{"id":3227,"date":"2019-09-11T07:07:24","date_gmt":"2019-09-11T11:07:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/exploringed.com\/?p=3227"},"modified":"2023-05-24T11:01:04","modified_gmt":"2023-05-24T15:01:04","slug":"sri-lanka-part-3-jaffna-peninsula","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/exploringed.com\/sri-lanka-part-3-jaffna-peninsula\/","title":{"rendered":"Sri Lanka \u2013 Part 3 \u2013 Jaffna Peninsula"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
We entered Jaffna not knowing what to expect. We found the central food market was lively despite decades of civil war\u2026<\/p>
<\/a><\/p> \u00a0<\/p> \u2026the people on the streets were back to living normal lives\u2026<\/p> <\/a><\/p> \u00a0<\/p> \u2026and families were making pilgrimages to Hindu temples.<\/p> <\/a><\/p> However, what never ceases to amaze me is the psychedelic decorations at Hindu temples, including this nine-headed statue at Nagapooshani Temple.<\/p> <\/a><\/p> \u00a0<\/p> When I saw this, I immediately thought of Jimi Hendrix\u2019s \u201cAxis Bold As Love\u201d album cover.<\/p> <\/a><\/p> This was the third leg of our journey in Sri Lanka in February and March of 2019, after traveling through Tea Country and the Cultural Triangle. My wife Khadija, Peter, Caitlin and I were looking forward to driving on flat land after two weeks in the mountains.<\/p> Our route was from Anuradhapura to Elephant Pass to Point Pedro to the City of Jaffna, where we stayed three nights. One day we went to Nainativu Island.<\/p> <\/a><\/p> We used Sri Lanka Click Travel Mate<\/a> Jaffna for transportation and guides. Mohan was our main contact and organized our trip with full road transportation.<\/p> <\/a><\/p> He accompanied us in our ride from Anuradhapura to Point Pedro and provided extensive information on a variety of topics from the Civil War to the numerous bird species in the area. In the early evening, he dropped us off at the high-end Jetwing Hotel<\/a> where we stayed three nights. It is next to the train station, which was convenient for us when we left for Colombo.<\/p> Jaffna City was available to tourist shortly after the Civil War ended in 2009, but initially few wanted to take the risk of going here. The whole peninsula is open to visitors, without roadblocks and security checks, except for the army bases scattered throughout. There were relatively few international tourists during our visit, except for Buddhist pilgrims who often traveled in organized tours.<\/p> \u00a0<\/p> We left Anuradhapura around noon and drove north on Highway 9A until we reached Elephant Pass, the entrance to the Jaffna Peninsula. Elephant Pass is a land bridge that connects the Jaffna Peninsula to the rest of the island.<\/p> The first site we visited was the Bulldozer Memorial which commemorates a Sri Lankan soldier, who by himself, disabled and destroyed a Tamil Tiger armored bulldozer. The bulldozer is mounted on a pedestal with a hole on one side.<\/p> <\/a><\/p> The description of the Civil War is from the viewpoint of the Sri Lankan government (victors write the history). Tamils and their sympathizers may have a different interpretation.<\/p> While this is a travel and photography blog, in this case, the basics of the Sri Lankan Civil War from 1983 to 2009 is helpful to know. See my summary of the conflict at the end of this post.<\/p> After crossing Elephant Pass, our introduction to the Jaffna peninsula was long stretches of marshes rich in birdlife (including ibis, storks, and pelicans). I did not try to photograph them because we had little time to stop and the birds were far from the highway. However, I did take this shot of the beauty of the marshes.<\/p> <\/a><\/p> We arrived in the small community of Point Pedro in the northernmost part of the island. It was still recovering from the 2004 devastating tsunami. We walked around the town looking at the shops, including one selling food and fishing supplies\u2026<\/p> <\/a><\/p> \u00a0<\/p> \u2026large rolls of fabric which Caitlin was admiring\u2026<\/p> <\/a><\/p> \u00a0<\/p> \u2026a general store with health care products\u2026<\/p> <\/a><\/p> \u00a0<\/p> \u2026and two women walking with their sun hats.<\/p> <\/a><\/p> \u00a0<\/p> There is a string of fishing villages on the coast\u2026<\/p> <\/a><\/p> \u00a0<\/p> \u2026with abandoned boats\u2026<\/p> <\/a><\/p> \u00a0<\/p> \u2026and fishermen hard at work.<\/p> <\/a><\/p> \u00a0<\/p> We stopped at the Sakkotei Point, the northernmost point in Sri Lanka.<\/p> <\/a><\/p> \u00a0<\/p> We walked across the marshes to see if we could see a flock of flamingos\u2026<\/p> <\/a><\/p> \u00a0<\/p> \u2026finally, we saw them, albeit in the far distance\u2026<\/p> <\/a><\/p> \u00a0<\/p> On the way back to the road, we met the following children, one with a Brooklyn T-shirt. Somehow these have migrated to all parts of the world.<\/p> <\/a><\/p> Jaffna is the capital of the Northern Province and opened up to tourism just after the war ended in 2009, much earlier than the rest of the peninsula. Our Click Travel guide was Prasana, who had extensive knowledge about the sites we visited.<\/p> <\/a><\/p> We could have arranged everything ourselves by reading the guidebook and taking taxis. However, we found this was more efficient and we benefited from Prasana\u2019s knowledge of the area.<\/p> The first thing we did was go to the fish market on the coast. In a covered pavilion, the fishermen spilled their catch on the concrete floor\u2026<\/p> <\/a><\/p> \u00a0<\/p> \u2026and then the buyers bid in a series of quick, but lively auctions.