JAFFNA
Jaffna is the capital of Northern Province of Sri Lanka. It is the Jaffna District administrative headquarters situated on a peninsula of the same name. Jaffna is the 12th most populous town in Sri Lanka with a population of 88,138 in 2012. Jaffna is about six miles (9.7 kilometers) from Kandarodai, which was used as an emporium from the classical antiquity in the Jaffna peninsula. Jaffna’s Nallur suburb served as the capital of the medieval Jaffna Kingdom, which lasted four centuries.
ATTRACTIONS IN JAFFNA
NALLUR KANDASWAMY KOVIL
Nallur Kandaswamy Kovil is an important Hindu temple, situated in Nallur, Northern Province, Sri Lanka. The leading deity is Lord Murugan or Katharagama Deviyo in the form of the holy’ Vel’ in the Sanctum, the primary shrine, and in other forms such as Shanmugar, Muthukumaraswami, Valli Kaanthar with Valli and Deivayanai consorts, and Thendayuthapani, without consorts in the temple’s secondary shrines.
JAFFNA PUBLIC LIBRARY
The Jaffna Library was first constructed in 1933 and has been a sign of northern culture for a long time. The library, underlined by its now restored classical architecture, also suffered a terrible burning in 1981–a time when it housed nearly 100,000 books and manuscripts, making it one of Asia’s biggest libraries.
NAINATIVU NAGAPOOSHANI AMMAN TEMPLE
Nainativu Nagapooshani Amman Temple is an ancient and historic Hindu temple on the island of Nainativu, Sri Lanka, surrounded by the Palk Strait. It is devoted to Parvati, known as Nagapooshani or Bhuvaneswari, and her consort, Shiva, called Nayinaar here. The fame of the temple is accredited to Adi Shankaracharya, a Hindu philosopher of the 9th century, for defining it in Shakti Peetha Stotram as one of the prominent 64 Shakti Peethams and its mention in Brahmanda Purana.
ELEPHANT PASS
Elephant Pass, Northern Province, Sri Lanka is situated in the gateway of Jaffna Peninsula. There are about 340km north from capital of Colombo. It has a significant military base and used to be the island’s largest salt field. It has regularly been the site of battles during the civil war.
KAYTS CAUSEWAY
A string of tiny islands extends west of Jaffna, pointing towards India, mostly connected to the continent by roads built up from the shallow water.