Many of you have heard about this Sri Lankan city because of the notorious Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Yes, it is true that Jaffna is occupied by LTTE and frequent war and massacre have a negative impact on this place, but Jaffna still is an important area of Sri Lanka. Jaffna was the capital of the Northern Province and the second largest city of Sri Lanka.
Located on the northern parts of Sri Lanka, Jaffna is home to Sri Lankan Tamils. The size of the area is 999 square miles. It is a flat, dry land containing some shallow lagoons. “Yal” or “Lyre” is the national symbol of this area, hence it is also known as “Yalpanam,” which means “city of lyre.”
The written history of Jaffna can be traced back to 4th century B.C. In ancient times, Jaffna was known as Yāpapatuna. It came under the Tamil rulers in 12th century. Arya Chakaravarthi, a king of South Indian origin, established his kingdom in this area. In 1621, Jaffna went under the rule of Portuguese. Followed by Portuguese, there were the Dutch and the British, who, for three hundred years ruled Jaffna.Due to the long stay, the Dutch and the Portuguese rulers affected the locals. Many Dutch and Portuguese words are used in the language of Jaffna people.
Majority of the residents of Jaffna are Tamils followed by Indian Tamils, Telugus, Malayees and Bohra Muslims. Within Tamils, there are the Hindus and Catholics and Protestants. There are various castes among the Hindu Tamils.
Jaffna has the highest literacy rate in Sri Lanka. Before war, students of Jaffna were the majority in the universities. The Jaffna University which remained closed for a long time was opened again in 1974.
Jaffna was not highly industrialized but whatever industries were there were shut down due to war and ethnic cleansing. In fine, I would like to say that, war may be an integrative part of human civilization but it brought nothing but death and destruction. History shows that many famous cities and nations were entirely eradicated by war. Jaffna is just another repetition of that history. Readers, let us hope and pray that this war stops and peace prevails in Jaffna.
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