Jaffna

Understand

thumb|Jaffna's Portuguese Fort as seen from the air The modern city of Jaffna was founded by the Portuguese in 1621, near Nallur, the capital of the Jaffna Kingdom which they defeated two years previously. Today, Nallur is a suburb of Jaffna, and the home of its most famous kovil (temple), the Nallur Kandaswamy Kovil. Before the Sri Lankan Civil War (1983-2009) Jaffna was the second biggest city in Sri Lanka, but now it is only 12th, owing to the destruction, loss of life, and emigration that resulted from the conflict. The civil war also changed the demographic make-up of the city. Before the war, the population was evenly split between Tamils and Sinhalese, but the Sinhalese fled during the rise of the Tamil Tigers. They have not returned, making the city almost entirely Tamil.

This area receives relatively few tourists, making it a hidden gem, and has a very different atmosphere to the rest of Sri Lanka. The best time to visit is when the weather is cooler, from December to March. Outside of these months, the region is uncomfortably hot and sticky.

Get in

thumb|Asian palmyras (Borassus flabellifer) are the symbol of Jaffna. Every part of the tree has a use.

Get around

Once in Jaffna, there are several modes of transport. The area is rather spread out, so having your own transport would be best.

See

thumb|The restored Jaffna Library.

Do

There isn't a lot to do in Jaffna unless you arrive at festival times. Nallur Kovil Thiruvizha (festival) is the biggest event in the Jaffna calendar when all the faithful come home to pray.

Buy

Souvenirs are available from stalls at tourist sites and railway stations.

Eat

Jaffna has a unique cuisine, famous for its savory treats such as Wade (වඩේ- pronounced as wah-dei) and Dhal wade which is an appetiser in Indian Cuisine. Jaffna Kool (கூழ்) is a spicy, complex seafood soup and is probably the most famous dish to come from Jaffna. It is basically impossible to find elsewhere in the country so do try it while you're here.

Drink

Do not drink tap water. The local brew is toddy, from the coconut or the palmyrah tree. Toddy from the palmyrah tree is sweeter. You can buy Nelli (Indian Gooseberry) cordial which has a bittersweet flavour.

This district has a crazy proliferation of fresh juice stalls, even by Sri Lankan standards! Try

There is very little nightlife in Jaffna. Your options are to buy some beers and drink them either at your accommodation, or outside the beer shop with a bunch of drunk old men (not recommended).

Stay safe

Landmines from the civil war might still exist in some places. When walking along the beaches, beware of jellyfish which usually wash up on the beach at dawn. Do not go swimming beyond the floating styrofoam markers.

Go next

If you like Jaffna, you'll like Trincomalee too.

Delft Island is a popular place to get away from everything and just chill for a while. To get there, take the 776 bus to Kurikattuwan jetty (1hr, departs when full) and then get on the next ferry to Delft (1hr, departs every few hours)