<\/p> <\/a><\/p> \u00a0<\/p> Outside the fishermen were bringing their catches to shore\u2026<\/p> <\/a><\/p> \u00a0<\/p> \u2026and the crows were snacking on drying fish.<\/p> <\/a><\/p> One of the best ways to get to know Jaffna and locals is through the central market. The vendors were generally willing to speak with visitors. Here a man showed us a picture of his younger and good-looking self.<\/p> <\/a><\/p> \u00a0<\/p> There were many memorable individuals, including this man with his shallots\u2026<\/p> <\/a><\/p> \u00a0<\/p> \u2026the woman with lettuce and dry foods\u2026<\/p> <\/a><\/p> \u00a0<\/p> \u2026and these men selling squash.<\/p> <\/a><\/p> The fruit, vegetables, and fish looked very fresh and were almost all local.<\/p> The most important site in Jaffna is perhaps the Nallur Kandaswamy Temple. It is a Hindu temple dedicated to the god of love, war, and beauty. We found out there is a strict dress code. Men are not allowed to wear anything above the waist, and women need to have their knees covered. We spent over a half-hour listening to Prasana explain the stories behind the wall murals. No photography was allowed inside, but here is the exterior.<\/p> <\/a><\/p> We stopped at St. Mary’s Cathedral, the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Jaffna. While most Tamils are Hindu, there is a significant number of Christians among them. I found the interior austere by Roman Catholic standards.<\/p> <\/a><\/p> \u00a0<\/p> Some structures are from the British colonial era, such as this clock tower built in 1875 to commemorate the visit of the\u00a0 Prince of Wales\u2026<\/p> <\/a><\/p> \u2026and the Jaffna Library which was built in 1933 and severely damaged in the Civil War by fire in 1991. It took a decade to restore the building, though thousands of valuable manuscripts and books were lost.<\/p> Nainativu (or Nagadeepa) is a sparsely populated holy island, about 40 kilometers (24 miles) from Jaffna. It is known for the Buddhist Nagadeepa Shrine and the Hindu Nagapooshani Temple.<\/p> On our hour and a half drive, over two causeways, we saw homes destroyed in the Civil War\u2026<\/p> <\/a><\/p> \u00a0<\/p> \u2026tobacco fields\u2026<\/p> <\/a><\/p> \u00a0<\/p> \u2026Hindu temples\u2026<\/p> <\/a><\/p> \u00a0<\/p> \u2026 and schools with students in uniforms but no shoes.<\/p> <\/a><\/p> \u00a0<\/p> At the end of the road, we had to take a small, crowded boat to the island with the passengers under the deck.<\/p> <\/a><\/p> The site is known as the place where Buddha came during his second visit to Sri Lanka to mediate a dispute between two local kings. The original temple was destroyed, replaced by a modern one. The large stupa is coated in a special silver paint as protection from persistent sea-wind.<\/p> <\/a><\/p> \u00a0<\/p> I liked this alcove with a Buddha statue and wall paintings of demons.<\/p> The present structure was built in the 18th century after the ancient one was destroyed by the Portuguese. The temple is a significant symbol for the Tamil people. It is dedicated to Parvati, an important Mother Earth goddess, and her consort Shiva, the \u201cdestroyer\u201d.<\/p> On the road to the temple, there is a giant elephant statue to greet the visitors.<\/p> <\/a><\/p> \u00a0<\/p> Hindu temples, in general, have imaginative decorations of their many gods and this one is a good example. Here is the rooftop above the entrance\u2026<\/p> <\/a><\/p> \u00a0<\/p> \u2026and an outdoor statue that crows decided to perch on.<\/p> <\/a><\/p> Photography and videography were not allowed inside. We saw pilgrims entertained by two musicians, one playing something similar to a clarinet and the other on Indian percussion instruments. It had a jazz-like improvisation feel to it. On one side of the walls were paintings showing how the Portuguese tried to convert Hindus to Catholicism. The men, including me, had to take off our shirts to enter.<\/p> On the morning we were leaving, Peter and I went on the street just after sunrise. We saw the rhythms of everyday life, including this overview of the main shopping street with Peter taking a picture of it\u2026<\/p> <\/a><\/p> \u00a0<\/p> \u2026a shop-owner with a jam-packed store\u2026<\/p> <\/a><\/p> \u00a0<\/p> \u2026a man selling prickly rambutans\u2026<\/p> <\/a><\/p> \u00a0<\/p> \u2026a mostly unoccupied building, damaged during the Civil War\u2026<\/p> <\/a><\/p> \u00a0<\/p> \u2026a statue marked by birds but decorated with ribbons\u2026<\/p> <\/a><\/p> \u00a0<\/p> \u2026and a colorful bus providing shade to a sleeping dog.<\/p>Our Story<\/h3>
Elephant Pass Bulldozer Memorial<\/h3>
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Marshes<\/h3>
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Point Pedro<\/h3>
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Jaffna City<\/h3>
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Fish Market<\/h3>
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Central Vegetable Market<\/h3>
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Nallur Kandaswamy Temple<\/h3>
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Other Jaffna City Sights<\/h3>
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Drive to Nainativu Island<\/h3>
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Nagadeepa Purana Vihara<\/h3>
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Nagapooshani Amman Temple<\/h3>
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The Streets of Jaffna City<\/h3>