Jaffna
Jaffna Peninsula
Almost everything on the palm can be used by man, most obviously the trunks but also Jaffna is remarkable for its elegant fences or rather screens with their repeating designs of fans standing side by side on the boundaries of properties. Best time to visit is towards end of the year when the lagoons are filled with water, the paddy fields and vegetation are lush green, the air is cooler and the migrant birds including Flamingos, ducks and other water birds line the lagoons in their thousands. Birding season in the Jaffna peninsula is from about September to March. Physically and culturally the peninsula is almost an island, almost completely separate from the rest of the country, and has always been far more thickly populated than the more arid lands of the Vanni further south.
Jaffna is a city on the northern tip of Sri Lanka. It is the administrative headquarters of the Jaffna district located on a peninsula of the same name. Prior to the Sri Lankan civil war, it was Sri Lanka’s second most populated city after the commercial capital Colombo. Jaffna has undergone much hardship due to terrorism and, ultimately, a full-scale war between the LTTE and the Sri Lankan armed forces which ended a 26-year conflict. The trauma will remain for years, but since 2009, the people of Jaffna are rebuilding their lives with renewed hope. After Sri Lanka gained independence 1948, the political relationship between the minority Sri Lankan Tamils and majority Sinhalese worsened and after the Black July pogrom, civil war erupted in 1983. The rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) occupied Jaffna in 1986 and from 1989 until 1995. According to records reviewed by the Portuguese, during the Dutch era Jaffna was populated by the south Indians brought into the peninsula for the cultivation of Tobacco. Historically, Jaffna has been a contested city. It was made into a colonial port town during the Portuguese occupation of the Jaffna peninsula in 1619. The Dutch took it from the Portuguese, only to lose it to the British in 1796. . Today the Jaffna peninsula is inhabited mainly by the Tamils. The majority of the city’s population is Sri Lankan Tamils, although there was a significant number of Sri Lankan Moors, Indian Tamils and other ethnic groups present in the city prior to the civil war. Most Sri Lankan Tamils are Hindus followed by Christians, Muslims and a small Buddhist minority. Situated at the northern tip of Sri Lanka, the Jaffna peninsula is steeped in history. Explore Jaffna town and surrounding areas, or visit one of seven inhabited remote islands. The landscape is dotted with Palmyra Palms and lagoons where flamingos flock after the rains.
The temperature is at its highest during April/May and August/September. The North East monsoon rains are between Octobers to January. The agricultural hinterland of Jaffna town, a fertile arc of land crises-crossed 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. The palmyrah palm tree, known as panay or panam in Tamil and tal gaha in Sinhala. It is common to the Jaffna district with about two thirds of the 10 million palms in Sri Lanka found here. There are two varieties which give either black or red skinned fruit.
Point Pedro
Point Pedro lies near the most northerly point of the island of Sri Lanka facing the immense Bay of Bengal, Point Pedro, believed to have named after the Dutch sailor, who found it to be the north most corner of the country, Punta das Pedras which means Stony or Rocky Point. Just ten minutes away from point Pedro is the lighthouse, standing 31-meter tall. The lighthouse is slightly on the east of the town. It looms into view from afar, white in striking contrast to the bright blue skies. Built in 1931 to guide passing boats and ships, its light is believed to have been powerful enough to extend 10 nautical miles into sea. However, it has only been used till the 1990s and today stands more of a monument than a navigation aid. Today is stands inside the point Pedro naval base unwelcoming visitors and accompanied by who soar high around its peak. The beach here is pleasant and you can enjoy a swim, not so much in front of the town but after the Light-house in towards the East.
Nallur Kovil Jaffna
Nallur is a occupied village located about 3km south of the city centre of Jaffna. There were tanks at Nallur brimming with water yet weren’t used by many. He has narrated that the lovely purple flowers growing on these tanks were called ‘Manel Mal’ (Purple Lotus). Nallur, according to Portuguese sources, had a great Sinhala population. A Muslim Mosque did once stand at Nallur, till it was burned and destroyed by the Catholic Padre of Jaffna during the early 1600’s. Portuguese have well recorded their battles in Jaffna against the Sinhalese, Muslims and Vadukas at Nallur.
Nagadeepa Viharaya
Graced by the presence of Lord Buddha on his second visit to Sri Lanka merely five years after attaining enlightens to make peace between two warring Naga Kings, Nagadeepa Purana Raja Maha Viharaya is among the sixteen most venerated Buddhist pilgrim locations in the island. The temple situated in the island of Nagadeepawhich, one of the islands in a cluster that is situated close to the western coast of the Jaffna peninsula with Palk Strait shaping around it. The Image House next to the stupa features a fine golden Buddhist statue. However the Stupa was constructed nearly 2700 years ago by the two Naga Kings, Chulodara and Mahodara, whose dispute over the gem adorned golden throne, was settled peacefully by Lord Buddha on the day of dark moon in the month of April. In gratitude the throne was offered to the lord Buddha, was returned to the Naga Kings and was later enshrined in the Rajayathana stupa. However the end of the war had revived the pilgrimage to Nagadeepa and the temple and its surrounding is blooming under the sponsorship of visitors and the Sri Lankan Army. The newly dawned peace had revived this sacred ground on which a war was prevented and peace was made by the greatest human nearly three millennia back.
Nilavarai
Located at a crossroad, this beautiful natural well with its amazing aquamarine colour is said to be endless, with salt water in its depths attesting to its link to the sea. Legend says that this is the place where Rama, the Hero of the Indian Hindu epic Ramayana, stopped to rest and finding himself thirsty plunged his arrow into the ground at which point water came spurting out. This well has ever since provided a never-ending provider of fresh water.
