Jaffna

Coordinates: 09°39′53″N 80°01′00″E / 9.66472°N 80.01667°E / 9.66472; 80.01667
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Jaffna
யாழ்ப்பாணம்
යාපනය
City
Sri Lanka Standard Time Zone)
Websitejaffna.mc.gov.lk

Jaffna (

Jaffna Kingdom.[2]

Prior to the

Sri Lankan Army
regained control.

The majority of the city's population are

Jaffna fort
which was rebuilt during the Dutch colonial period.

Etymology

Jaffna is known in Tamil as Yalpanam and earlier known as Yalpanapattinam. A 15th-century inscription of the Vijayanagara Empire mentions the place as Yalpaanayanpaddinam.[citation needed] The name also occurs on copper plates issued by Sethupathi kings of the same era.[4] The suffix -pattinam indicates the place to have been a seaport town.[5]

The origin of the name can be traced to a legend about the town's etymology. A king (supposedly Ukkirasinghan) was visited by the blind Panan musician, who was an expert in vocal music and one skilled in the use of instrument called Yal.[6] The king who was delighted to the music played with the Yal by the Panan, presented him a sandy plain.[7] The Panan returned to India and introduced some members of his tribe as impecunious as himself to accompany to this land of promise, and it is surmised that their place of settlement was that part of the city which is known at present as Passaiyoor and Gurunagar.[8] The Columbuthurai Commercial Harbor situated at Colombuthurai and the harbor known as ‘Aluppanthy’ situated previously at the Gurunagar area seem as its evidences.[9]

The colloquial form of Yalpanam is Yappanam. The Ya and Ja including pp and ff are easily interchangeable. Jaffna is a version of Yalpanam that was adopted by non-Tamil speaking rulers and settlers. As soon as it went into foreign language, it lost the Tamil ending m and consequently stood as Jaffna.[7]

History

Early historic period

black and red wares (1000 BCE – 100 CE), grey wares (500 BCE – 200 CE), Sasanian–Islamic wares (200 BCE – 800 CE), Yue green wares (800 – 900 CE), Dusun stone wares (700 –1100 CE) and Ming Porcelains (1300 – 1600CE) conducted at the Jaffna Fort hints to maritime trade between the Jaffna Peninsula and South Asia, Arabian Peninsula and the Far East.[14]

Jaffna and surrounding region was part of the chiefdom of

Mahavamsa as inhabited by tribal Naga people, surmised as one of the earliest tribes of Sri Lanka. They had according to scholars fully assimilated to Tamil language and culture by the 9th century CE or earlier.[15]

Medieval period

During the medieval times, the

Nallur
a suburb of Jaffna served as the capital of the kingdom.

Politically, it was an expanding power in the 13th and 14th century with all regional kingdoms paying tribute to it.

Kandyan and segments of the Kotte kingdom. This period saw the building of Hindu temples in the peninsula and a flourishing of literature, both in Tamil and Sanskrit.[18][20][21]

Colonial history

The Portuguese established Jaffna city in 1621 as their colonial administrative center.

Vannimais in the south, religious change, and as well as the introduction to the city of European education and health care.[29][31]

Bird's eye view of the city of Jaffnapatnam in 1658[32]

In 1658, Portuguese lost Jaffapatao to the

Presbyterian churches and government buildings, most of which survived until the 1980s, but suffered damage or destruction during the subsequent civil war.[33] During the Dutch period, Jaffna also became prominent as a trading town in locally grown agricultural products with the native merchants and farmers profiting as much as the VOC merchants.[34]

Great Britain took over the Dutch possessions in Sri Lanka from 1796.

Saivite reformer Arumuka Navalar and others.[36][37] Under British rule, Jaffna enjoyed a period of rapid growth and prosperity,[35] as the British built the major roads and railway line connecting the city with Colombo, Kandy
and the rest of the country. The prosperity of the city's citizens enabled them to underwrite the building of temples and schools, and the library and museum.

Post-colonial history

After Sri Lanka became independent in 1948 from Britain, the relationship between

Police and other miscreants. Failure of the political class to find an adequate compromise led to full-scale civil war starting in 1983 soon after the Black July pogrom.[39] Sri Lankan military and police were using the Dutch era fort as their encampment which was surrounded by various Tamil militant
groups. Bombardment from air and land of the city led to damage to civic and civilian properties, death and injury to civilians and destruction the economic potential of the city. In 1986, the Sri Lankan military withdrew from the city and it came under the full control of the LTTE.

In 1987, the Indian forces brought to Sri Lanka under the auspices of the

all Muslim residents were expelled in 1990 and forced evacuated all residents in 1995.[clarification needed][42] Since the end of civil war in 2009, refugees have begun to return and visible reconstruction has taken place. The Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora
and business interests from Colombo have invested in commercial enterprises. Countries in Europe, US and India have shown an interest in investing in infrastructure projects and other economic activities.

