a long sequence of jewellers, mainly trading in gold. Continue east along Stanley Road and then turn north to reach the grand Varatharaja Perumal Kovil, with a flamboyant, polychromatic gopuram and brightly coloured buildings set in a large sandy compound.
Daily 8am–6pm • Free
The largest Dutch fortress in Asia, the huge Jaffna Fort was built on the site of the former Portuguese stronghold in the characteristic star shape favoured by the Dutch (the pointed bastions offering greater protection against cannon fire). The inner defences were completed in 1680 and the outer ring of bastions in 1792, with a moat separating the two, though just four years after it was completed the fort was surrendered to the British without a shot being fired. Having survived two hundred years without seeing action, the fort was finally pressed into military service during the civil war, when the outer defences were repeatedly bombarded by both sides and the old Dutch buildings inside tragically destroyed, including the beautiful Groote Kerk (“Great Church” – also known as Kruys Kerk).
The fort’s battered remains have now been comprehensively restored with Dutch government assistance, although the central courtyard is still largely empty save for huge quantities of rubble laid out in neat rows and piles. Entrance to the interior is via an archway emblazoned “Anno 1680” on the fort’s east side, where you’ll also find a small display on its history and the restoration of the fort. The huge and largely empty interior courtyard is dotted with the indecipherable ruins of vanished buildings, with steps leading up to the ramparts and offering fine views over town.
East of the fort, the enormous Hindu-style column at the south end of Esplanade Road is a monument to the famous local politician S.J.V. Chelvanayakum (1898–1977), founder and first leader of the Tamil United Liberation Front. A leading figure in post-independence Sri Lanka, Chelvanayakum became increasingly frustrated with Sinhalese political oppression and was an early advocate of Tamil separatism, although his love of Gandhian-style satyagraha (non-violent protest) could hardly have been further removed from the tactics used by the rebels who subsequently adopted the cause of Tamil Eelam.
Esplanade Rd • Mon–Sat 4.30–6pm • Free
Immediately north of the Chelvanayakum Monument, an impressive Indo-Saracenic-style building is home to the Jaffna Public Library. The original library was torched by Sinhalese mobs during election riots in 1981, an act of vandalism which reduced one of South Asia’s greatest public collections (including many irreplaceable works of Tamil literature) to ashes – a key event in the build-up to the civil war. In a symbolic gesture, this was the first major public building to be rebuilt following the temporary ceasefire of 2002.
Currently under construction on the north side of the library is the state-of-the-art Jaffna Cultural Centre, funded by the Indian Government and planned to house an impressive suite of new cultural amenities, including a theatre, library, museum and exhibition space.
Pointing skywards just northeast of the library is the town’s unusually tall and slender clocktower, an endearing architectural mongrel mixing Islamic and Gothic styles. Built in 1875 to commemorate a visit by the Prince of Wales, the tower was designed by British architect J.G. Smither, who was also responsible for Colombo’s Old Town Hall and National Museum.
East of the commercial centre, Jaffna assumes a residential and colonial character, with quiet, tree-shaded streets lined by sedate Dutch villas and a string of imposing churches. Main Street (rather sleepy, despite its name) is particularly atmospheric, lined with crumbling old colonial houses and assorted churches and other religious foundations. The first you come to is the Rosarian Convent, occupying a beautiful sequence of Dutch colonial buildings; the Rosarian Sisters are well known hereabouts for their home-made wine cordial and grape juice. A little further east along Main Street is the equally atmospheric St Martin’s Seminary, an attractive Victorian neo-Gothic period piece dating from the 1880s, with verandaed buildings and a musty little chapel in the middle.
Just south of St Martin’s Seminary stands the largest of Jaffna’s outsize churches, the gigantic St Mary’s Cathedral. It’s quasi-Portuguese in style, although actually dates from the Dutch era, and is built on a positively industrial scale, with a pleasingly simple interior.
