Things to see and do Jaffna

A must in Jaffna, the central market offers an incomparable choice of scents and colours. This is where the heart of the city beats! Many stalls and merchants offer fruits, vegetables, spices, flowers, sweets, handicrafts, clothes and utensils of all kinds. And, of course, you can taste some local specialities on the spot. Don't hesitate to deepen your visit by strolling the neighbouring streets up to Stanely Road, including the part of Kasthuria Road nicknamed Street's Jeweller: the street of the jewellers.

Thislarge Hindu temple, the most visited in Jaffna, is dedicated to Murugan (also called Kârtikeya, Subrahmanya or Skanda), the god of war. He is the son of Shiva and Parvati, and the brother of Ganesh.

The original temple is said to have been built at this place, called Kurukal Valavu, in the year 948. After being destroyed once in 1450 during the invasion of King Shenpakaperumal (Sapumal Kumaraya), it was rebuilt between 1450 and 1467 at the site of the present St James Church, about 2.5 km to the south. It was then located close to the royal palace, in the heart of what was the capital of the Jaffna kingdom. In 1620, it was razed to the ground again by the Portuguese captain Filipe de Oliveira, who had a church built in its place. In 1734-1749, the temple was rebuilt in its present location with the permission of the Dutch conquerors. Many additions and modifications have been made since the construction of the temple. Most of them were initiated in the late 19th century by the 7th custodian of the temple, Arumuga Maapaana Mudallyar. He added a clock tower in 1899, and modified the main shrine in 1902, by having it paved with granite. A boundary wall was added in 1909. From 1964 onwards, the 10th custodian of the temple undertook numerous renovations and improvements which led to the Hindu temple becoming the largest in Sri Lanka. Today, the temple has 4 gopurams (ornate towers over the entrances), 6 clock towers and a fortified wall that gives the temple a citadel-like appearance. Recent modifications include the replacement of the front gate and the carved decoration of the pillars.

Pilgrims come here in large numbers to worship the idol and bring offerings. Priests and assistants also serve the temple in large numbers. As always in busy Hindu temples, the eagerness of the devotees, their devotion, is a spectacle in itself. Shoes must be removed before entering the temple and men must remove their shirts.

Major religious festivals. The Nallur Kandaswamy Kovil is the starting point for the annual Chariot Festival (or Nallur Festival) in July-August. This is a procession in which the deities are taken out of the temple and carried through the nearby streets, followed by thousands of pilgrims. The festival itself lasts 26 days and begins with a flag raising ceremony. Another important festival is Thai Pusam, which takes place in January-February.

It occupies an area of 22 ha and is one of the most fortified in Asia. Before it was ravaged by war, it housed a beautiful Dutch Reformed church (Groote Kerk), also in ruins.

Built in 1619 by the Portuguese on the edge of the lagoon, this fort is the second most important on the island. When Colombo was taken by the Dutch, it was here that the last Portuguese took refuge. The fort nevertheless fell on June 24, 1658, after a three and a half month siege. The fortress was reoccupied by the Dutch and underwent several successive phases of development, including the construction of the inner pentagon. The inscription 'Anno 1680' engraved above the main entrance indicates the year in which the Dutch began their reconstruction. The work lasted until 1792. On 28 September 1795, Jaffna came under the control of the British. The first operations to overthrow the Dutch began on 18 August 1795 with the capture of Trincomalee, followed by Batticaloa, Point Pedro, Jaffna and Mannar. However, 1796 is recorded as the historic year in which the British took possession of the island. The fort remained in its original state until the 1970s, despite its continued use by the British and then the Ceylon government. During the civil war, the fort changed hands several times. It was occupied by the LTTE from 1986 to 1995 and then taken over by the army in 1995, after a 50-day siege. In the end, a large part of the fortress was destroyed

The Clock Tower commemorates the 1875 visit of the Prince of Wales, the future Edward VII, to Ceylon. It was built the following year. The Moorish style tower was designed by Mr Smither, the government architect. Sir James Longdon, administrator of the island from 1877 to 1884, donated the clockwork. The tower suffered extensive damage during the Civil War. Following the ceasefire in 2002, Prince Charles of England offered one million rupees for the repair of the building and the replacement of the four destroyed clocks.

From a private collection dating from 1933, the foundation stone of the Public Library, still visible on the façade, was laid on 29 March 1954. Construction was interrupted for several years before being completed in 1959. Built in Mughal style, it contained before the war nearly 97,000 books, making it one of the largest in Asia. Destroyed by an arson attack in May 1981, it was reopened in 2003 and now has more than 30,000 books, 6 sections, and has become one of the city's pride and joy. It should be noted that many other works have been scattered as a precautionary measure in several annex buildings in the city. On the^first floor, the computer section has 10 Internet-connected stations accessible to students and the public.

The library fire. On May 31, 1981, the Public Library was set on fire by a mob and Sinhalese police officers seeking revenge for two of their own killed in a demonstration. This was one of the first incidents that would lead the country into a terrible civil war. All the books were lost, including the Yarlpana Vaipava Malai, a priceless book on the history of Jaffna. It is said that on the same day, Father Thavidhu, an ardent and prominent advocate of literature, died of a heart attack when he heard of the disaster. It was not until 2003, the year after the^first ceasefire in the bloody region, that the library reopened.