I come from Yarl or Jaffna!

By Sophie Watkins

I decided to visit Jaffna and its surrounds with a girlfriend for a long weekend. We organised our trip over a two weeks period by contacting our network to gather the maximum information.

Ultimately we opted to take the train to Vavuniya and take a hired car from there to Jaffna.

The train departed on time (before 6.00 a.m.) and the ride was fun.

We felt like being at the fairground as we were rocked from side to side, back and forth for six hours. The music played was a mix of Singhalese, Tamil and also English music (I recognised Madonna and Bonnie Tyler!). When the train stopped one could imagine being in a nightclub!

It was all pretty loud, as the train was very noisy to start with, bearing in mind the noise of the horn plus the fan used as air-conditioning.

For breakfast we had people on the train selling some really smelly onion chilli food which we were told was very tasty with green chilli - at this point we missed our croissants.

The trip

After a reasonable lunch at a Thai restaurant we headed off to Jaffna with our car and driver and stopped to various places on the way such as Pansaley Kunagarayan Kulum, Mankulan - Captain Alagamuma Monument, MurikkandiKovil – a venerated shrine where most travellers stop and make an offering and Kilinochchi – where we saw a water tank destroyed by LTTE terrorists in December 2008.

To reach the Jaffna peninsula you must cross the Elephant Pass which connects Jaffna with the rest of Sri Lanka which became famous for the battles between the LTTE and the Sri Lanka Army. For centuries Jaffna has been Sri Lanka’s Hindu Tamil cultural and religious centre, despite the best efforts of the 17th Century Portuguese to change that.

Arrival

It was completely dark and raining cats and dogs by when we finally reached Jaffna at 8.30 p.m. We stayed at a really basic guesthouse with simple furniture in bedrooms and a decrepit, filthy bathroom with only cold water which shook me from head to toe each time I took a shower.

Anyway we were so tired after a 14 hour journey that we had a good night’s sleep – in fact I think I would have slept anywhere.

Next day we started out at dawn with dew drops on the grass we had a light breakfast in the car, as we were so keen to explore the region. To me Jaffna still feels ‘occupied’ whilst being surprisingly calm and relaxed. The vivid, colourful houses, physical features, Hindu temples and even the music which our guide played in the car reminded us of India.

Kayts Island

On our way to Kayst Island we saw fishermen coming back from the sea. They told us the tuna they had caught weighed as much as 15kg each. In the local market tuna sells for about Rs. 450 per kg, with baby sharks fetching Rs. 250 per kg.

The landscape on Kayts Island is as green as Normandy in North West France - full of (holy) cows, goats and the most common tree being the Palmyra Palm with its elegant fan-like fronds. The war has left dramatic marks on many buildings - from bullet holes to partially destroyed houses and landmarks. I had the feeling that the war has just stopped and that I was crossing remote, haunted villages. The weather was cloudy with showers which gave a more mysterious ambiance to the scenery. I would have loved to explore the jungle deeper, however we were not allowed to as they have yet to clear the land mines as yet.

Then from Kayts we took a boat called rolar, a government vessel, with a hundred people on it to visit the small Islet of Nagadipa. Here we saw Naga PooshaniAmbal - this temple was rebuilt in 1788 and this is where the statue of Naga deity is kept in the sanctum. The annual festival is held in June - July. We also saw Bagadipa Vihara - one of the three places visited by Buddha in Sri Lanka where he preached his sermon on reconciliation

Jaffna

On the way back to the main land we stopped at the market to buy some Jaffna sweets, cigars, fruits and had a bite at The Green Grass restaurant.

The places we have been in the afternoon were a surprisingly discovery. Mostly it was a sprawling patchwork of comfortably middleclass, colonial era suburban houses, almost lost in lush foliage and palms which have now been ravaged by the war. The most amazing site was on Pannalai Road around the Keerimalai area where we observed how nature was taking over churches and temples like in Siem Reap in Cambodia – trees growing within walls etc. We visited: Naalur Hindu Temple – where the most famous festival of the Jaffna Peninsula is held in August. Mandri (Minister) Mani (House) – the central part was built in the 15th Century and the front from a more recent period under Dutch rule. Nivalavarai – a beautiful, natural well which is apparently bottomless. Kantharodai – this site was discovered in 1916 and the excavation has revealed over 50 stupas of different sizes. Dambakalapatanna Buddhist temple next to the sea. Keerimali – the spring of Keerimali meant to be therapeutic and healing water and Naguleswaram Shiva temple – this temple was destroyed during the Portuguese time and rebuilt in 1859.

On the way back to Jaffna we stopped for a meal. However bear in mind that we did not find a drop of alcohol in a restaurant in Jaffna and remained more than sober the whole trip!

We again woke up with the dawn chorus once again to visit some landmarks in town before our departure to Vavuniya:

nJaffna Fort - the Dutch demolished the Portuguese square fort to built their own fortress in 165

n Library - Was built in 1958 in a Mogul Style and was burnt by a mob in 1981. First building to be restored and reopened in 2003

n Clock Tower - Was commemorated by the then Prince of Wales in 1875

n Residence in Old Park - built on the traditional British architecture in the early nineteenth century which has been used as Kachcheri (administrative building)

Although we are still in Sri Lanka I had the feeling to have a crossed a border and stepped in Little India when we arrived in Jaffna.

This trip was unique, intriguing, friendly, colourful and un-touristic place. However until they have reconstructed the main road and railways from Omanthai to Jaffna this journey remains an expedition!