Navalar Rd • Mon & Wed–Sun 8am–5pm • Donation
Jaffna’s modest little Archeological Museum houses various Hindu artefacts from the surrounding area, including a number of small and beautiful wooden vahanams (“vehicles”), the various animals – horse, bull, elephant, lion – on which Hindu gods rode from place to place. Other curiosities include a pile of whale bones, a seven-mouthed musical pot and a fetching wooden model of Harischandra – the legendary Indian king who never told a lie – and his wives. Look out, too, for the much-abused portrait of the young Queen Victoria recovered from the Fort – the tears in the canvas are apparently bullet holes.
Jaffna’s most notable sight is the large Nallur Kandaswamy Temple, about 2km northeast of the town centre. Dedicated to Murugam (known to the Buddhist Sinhalese as Kataragama), this is the most impressive Hindu temple in Sri Lanka, and the only one on the island to rival the great shrines of India. The original temple is thought to date back to the mid-fifteenth century, though it was destroyed in 1620 by the Portuguese. The present structure was begun in 1807 and has now developed into an enormous religious complex, surrounded by red-and-white striped walls. There are numerous shrines inside, richly decorated corridors framed in rows of golden arches and a beautiful courtyard with a large tank. Men must remove their shirts before entering. There are no fewer than six pujas daily, with three between 4pm and 5pm, the best time to visit.
The once gruelling journey to Jaffna is now positively pleasurable following highway improvements and the reopening of the railway line.
By plane Helitours (268 Stanley Rd, 011 311 0472, www.helitours.lk) operate inexpensive flights (3 weekly; Rs.14,500 one way) via Trincomalee between Colombo’s Ratmalana airport and Jaffna’s Palaly airport, around 15km north of Jaffna town – although for safety concerns.
By train Reopened in October 2014 after a gap of 24 years, the railway to Jaffna provides the fastest and most comfortable means of reaching the city. For timetables, see Basics. There are also services to Kankesanthurai, at the northern edge of the Jaffna Peninsula (5 daily; 20–35min).
Destinations Anuradhapura (5–6 daily; 2hr 40min–4hr); Colombo (5 daily; 6hr 15min–9hr); Kilinochchi (5 daily; 50min–1hr 30min); Vavuniya (5 daily; 1hr 50min–2hr 50min).
By bus From Colombo, Jaffna is served by SLTB services from the Central Bus Station and much more comfortable private buses run by various companies along Galle Rd around Wellawatta Market. Buses arrive right in the middle of Jaffna, either at the SLTB bus station on Hospital Rd or at the private bus stand close by. The large information office on the west side of the station can point you in the right direction if you get stuck. Bus tickets for Colombo can be bought directly from the various private bus company offices on Hospital Rd, diagonally opposite the south side of the SLTB bus station. Buses to and from the capital include a range of non-a/c and “luxury” a/c services (around Rs.1000/Rs.1300); most services either travel overnight (currently three departures at 8pm, 9pm & 10pm) or leave early in the morning (currently 7.30am & 8am). Arriving in Colombo, buses run across the city, dropping off passengers en route before terminating in Wellawatta. Heading south to Anuradhapura you’ll need to change in Vavuniya.
Destinations Batticaloa (3 daily; 10hr); Colombo (14 daily; 10–12hr); Kandy (7 daily; 8–10hr); Mannar (via Pooneryn 4 daily, 3hr; via Vavuniya 4 daily; 5hr); Trincomalee (8 daily; 6hr); Vavuniya (every 30min; 3hr).
The Nallur Festival
Nallur Kandaswamy Temple is a fascinating place to visit at any time, but becomes unforgettable during the latter stages of the annual Nallur Festival, which runs for 25 days, finishing on the poya day in August. The crowds of festival-goers rival those at the far better-known Kandy Esala Perahera, and many Jaffna expatriates return for the celebrations. Men dress in fresh white sarongs, while women don their best saris, transforming the entire temple complex into a vast a sea of intense blues, reds and greens. Held on the 24th of the 25 days, the Ther festival is the biggest night, when an enormous chariot is pulled around the town by huge crowds of sarong-clad men; on the following day, particularly enthusiastic devotees mortify themselves by driving skewers through their bodies in honour of the god as they make their way to the shrine accompanied by drumming and piping, stopping periodically to dance en route. Even more extraordinary are the devotees who, using skewers driven through their backs, suspend themselves from poles. These poles are then attached to the front of trucks and tractors, and the devotees are driven through town to the temple, dangling in front of their vehicle like bait on a fishing line. Supplicants who perform these self-mortifications believe that the god will protect them from any sense of pain. Many also carry a kavadi, the distinctive symbol of Murugam (or Kataragama), a semicircular yoke, placed across the shoulders, with peacock feathers at either end.
