Jaffna was once a tragic territory where the travelers even did not dare to think of going. Neither foreign nor local travelers stepped into that arena where the most horrendous civil war was happening. However, after the end of the civil war, Jaffna became a huge tourist attraction because the fear of war and death was eliminated. Even though the area of Jaffna is densely populated by Tamils, any person from any ethnicity, country, religion are cordially welcome by the beautiful people in this territory. Even though the palmyrah groves, grape orchards, the smell of flower garlands, the smell of laddu and sweets, and the kovil prayers make the land of Jaffna an attractive place now, Vishmi Travels invites our travelers not to forget the gruesome past of the lives sacrificed on this very land. Whenever you visit Jaffna, do not forget to pay homage to the deceased in a horrific war. Tragedy aside, Vishmi Travels invites all the travel lovers around the world to see the culturally significant Jaffna peninsula with places like Nallur Kovil, Jaffna Public Library, Nagadeepa, Kadurugoda Temple, Dambakola Patuna and so on. You won’t go without seeing a lot of places that will add interesting stuff to your travel vlog. Jaffna does not have a shortage of visiting places and beauty.
Location
Jaffna, also known as Jaffnapatnam is situated within 396km from Colombo metropolitan. It is situated in the Jaffna Peninsula, the north edge of Sri Lanka’s geographical location. Reaching Jaffna is not difficult now because the railways and the roads to Northern Province are duly maintained by the government of Sri Lanka. Because of the significance of the place, Jaffna had been a huge commercial attraction during the colonial period as well. The zone is dry and you will be able to see large palmyrah groves once you travel along the roads of Jaffna.
Places to visit in Jaffna
Nallur Kovil
This is one of the significant tourist attractions in Jaffna, Nallur Kovil is a paramount religious place for Tamils. Nallur Kovil is world famous because the Tamil diaspora has given the same name for the Kovils built in foereign countries. This is not open only for Tamils. Anybody can go and obtain the blessings of gods of Hindu religion. Hindu is a polytheist religion. Apart from Nallur kovil, Naguleswaram temple, Maviddapuram Kandaswamy Temple, Maruthanamadam Anjaneyar Temple are also Hindu religious places from where you can get blessings.
Jaffna Fort
This was built by the Portuguese in 1618 during the colonial period. There are several constructions in the fort. They are, Queen’s house, police quarters, Kruys Church and the Garrison Parade Ground.
Casuarina Beach
This is situated in Karainagar, Jaffna. If you are a beach lover, you don’t have to worry because Jaffna has got a beautiful beach with white sands.
Dambakola Patuna
This is mainly significant to Buddhists because Arhat Sangamitta Teree landed on Sri Lanka with the right branch of the Sri Maha Bodhi right here in Dambakola Patuna. This is a calm and peaceful environment as well.
Jaffna Public Library
If somebody says Jaffna Public library is a phoenix, that would be the most suitable metaphor for Jaffna Public library. It was built around 1933 and was one of the biggest public libraries in Asia. It had a collection of valuable readings. However, at the time when Sri Lanka was going towards its darkest times in 1981, the library was burnt to ashes by Sinhalese mobs destroying a national treasure. However, it was rebuilt but during the civil war it was occupied by the LTTE cadres. During the civil war, it again was damaged to a certain extent. During the regime of Chandrika Bandaranaike, the library was renovated. However, if you visit Jaffna Public Library you will witness the traces of a gruesome history which cannot be forgotten.
Kandarodai
This is also known as Kadurugoda Viharaya. This claims to be one of the last temples in the lands of Jaffna. The significance is, there are around 20 stupas in this place in different sizes. The smallest is 8ft in its diameter and the largest is 23.5ft. It is said that this place was built during the reign of King Dewanampiyatissa. This has an archaeological value because of the uniqueness of its construction. And, history says these stupas contain the relics of Arhat monks.
Nagadeepa Raja Maha Viharaya
This is situated in a place surrounded by the sea. This is one of the historical religious places for Buddhists. Nagadeepa is situated in proximity to Punkduthiv island and other small islands in the Northern Province. Don’t miss the opportunity of paying a visit to the islands Nainativ and Delft also. Naga Pooshani Amman Kovil is also a must visit if you are in Nagadeepa.
Subramaniam Park
As said before, Jaffna has all types of visiting places. This park was built in the 1950s with the funds of the physician, S. Subramaniam. During the civil war, this park too was demolished but UNESCO and local philanthropists donated funds to rebuild the place. Now, you can walk peacefully in this park.
St. Mary’s Cathedral Jaffna
This is in Gurunagar, Jaffna. The construction of the cathedral dates back to the eighteenth century. As you can see, Jaffna is a land of harmony of religions because other religions are allowed to exist along with the Hindu religion, the religion of the majority in the area.
Nilavarai Bottomless Well
This is a natural underground well. The water in this well never drain. Even though the name Jaffna creates a dry picture in travelers’ minds, it is a fertile land.
Archaeological Museum , Jaffna
This is situated in Nallur. The collections in the museum are from Hindu and Buddhist religions.
Apart from all these, the abundance of food items of Tamils and products made out of Palmyrah will add another novel experience to your travel journey.
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