Delft Island
Delft is the island furthest of the Jaffna peninsula, with the exception of the unoccupied island of Kachchative, which is further 30km southwest of Jaffna. This island is named as Delft in the Admiralty Chart unlike the other islands, whose names are Tamil. The island’s area is 50 km² and it is approximately oval-shaped. Its length is 8 km and its maximum width about 6 km. Delft was occupied by all three colonial powers in Ceylon in succession. The bleak and barren landscape devoid of wood with the exception of a single stumpy Baobab Tree, scattered with coral-rock walls is populated by throngs of wild ponies, off spring of the horses brought into the island by Portuguese. In the western coast of the island there are remains of a 1000-year-old temple built by the Chola Dynasty, as well as the ruins of a Dutch colonial fort. The water is slightly salty, and it is taken from shallow wells using buckets made from Palmyra palm leaves. Houses are fenced by coral-stones piled up or by palmyrah leaves, which gives to Delft its particular aspect. The island was named after the Dutch city of Delft by Rijckloff van Goens. Visitors should take the ferry from Kurikattuwan to the southern tip of Pungudutivu while the journey takes about 1 hour. It has a haunting beauty which is made even more appealing when you find that its barren plains are populated with wild horses, descendants of forebears abandoned there in the Dutch period. The most pleasant season is probably July to August when the rough weather has subsided yet you are welcomed with a slight breeze. January and February are cooler like in the rest of the island but January can be wet.
Popular attractions in the Delft Island
Baobab Tree – The Baobab is native to Ethiopia and is found widely in central Africa and has long since been naturalized in India. Baobab trees are the longest-lived species on earth. The Baobab trees are another legacy of the Portuguese who brought it here for medicinal purposes for the horses. This tree amazingly found on the island of Delft stands isolated in its splendor. It has a short stubby trunk of enormous girth and can be just as tall as it is wide. It is capped with a small crown of spindly root-like branches which are almost leafless. There are several Baobab trees in the island, each believed to be 300-400 years old. One in particular is unique as the trunk has a hollow large enough to walk into.The fibers of the bark can be used to make rope and cloth and its fruits are edible while the leaves too can be eaten. Their trunks can be hollowed out without killing the trees.
Old Buddha Sthupa – In a corner of the island, the base of a stupa is found along with the remnants of four subordinate stupas surrounding it. Legend has it that this was the location where ArhatSangamittaTheri rested during her voyage to the island carrying the sacred sapling of the Bo tree. The stupa is said to have been built by the Buddhists who resided in the island at that time. Situated closed to the sea the location also provides a panoramic view to the distant sea and beyond,
Dutch Fort – Once a Portuguese strong hold and a feared prison, the Delft Island Fort stands in ruins today. It was recorded to be a very complicated two storied edifice, full of long narrow corridors and little square rooms. This small fort, made from coral and now in ruins, was probably located here due to the favorable mooring facilities offered by the bay for old vessels and its easy landing facilities, since the other coasts of the island were showing to the open sea. In one corner of the fort had been the dungeon, a small square room, with a floor below ground level without any door, and having only one small window most important into the interior of the fort. The prisoners had been pushed in through this little opening or let down through a trapdoor in the floor above, and could have got out only by means of a rope many meeting their death in this little chamber. In its relatively well preserved state, it is easy to imagine the Portuguese soldiers living in hard situation far from home on this romantic but isolated island. Yet gone are the strong fort and the fierce dungeon and the only remaining structure is the Dutch dovecots, used to house messenger pigeons, which still stands in perfect form.
Foot Print – On the walk to the stables from the main road, the first sight is a giant footstep which is close to one metre in length. The sight of the print surprised me as well and made me think of giants we usually see in movies. The natives believe the footprint engraved into a stone is from a man who was around 40 feet in height. According to the residents, there was a similar footprint on a nearby island, Nainathivu.
Pigeons Nest – Pigeons Nest, which housed around two dozens of pigeons that were used to transport messages across islands, ships and the mainland. It made me think about the facilities we enjoy today, where communication has become so easy with instant call and SMS facilities.
Roaming Wild Horses – The wild horses of Delft come from a breeding stock maintained from Portuguese times. One part of the island is used by villagers and the other part is used by horses and cattle. After bringing wild horses they had brought plants to feed them as well as medicinal plants. The Baobab Tree is a plant which brought to feed the horses. It is truly a unique and spectacular sight to see these herds grazing with their foals, lift their tails and race into the distance as you approach too close to them. The population of wild horses is around 500- 1500. Early in the morning these horses come to grassland and when the heat is high they are going to covers. These wild horses roam freely in the grassy windswept plains of the island. Some are privately owned and are branded but are left to free-range, while the others have never been lassoed. Though there is water in one part of the year, the rest part they are suffering due to lack of water. A protection law has been placed over the horses and it is forbidden to remove them from Delft Island to any other location.
Queen’s Tower – Queen’s Tower, which was used as a navigation landmark by the Dutch. It is situated on the wind- battered, barren southeastern coast of Delft. The tower was believed to be covered with a reflective surface, which could be seen a distance away from sea. There is a low central chimney-like shaft which creates a vacuum forcing air upwards. It is not known whether this has been used for smoke signals or some other type of signal.
Banyan Tree – This is a fascinating banyan tree which extends its canopy over a large area of land. The Banyan tree is an evergreen which grows to a height of just about 25 m and has a wide canopy which is supported by roots down from its branches. Initially dependent on its host, it eventually kills it. This resilient species of fig grows extensively in Sri Lanka being able to support a large number of different ecological situations. What makes this particular Banyan tree so motivating is that its covering extends over such a large area that is approximately 60 m long and 30 m wide.