By bike or motorbike These can be hired from Sri Lanka Click tours and from a number of guesthouses around town including D’Villa and Morgans for around Rs.500/day and Rs.1500/day respectively.
By tour Sri Lanka Click (447 Stanley Rd, 077 848 8800, srilankaclick.com) offer a wide range of insightful tours led by local guide Mohan – easily the best way of exploring the tricky-to-reach sights around Jaffna and beyond. Trips include half-day tours of Jaffna city (either by bike or vehicle) and a combined tour of Nainativu and Kayts islands, while full-day tours include jaunts around the eastern and western sides of the Jaffna peninsula, trips to Delft island, plus epic excursions to Mannar and Mullaitivu (the latter a 330km round trip usually done by car, although it’s also possible to do it by motorbike). Tours start from around Rs.5000 for a half day.
Aster Guest House 744 Hospital Rd 021 221 9591; map. Small guesthouse with a handful of clean, modern rooms at a very competitive price (although with hot water only in a couple of rooms). They also have bikes and scooters for hire, but no food available. Rs.2000, a/c Rs.3000
D’Villa Guest House 6 Pentecostal Lane (the small side road opposite the Ceylon Pentecostal Mission), off Kandy Rd 021 720 0444, dvillajaffna.lk; map. The best budget option in town, squirrelled away in a quiet residential side street with just five simple but very comfortable little a/c rooms with hot water and TV, plus bikes and scooters for hire and all the local advice you need from super-helpful owner Dilan. Brilliant value. There’s also a second sister property, the D’Villa Garden House, close by, at similar rates. Rs.2500
Green Grass Hotel 33 Aseervatham Lane, off Hospital Rd 021 222 4385, jaffnagreengrass.com; map. Large hotel right next to the train station with boxy and rather battered a/c rooms – overpriced, although the in-house bar and a good-sized pool compensate if you don’t mind a bit of noise from after-dark boozers. Rs.4400
Jaffna Heritage Hotel 195 Temple Rd 021 222 2424, jaffnaheritage.com; map. Smart, modern hotel given a modest “heritage” look thanks to a garnish of traditional wooden shutters, furniture and other decorative trimmings, plus a small pool and restaurant. Nice enough, although a bit pricey at current rates. B&B $80
Jetwing Jaffna 37 Mahathma Gandhi Rd 021 221 5571, jetwinghotels.com; map. A sign of the rapidly changing times in Jaffna, this upmarket new hotel by Sri Lanka’s leading hotel group boasts stylish, modern rooms in a brilliantly central location (with great views from higher floors), plus an excellent restaurant and rooftop bar – although no pool. Good value, given the quality. B&B $115
Kais Guest House 69 Colombogam Rd 021 222 7229, kaisguesthouse.com; map. Old-world Jaffna style at a very affordable price, with just three neat rooms (optional a/c for Rs.500 extra) in a lovely old colonial villa. B&B Rs.3000
Lux Etoiles 34 Chetty Street Lane 021 222 3966, luxetoiles.com; map. Run-of-the-mill hotel with plain, poky and overpriced a/c rooms but above-average facilities including a passable restaurant, bar and a large (albeit rather drab) covered pool. Rs.4700
Morgan’s Guest House 215 Temple Rd 021 222 3666 or 077 635 1719; map. Morgan’s is one of those places that seems to have been around forever, but just gets better and better with age. Set in a lovingly maintained colonial villa with bags of character, the four a/c rooms here are full of understated old-school charm, while the setting, almost in the shadow of the Nallur Temple, can hardly be beaten. The owner also has scooters for rent and can arrange tours of the city and peninsula in his own vehicle (Rs.6000/day). Not surprisingly rooms go fast, so book well in advance. Rs.4500
