|
Jaffna displays a strange mix of both colonial and Dravidian architecture. It is dominated by Shivaism, but Jaffna is interesting, too, for its typical South Asian mix of cultures. Jaffna has a recorded history of over two millennia and was the capital of a powerful Tamil kingdom on the island from the 13th till the 16th century, sometimes allied and sometimes hostile to South Indian Pandya rulers and, later on, the Sinhalese Kotte kingdom alike.
The Jaffna Peninsula is flat and dry. Relative humidity is less than other coastal regions. Most rainfall occurs during the North-East monsoon period from November to February. Because of the decades of civil war the peninsula has seen little development. This still impacts the accommodation facilities in Jaffna city, too, but partly due to the interest of Indian guests this may change soon and Jaffna will probably be better developed in the near future. Jaffna’s major tourist attractions are the historic Nallur Kandasamy and other Tamil temples and the Dutch fort and colonial churches. On the nearby Nainativu island the Nagapushani Aman Kovil as well as the neighbouring Buddhist Nagadeepa temple are well worth a boat trip. Situated at the northern end of the peninsula are the Naguleshvaram Kovil in Keerimalai with a perfect bathing pond and the Pada Yatra pilgrimage temple Selva Saniddhi. In the heartland of the peninsula there is the magnificent Nilawari well near Puttur and the historically significant excavation of Kantarodai near Chunnakam. |
|
| SriLanka-RamayanaTours |
|
