Jaffna, Sri Lanka

Jaffna, Yapanaya or Yazhpanam
is the capital city of the Northern Province of Sri Lanka, almost 400km from Colombo.

Most of the residents of Jaffna are Sri Lankan Tamils with marked presence of Sri Lankan Moors of Arab descent. Jaffna had been the second largest city in Sri Lanka for several decades, until the recent civil conflict. When the area was 'ethnically cleansed' of Muslims and Sinhalese.
The Jaffna Peninsula is a disputed territory of Sri Lanka by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) AKA The Tamil Tigers 'Freedom Fighters'. The Jaffna peninsula is practically an island, connected the rest of Sri Lanka by a causeway known as Elephant Pass and a narrow spit of land which houses the Chundikkulam bird sanctuary. There are plenty of beaches but no resorts and until the troubles are resolved this is likely to remain the case.
A ‘star’ fort in Jaffna is said to be Asia’s best example of Dutch colonial fortifications.
The Mahavamsa mentions that Lord Buddha used his iddhi or yogic powers to visit Jaffna by air to resolve a crisis over a jewel between the Naga chieftains and introduced Buddhism to them.

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JeGraNet.com statement - 15 October 2008 - Quote from the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office website: "There is a high threat from terrorism in Sri Lanka. Fatal attacks have become more frequent. They have occurred in Colombo and throughout Sri Lanka, including places frequented by expatriate and foreign travellers. Further attacks may occur at any time. There is an increasing risk of British nationals being caught up in an attack". As independent travellers we left Colombo after just 9 days into our planned 6 month stay as a result of a feeling of insecurity, however we are sure that 'package tour' travellers to tourist resorts will probably enjoy a worry free holiday.