Old Park Villa 76 Kandy Rd 021 222 3790, oldparkvillajaffna.com; map. Spacious – if slightly bare – a/c rooms in a gracious old villa with big windows, high ceilings and thick mattresses, plus a simple in-house restaurant. That said, rates are on the high side and slight road noise (and a faint smell of mothballs) intrudes. Rs.6600
Theresa Inn 72 Racca Rd 071 222 8615, theresainnjaffna.com; map. Not the most inspiring place in town, but very competitively priced, with bright, modern tiled rooms and optional a/c for a modest Rs.750 extra. Rs.2250
The Thinnai 86 Palaly Rd 021 203 0400, thethinnai.com; map. On the northern edge of town around 3km from the centre, this cool resort offers relatively luxurious lodgings in a laid-back setting – although a bit of a way from most places of interest. Accommodation is in forty-odd brightly coloured suites and apartments arranged around neat courtyard gardens – more expensive ones come with their own kitchen, lounge and even plunge pool. Facilities include a decent-sized pool plus buffet and à la carte restaurants. $120
There aren’t many culinary frills in Jaffna – although the opening of the new Jetwing Jaffna hotel has finally given the town centre one decent upscale restaurant at least. It’s also the only one of the places listed below which serves alcohol, although Cosy are happy for you to bring your own.
Cosy Restaurant Stanley Rd 021 222 7100; map. Huge array of competently prepared North Indian meat and veg dishes (most mains around Rs.400–450), plus assorted Chinese offerings and a few local Jaffna-style mains. Tandoori meat dishes and breads are the speciality (evenings from 6pm only), prepared in the restaurant’s tandoor oven. Unlicensed, although you can bring your own booze (no corkage). Daily 11am–11pm.
Jetwing Jaffna 37 Mahathma Gandhi Rd 021 221 5571; map. The beautiful restaurant at this suave new hotel brings a welcome dash of culinary class to Jaffna’s threadbare dining options, served up in a beautiful room stuffed full with traditional wooden furniture. Food includes a good selection of North Indian meat and veg classics alongside richly spiced Jaffna-style soups and curries and assorted Western dishes plus – a real surprise this – a dedicated vegan menu. Mains Rs.1000–1500. Daily noon to 2.30pm & 7–10.30pm.
Lingam Cream House 119 Kasturiya Rd, lingamcoolbar.com; map. An enjoyable town-centre rival to the better-known Rio’s, dishing up assorted fluorescent flavours of local ice cream in colourful pea-green premises. Daily 8.30am–8.30pm.
Malayan Café 36–38 Grand Bazaar, Bazaar North Rd; map. Time-warped slice of traditional Jaffna, with a lovely old wood-panelled dining room constantly busy with locals filling up on bargain rice and curry served up on glossy banana leaves (deposit your leaf in the “Used Banana Leaf” chute by the washbasins once finished). Daily 7am–8pm.
Mangos 359 Temple Road 021 222 8294; map. Just north of the Nallur Kandaswamy Temple, this big, barn-like vegetarian restaurant has functional furnishings but first-rate food including a big selection of north Indian mains (Rs.500–800) alongside inexpensive South Indian dosas (Rs.300-400) and Sri Lankan kottu rotty in the evenings, plus juices, shakes and ice creams. Big portions and plenty of flavour. Daily 8–10.30am, 11am–3.30pm & 5.30–10.30pm.
Rio’s Ice Cream Behind the Nallur Temple; map. One of a number of colourful ice-cream parlours around the back of the Nallur Temple, this perenially popular Jaffna institution serves up big helpings of ice cream (around Rs.80) in unusual flavours. Daily 8am–10pm.
Hotel Rolex 340 Hospital Rd 021 222 2808; map. Cheery little café near the bus station offering a range of food including rice and curry, burianis and devilled chicken and fish (mains around Rs.300) served up from the buffet counter at the front. Daily 6.30am–10pm.