Geography

The city is surrounded by

Climate

Jaffna features a tropical savanna climate with a dry season between February and August, and a wet season between September and January. Jaffna has the highest average temperature in Sri Lanka of 28.3 °C (83 °F). The temperature is highest in the months of April-May and August-September. The temperature is coolest in December-January. The annual rainfall is brought in by the North East monsoon and it varies from one place to the other and also from year to year. The average rainfall is approximately 1,300 millimetres or 50 inches in the western part of Jaffna peninsula.[43]

Climate data for Jaffna (1991–2020 normals)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 35.0
(95.0)
35.6
(96.1)
37.8
(100.0)
38.7
(101.7)
37.8
(100.0)
36.7
(98.1)
37.2
(99.0)
36.3
(97.3)
36.7
(98.1)
35.0
(95.0)
35.8
(96.4)
32.2
(90.0)
38.7
(101.7)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 29.3
(84.7)
30.7
(87.3)
32.8
(91.0)
33.8
(92.8)
32.9
(91.2)
32.5
(90.5)
32.6
(90.7)
32.2
(90.0)
31.8
(89.2)
31.2
(88.2)
29.8
(85.6)
28.9
(84.0)
31.5
(88.7)
Daily mean °C (°F) 25.5
(77.9)
26.2
(79.2)
27.9
(82.2)
30.0
(86.0)
30.3
(86.5)
30.1
(86.2)
29.9
(85.8)
29.5
(85.1)
29.4
(84.9)
28.2
(82.8)
26.7
(80.1)
25.9
(78.6)
28.3
(82.9)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 21.7
(71.1)
21.7
(71.1)
23.4
(74.1)
26.2
(79.2)
27.8
(82.0)
27.7
(81.9)
27.2
(81.0)
26.7
(80.1)
26.5
(79.7)
25.3
(77.5)
23.7
(74.7)
23.0
(73.4)
25.1
(77.2)
Record low °C (°F) 16.3
(61.3)
16.2
(61.2)
16.6
(61.9)
21.0
(69.8)
21.2
(70.2)
21.1
(70.0)
22.4
(72.3)
20.4
(68.7)
21.5
(70.7)
20.0
(68.0)
18.0
(64.4)
16.8
(62.2)
16.2
(61.2)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 44.3
(1.74)
25.9
(1.02)
42.5
(1.67)
64.7
(2.55)
66.2
(2.61)
18.5
(0.73)
22.6
(0.89)
57.3
(2.26)
81.0
(3.19)
235.0
(9.25)
437.3
(17.22)
273.9
(10.78)
1,369.2
(53.91)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 3.9 2.3 3.9 5.6 3.7 1.6 2.5 4.2 4.7 12.4 17.1 11.9 73.8
Source 1: NOAA[44]
Source 2: Department of Meteorology (records up to 2007)[45]

Governance

The Jaffna Municipal Council governs the City of Jaffna. It was established under the Municipalities Ordinance Act of 1865. Although other cities such as Kandy, Galle and Colombo had elected municipal councils soon after the 1865 ordinance, Jaffna did not have an elected municipal council for many years. This reflected the desire of the British bureaucrats to govern the city directly rather than share power with a highly literate electorate.[46] The first elected mayor of Jaffna Municipal council was Sam A. Sabapathy. During the civil conflict, number of mayors were assassinated such as Alfred Duraiappah, Sarojini Yogeswaran and Pon Sivapalan.[47] There were 15 years without elections after 1983.

The

post civil war elections were held in 2009 after a gap of 11 years. The municipal council consists of 29 members.[48] As the original municipal council building was destroyed during the civil war, a new building is to be constructed for the current municipal council in 2011.[49]

See also List_of_mayors_of_Jaffna

Demography

Historically residents of Jaffna were Tamils, Moors (Muslims), Europeans and Eurasian Burghers.[25] Over time the composition changed with Tamils and Moors predominating and Europeans and Burghers either assimilating or moving away. Europeans and the natives lived in separate sections of the city. Most houses were modest in size and the streets were kept clean.[50] After the 1900s the population increased and Sinhalese from the south also settled in Jaffna. Prior to the civil war there were Moors, Sinhalese, Indian Tamils and other ethnic groups living in Jaffna.

During colonial times, Jaffna was Ceylon's (Sri Lanka) second largest city. Post-independence the city was overtaken by the growth of settlements near Colombo. But even in 1981 Jaffna was the largest city outside the

Greater Colombo area. The population of Jaffna, like the rest of the North and East, has been heavily affected by the civil war. Many of its Tamil residents have emigrated to the West or moved to the relative safety of Colombo.[35]
The city's small Moor and Sinhalese population have either been forcibly expelled or fled. As a consequence the city's population is significantly lower than it was 30 years ago. Many of the city's residents who left during the civil war have settled down elsewhere and are unlikely to return. There have been reports, particularly after the end of the civil war in 2009, about resettling those residents who wish to return to Jaffna but there hasn't been any substantive effort to do so yet.