Jaffna is one of the dryest towns in Sri Lanka. Apart from the places listed below, options are limited to the nondescript bars at the Lux Etoiles and Tilko Jaffna City Hotel.
Green Grass Hotel 33 Aseervatham Lane, off Hospital Rd 021 222 4385; map. Away from the centre, this shady garden restaurant-cum-bar is the nicest place for a drink on the east side of the centre, although the food is nothing to write home about. Daily 11am–11pm.
Jetwing Jaffna Rooftop Bar 37 Mahathma Gandhi Rd 021 221 5571; map. The bar that Jaffna has been crying out for all these years. The view alone is worth the price of a tipple, stretching lagoonwards on one side past the clocktower and library and inland on the other, with much of the town below almost invisible beneath a blanket of palm trees save for assorted temple towers rising out of a sea of green. Good drinks list, too, and given the setting prices are refreshingly reasonable, especially during the 4–8pm happy hour, with draught beer at just Rs.200 a pull. Daily 11.30am–10pm.
The agricultural hinterland of Jaffna town – and the source of much of its former prosperity – is the Jaffna Peninsula, a fertile arc of land crisscrossed with a lattice of small country roads and lined with endless walled gardens and smallholdings in which the peninsula’s famed mangos are grown, along with a wide variety of other crops including chillies, onions, bananas, jackfruit and grapes. Physically the peninsula is virtually an island, and culturally it feels almost completely detached from the rest of the country – and, indeed, the rest of the north – having always been far more densely populated than the more arid lands of the Vanni further south.
The 20km journey north of Jaffna across the peninsula to the opposite coast at Keerimalai offers a good taste of the peninsula’s rural scenery and combines a number of attractions en route, including the fine temples of Maviddapuram and Naguleswaram, the enigmatic dagobas of Kantharodai and the hot springs at Keerimalai itself.
Daily 24hr • Free
About 10km north of Jaffna, and 2km west of the village of Chunnakam on the main road to Kankesanthurai (KKS), lies the curious archeological site of Kantharodai – an unusual huddle of around twenty miniature dagobas, ranging in height from one to three metres and crammed together in a small plot along with the unexcavated bases of many other dagobas. The site is quite unlike anything else in Sri Lanka, and is of great antiquity, dating back at least two thousand years, though no one can quite agree on its exact purpose – a popular theory is that the dagobas enshrine the remains of Buddhist monks; others claim that they are “votive” dagobas erected in fulfilment of answered prayers.
Around 20km north of Jaffna, next to the turn-off to Keerimalai, stands the imposing Maviddapuram Kandaswamy Temple. It is said to have been commissioned by a grateful Pandyan princess, a certain Maruthapura Veeravalli, whose face is supposed to have borne an unfortunate resemblance to a horse until a dip in the nearby Keerimalai hot springs (see below) restored the lady to her true beauty.
Right on the coast some 2km north of Maviddapuram Kandaswamy Temple, and next to the Keerimalai hot springs, is the grand Naguleswaram Temple, one of Sri Lanka’s five holiest Shiva temples, the pancha iswaram. The original temple was destroyed by the Portuguese in 1620, rebuilt in the late nineteenth century, and then largely destroyed again by Sri Lankan Army shells in 1990. Reconstruction work continues apace.
A few metres beyond the Naguleswaram Temple on the peninsula’s northern shore are the Keerimalai hot springs, whose therapeutic powers have been recognized since the time of the Mahabharata: Pandyan princess Maruthapura Veeravalli and a local Indian holy man, Nagula Muni – whose austerities had given his features the appearance of a mongoose (keeri) – both found cures here. Locals flock here to bathe, following in their footsteps, in the neat little concrete pool overlooking the ocean in which the springs have been captured, while fine beaches stretch away on either side.
From Keerimalai a syvlan country road hugs the northern coast of the peninsula, running west to Karaitivu. About 8km west of Keerimalai a rare (for Jaffna) Buddhist temple, the Sri Sangamitta Vihara, marks the spot where, according to legend, Sangamitta, daughter of the great Indian emperor Asoka, landed in around 246 BC. A stylized miniature boat floating in the middle of a small pond and a statue of the princess commemorate the historic event.
Arrowing northeast across the peninsula, the congested AB20 highway connects Jaffna with the peninsula’s second-largest town, Point Pedro. About 8km from Jaffna, right next to the highway, is the Nilavarai Well. Despite its unexciting appearance, the well is traditionally believed to have been the work of Rama himself, who created it by sticking an arrow into the ground to assuage his thirst. Its waters are said to be bottomless and appear to be somehow connected directly to the sea: the water is fresh near the top, but becomes increasingly salty the deeper you go.
From here it’s another twenty-odd kilometres to the bustling little town of POINT PEDRO (PPD), at the extreme northeastern tip of the Jaffna Peninsula. There’s not much to see here – the town’s only real sight (and not a very exciting one at that) is the Theru Moodi Madam, a traditional travellers’ rest house comprising a roofed stone archway, with pillared shelters to either side, built across a road on the east side of town.
Just east of here Point Pedro Lighthouse (no photography) marks the most northerly point in Sri Lanka.
Due west of Point Pedro, the fishing village of VELVETTITURAI (widely abbreviated to VVT) is best known as the birthplace of the former leader of the LTTE, Velupillai Prabhakaran, although the house in which he was born has now been demolished.
On the east side of the village lies a large Amman Temple, whose festival in April draws enormous crowds. Immediately behind this is a second large temple, dedicated to Shiva, which was formerly owned by Prabakharan’s family and which the rebel leader often visited as a child.
Around 5km south of Point Pedro, the village of VALLIPURAM was formerly one of the peninsula’s principal towns, and is still home to its second largest temple: a sprawling, rustic complex which is thought to date back to the first century AD. It’s also one of the very few in Sri Lanka dedicated to Vishnu, who according to legend appeared here in the form of a fish.
To the southeast of Vallipuram is the so-called Manalkadu Desert, a rather far-fetched name for a small range of coastal sand dunes. You may be able to find the remains of St Anthony’s Church, built around 1900 and now picturesquely half-buried in the sand. From the church there’s a clear view of the strange and melancholy seafront cemetery nearby, with dozens of crosses stuck into the top of the dunes marking the graves of locals, most of whom perished in the tsunami; the fateful date 2004.12.26 is written on cross after cross.
There are regular buses between Jaffna and Point Pedro (every 30min; 1hr), as well as other towns around the peninsula, plus a few trains between Jaffna, Chunnakam and Kankesanthurai (KKS). To get to most of these places, however, you’ll really need your own transport. Morgan’s Guest House is a good place to arrange a car, and most places can also be easily (if less comfortably) reached by tuktuk. Easiest of all is to take a tour with Sri Lanka Click, who offer two in-depth full-day tours of the eastern and western sides of the peninsula.
There’s very little accommodation around the Jaffna peninsula, although a new guesthouse in Kankesanthurai (KKS), the D’Villa Beach House, (launched by the owner of the excellent D’Villa Guest House in Jaffna), should have opened by the time you read this. Avoid the army-owned and operated Thalsevana Holiday Resort, also near KKS, allegedly built on land stolen by the military – and also a truly awful hotel.
Margosa Bongo Stay Putur Rd, Chunnakam, around 10km north of Jaffna 021 224 0242; map. Smooth boutique guesthouse out in the countryside roughly halfway between Jaffna and the north coast of the peninsula, offering tranquil rural lodgings in a stylishly updated colonial villa. $100
West of Jaffna, a string of islands drift out into the waters of the Palk Strait towards India. Two of them – Kayts and Karaitivu – virtually join up with the mainland, to which they’re connected by causeways, while Kayts itself is connected to Punkudutivu, further west. Punkudutivu is the starting point for ferries to Nainativu, home to two important religious shrines, and the remote island of Delft – it’s possible to visit both in a single, albeit long, day.