Year 1880 1891 1901 1911 1921 1931 1946 1953 1963 1971 1981 1994 2007 2010
Population 4,000 43,179 33,879 40,441 42,436 45,708 62,543 77,811 94,670 107,184 118,224 149,000 83,563 84,416
Rank 2nd 3rd 2nd 2nd 2nd 2nd 3rd 3rd 3rd 4th 14th
Source Est. Census Census Census Census Census Census Census Census Census Census Cen./Est. Est. Census

Suburbs of Jaffna

Religion

Left: Restored Muslim Mosque in a bombed out portion of the city. Right: St.James Church originally established in 1861, located in Gurunagar

Most Tamils are

Theravada Buddhism during the 20th century due to the efforts of Maha Bodhi Society.[53]
Most Sinhalese were either Buddhists or Catholics.

There was a small community of nomadic wanderers known as Kuravar who visited Jaffna seasonally and spoke a dialect of Telugu or Tamil. Tamils were also divided along the caste system but as an urban area class was more important than caste which was more pronounced in rural areas of Jaffna district.

Economy and transportation

Jaffna was founded as a trading town by European merchants. Although a historic port used by the native Jaffna kingdom was already in existence when the Portuguese arrived, it was the European mercantile activity that made it prominent. In colonial times, production of clothes, items of gold and silver, processing of tobacco, rice and other related activities formed an important part of the economic activities.[54] In modern times, the port was its principal source of revenue but it has declined drastically. Currently it survives as a fishing port. The city had a wide range of industries, including food processing, packaging, making of household items, and salt processing, but most ceased after 1995.[35] Since then, most industrialists, entrepreneurs, and business people have relocated to the rest of Sri Lanka and abroad. After 2009, foreign governments within the EU, US, India, and investors from the south of the island and the Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora have shown an interest in making investments in Jaffna district in general and Jaffna city in particular.[35] Shopping malls such as the Cargills Square and hotels such as Jetwing Jaffna, Tilko Jaffna City Hotel have been built boosting the tourism industry in the city.[55][56]

Jaffna is 396 kilometres (246 miles) from Colombo. It is directly connected by

A-9 highway connecting the city with the rest of the country was opened after the 2002 ceasefire. It is served by government and private sector coaches and buses. Commercial flights are available from Chennai, India and Colombo to Jaffna via the Jaffna International Airport.[58] Since 2017 an express ferry service connects Jaffna with Delft islands.[59]

Education

Jaffna city has number of education institutions founded by the missionary efforts and Saivite revivalism during the British colonial period.

Vembadi Girls’ High School. Prior to the civil war, the city had one of the highest literacy rates within Sri Lanka.[58]

Literature and Media

Jaffna has had a media sector from the mid-1800s. The first known Tamil and English weekly Uthayatharakai (Morning Star) was published jointly in 1840 by the

Wesleyan church. In 1863, the Ceylon Patriot was published by a local advocate as a weekly. The Jaffna Catholic Guardian and the Hindu Organ were published by Roman Catholic and Hindu organisations to present their religious interests between 1876 and 1889 respectively. The first Tamil monthly was Sanmarkapothini which was published in 1884.Katiresu 2004
, p. 29

These early journals were followed by a number of popular newspapers in Tamil such as Eelakesari and Eelanadu. Jaffna was also the seen the publication of journals committed to the growth of modernistic and socially purposive literature such as Bharati and Marumalarchi in 1946. Now defunct English weekly Saturday Review was an influential news magazine that came out of Jaffna.

During the civil war many publishers, authors and journalists were assassinated or arrested and the media heavily censored. Since the 2000s Jaffna is served by newspapers such as Uthayan, Yarl Thinakkural and Valampurii.

Notable buildings

some historic buildings such as Temples, Saraswathy Mahal library and palaces in the royal city of Nallur and the rest of Jaffna peninsula were destroyed by the Portuguese colonials. Materials from destroyed buildings were used in the construction of the Jaffna fort and other fortifications.

Indo-Sarasenic
style clock tower and the Public library that are notable. Almost all Hindu temples in Jaffna including the socially important Nallur Kandaswamy temple were reconstructed during the Dutch and British period.

Notable individuals

See Category:People from Jaffna

Twin towns – sister cities

Sister City initiatives give opportunities for the cities' residents to become familiar with each other's cultures.[60]

The initiatives will facilitate the cultural, educational, municipal, business, professional and technical exchanges and projects among the sister cities.[60]

Its sister cities are:[60]

References

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  3. ^ "Improving Urban Services and Livability Across Sri Lanka". Archived from the original on 23 September 2016. Retrieved 21 September 2016.
  4. ^ Raghavan, M. D. (1971). Tamil culture in Ceylon: a general introduction. Kalai Nilayam. p. 78.
  5. ^ Kōvintacāmi, Mu (1977). A Survey of the Sources for the History of Tamil Literature. Annamalai University. p. 93. Archived from the original on 2 April 2023. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
  6. ^ Raghavan, M. D. (1 January 1971). Tamil culture in Ceylon: a general introduction. Kalai Nilayam.
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  8. .
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  37. ^ Findlay & Holdsworth 1924, p. 35
  38. from the original on 28 January 2023. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
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Sources

Further reading

External links

  • Media related to Jaffna at Wikimedia Commons
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