Specific sights are relatively few and far between on the islands. The real point and pleasure of a trip here is in the journey itself, and in the subtle but memorable land- and seascapes, with the flat and largely uninhabited islands merging almost imperceptibly with the shallow blue waters of the Jaffna lagoon and Palk Strait.
Kayts (pronounced “Kites”; also known locally as Velanai and occasionally by its old Dutch name of Leiden) is the largest of the islands and the closest to Jaffna – its eastern tip lies just over the lagoon from Jaffna town and is reached via a causeway through very shallow water. Like the other islands, Kayts is only lightly populated and largely devoid of buildings – a pancake-flat expanse studded with innumerable palmyra palms and a succession of imposing Hindu temples standing in proud isolation in the middle of empty countryside. There’s also a modest sliver of sand at Chatty (aka Charty) Beach, close to Velanai town on the southern side of the island.
At the far (western) end of the island is KAYTS town (actually little more than a sleepy village), where you’ll find the beautiful nineteenth-century St James Church – the facade bears the date 1716, but the building actually dates from 1815. Roofless for many years, the church was beautifully restored in 2015 and now looks as good as new.
Just beyond the village lie the scant remains of Urundi Fort, also known as Fort Eyrie, although the ruins lie within the grounds of a naval base and are now off limits to visitors. Urundi and Hammenhiel forts were originally built by the Portuguese to control this entrance to the Jaffna lagoon, though the Dutch neglected Urundi, concentrating their defences in Hammenhiel – of which there’s a beautiful view from here.
The most northerly of the islands, Karaitivu is reached by road some 12km north of Jaffna. En route to the island, 10km from Jaffna at the village of Vaddukoddai, you’ll pass the barn-like Portuguese church, in whose churchyard are 27 tombstones, moved here for safekeeping from the Groote Kerk in Jaffna fort. Most are Dutch colonial; the oldest dates back to 1666. Around 5km further down the road, just before the causeway to Karaitivu, is the Punnalai Varatharaja Perumal Kovil, dedicated to Vishnu and one of the peninsula’s two oldest temples. The shrine holds an ancient stone tortoise which was apparently fished ashore here.
Catch a bus from Jaffna to Karainagar (every 30min; 1hr) and alight at the junction with Sivan Kovil Rd about 500m before you reach Karainagar, from where you can catch a tuktuk for the final 2km to the beach itself
On the north coast of Karaitivu itself is Casuarina Beach, the peninsula’s best and most popular patch of sand – although it’s not particularly clean. Swimming is safe (though the water is shallow), and facilities include a couple of cafés, toilets and plenty of sunshades and benches under the eponymous Casuarina trees which dot the shore.
Just off the southern tip of the island, appearing to float magically in the waters of the lagoon between Karaitivu and Kayts, is Hammenhiel Fort, now converted into an upmarket hotel. Its name, literally “Heel of Ham”, refers to the prosaic old Dutch belief that Sri Lanka resembled a leg of ham.
By bus Buses leave Jaffna’s bus station roughly every 30min to Kayts and Karainagar, the main village on Karaitivu, from Jaffna’s bus station; the journey to either takes around 1hr.
By ferry An antiquated chain ferry (foot passengers and bikes/motorbikes only) runs between Kayts town and Karaitivu (12 daily 6.20am–6.15pm; 10min).
Fort Hammenhiel Resort 011 381 8215, forthammenhielresort.lk; map. Owned and operated by the Sri Lankan Navy, this historic fort is one of the island’s more unusual places to stay, with four neatly modernized a/c rooms. Access is by boat only, taking a few minutes to cross the water from the jetty on Karaitivu, where you’ll also find a shiny, modern restaurant and bar. Non-guests can visit for a meal, although the boat trip alone costs a rather pricey Rs.3000. $110
Tilko Charty Beach Resort Charty Beach, Velanai 077 343 8373; map. Functional resort, with big, bare a/c rooms in a cluster of cabanas set among pleasant gardens, right next to Chatty Beach. Rs.5500
The island of Punkudutivu lies southwest of Kayts, to which it’s connected by a 4km causeway through very shallow water – looking out of the windows of your vehicle while crossing will give you the bizarre illusion that you’re driving across the top of the sea. The road across the island reveals constantly shifting vistas of sea and land, passing tiny country hamlets and a succession of large Hindu temples, often the only buildings to be seen in this very rural landscape – as throughout the Jaffna region, the number and size of these shrines seems completely out of proportion with the island’s very modest number of inhabitants. At the end of the road, a tiny jetty on the island’s western side at the village of Kurikadduwan is the departure point for boats to Nainativu and Delft.
A couple of kilometres west of Punkudutivu is the small island of Nainativu, just 4km from top to bottom and barely more than a kilometre wide. Immediately in front of the ferry jetty is the ornate Naga Pooshani Ambal Kovil, a Hindu temple sacred to the goddess Ambal; newborn babies are brought here to receive the goddess’s blessings. The original temple was, as usual, destroyed by the Portuguese, and the large and impressive complex you see today dates from 1788; the gopuram was added in 1935. Thousands of people attend a major festival here in June/July.
A ten-minute walk south of here leads to the Nagadipa Vihara, a rare place of Buddhist worship in the Hindu north. This marks the spot of the Buddha’s second legendary visit to Sri Lanka, when he is said to have achieved the reconciliation of two warring naga kings. A rather modest little temple marks the spot; the building next to it houses a superb golden Buddha from Thailand. The temple sits within an area used by the Sri Lankan Navy, so you’ll have to talk your way through a checkpoint to visit.
By bus Buses run daily roughly every hour from Jaffna to Kurikadduwan (KKD) village on Punkudutivu, taking around 1hr 30min.
By ferry Ferries run from KKD to Nainativu every 30min or so from 7.30am until 5.30pm, taking around 15min to make the crossing.
By the time you reach the island of DELFT, some 20km southwest of Punkudutivu, you’ll begin to feel you’re a very long way from the rest of Sri Lanka – from the western tip of the island on a clear day, you can occasionally see the communications mast in Rameswaram, 40km distant over the water in India. Named after the famous Dutch town (although better known locally by its Tamil name of Neduntivu), the island was occupied, despite its remoteness, by all three colonial powers. It’s a place of bleak, minimalist beauty, crisscrossed with coral-rock walls and boasting an unusual population of wild ponies, the descendants of animals first introduced by the Portuguese – they’re found mainly in the southern centre of the island.
Pick up a tuktuk at the ferry dock for a tour of Delft’s eclectic smattering of sights (around Rs.1500 for 2hr). A short distance west of the ferry dock, behind the island’s hospital, lie the remains of an old Dutch fort and hospital and, nearby, a quaint little dovecote-like “pigeon tower”. South of the ferry dock is a rare African baobab tree, thought to have been planted by Arab seamen. You’ll probably also be shown the island’s famous growing stone on the eastern side of the island, currently standing at a little over 1m tall and said to be steadily increasing in size. There’s also a nice beach just east of the fort.
Some 30km southwest of Delft lies the tiny island of Kachchativu, used as a base by passing Sri Lankan and Indian fishermen but otherwise uninhabited, inaccessible and boasting just a single man-made structure, the church of St Anthony – Sri Lanka’s most isolated building and almost as close to India as to Jaffna.
By bus and ferry Buses leave Jaffna every 30min for the 1hr 30min journey to Kurikadduwan (KKD) village on Punkudutivu, from where the ferry departs for Delft. There are usually three boats daily, leaving KKD at 8am, 9.30am and 1.30pm, and returning from Delft at 11am, 2.30pm and 4.30pm at the time of writing (although timings change regularly – check latest times locally before setting out). The crossing costs Rs.100 and takes around 1hr – seas can be rough and the ferry hot (there’s no cover) and overcrowded. The ferry docks in the island’s northeast corner.
By tour Sri Lanka Click offer useful full-day tours to Delft, taking the headache out of getting there and around.
Delft Samudra Hotel Maveli Periyathurai Rd 021 221 5282; map. If you want to spend a night in Sri Lanka’s remotest hotel, this is your place, with a neat circle of simple but spotless modern rooms arranged around an incongruously fancy fountain. $50
