A Complete Guide to Exploring Jaffna

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Jaffna is the capital city of the Northern Province, of Sri Lanka. It is located in the most northern region of the island of Sri Lanka. The Jaffna peninsula is almost an island itself connected to the main island over a causeway at a Place called “Ali Mankada” or Elephant Pass in English. This was so named since this was indeed the route used by elephants to travel between the peninsula and the main island in the ancient past. The peninsula itself is a number of islands connected through causeways.

The peninsula has a history dating back to the pre-Christian times with the port of Dambakola Patuna in the northern sea being one of the major ports of Sri Lanka connecting India. According to Mahawansa, the great chronicle of Sri Lanka, In 250 BC the sapling from the original Sri Maha Bodhi was brought to Sri Lanka through the port of Jambukola Patuna now called the Dambakola Patuna.

Jaffna was a predominantly Tamil area with a small minority of Singhalese and Muslim population until the 1970s. Ethnic Cleansing by the Tamil Tiger Terrorists since the 1970s has left the Jaffna almost exclusively Tamil, apart from the military personnel today.

After almost 30 years of Civil war, the LTTE was completely wiped out in 2008 and now this area has been open to civilian travel after a period of 30 years.

There are two routes to Jaffna from Colombo. One is through Anuradhapura, Vavuniya and Kilinocchi. This is the most popular route with better routes. The second is through Putalm, Mannar, Pooneryn and Chavacachcheri. This is a newer route which has been rebuilt recently. The road from Puttlam to Mannar goes through the Wilpattu National Park and the road conditions on this segment is bad. In addition, this route is closed after dark due to wild animals in the park.

Fascinating Places to Visit in Jaffna

Lesser Known Attractions of Jaffna

Also See

Map of Jaffna

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Travel Directions to Jaffna

Route I from Colombo to Jaffna	Route II from Colombo to Jaffna
Through : Negambo – Chilaw – Puttlam – Anuradhapura – Vavuniya – Kilinochchi – Elephant Pass Distance : 410 km Travel time : 8 hours Driving directions : See on Google Maps	Through : Negambo – Chilaw – Puttlam – Eluvankulama – Mannar – Pooneryn – Chavacachcheri Distance : 370 km Travel time : 8 hours Driving directions : See on Google Maps

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Allekattu Gal Amuna across Kalaru River (කල්ආරු හරහා අල්ලෙකට්ටු ගල් අමුණ)
Parker in 1909 describes an ancient amuna known as "Allekattu" in Tamil, located across the Kalaru River, which originates from the Pavatkulama Wewa reservoir and serves as one of the main tributaries to the Malwathu Oya in the Northern Province. The dam is situated approximately 2 miles (about 3 km) upstream from the Kalaru bridge on the Mannar-Medawachchiya road. Brohier refers to this weir as "Allekattu Tekkam." […]
Degaldoruwa Pitiye Devale (දෙගල්දෝරුව පිටියේ දේවාලය)
Pitiye Deviyo is a powerful protector deity of Dumbara who had once defeated the deity Natha Deviyo who had fled in fear of him after a brief battle. The people of Dumbara fear and respect him as he is believed to protect the land, the crops, and the people who live in the area. He provides the rain on time for cultivation and dry weather for harvesting. […]
Tissamaharama Uduvila Gangarama Viharaya (තිස්සමහාරාම උඩුවිල ගංගාරාම විහාරය)
Despite the Uduvila Gangarama Viharaya temple's recent developments, there are still a few relics of the monastic complex from the Pre-Christian era. Near the stupa, you'll find a cluster of undressed stone pillars that once supported an ancient building. Additionally, the top portion of a massive Yupa Gala, and Gal Chatra is found nearby […]
Archaeological Ruins at Tissamaharama Poththewelagala Aranya Senasanaya (පොත්තේවෙලගල ආරණ්‍ය සේනාසනය)
The Poththewelagala Ruins are located in a scrub jungle, 2 kilometers southeast of Tissamaharama. The site can be reached from a gravel road 3.3 km down the Kirinda-Sithulpawwa Road. A black archaeology board by the roadside marks the direction of this gravel road. After driving 1 kilometre along this road and passing a model village, you will arrive at the ruins. […]
Tissamaharama Uddhakandara Rajamaha Viharaya (උද්ධකන්දර රජමහා විහාරය)
Uddhakandara Rajamaha Viharaya is a new temple in Tissamaharama built on an ancient monastic site going back to the pre-Christian era. The original temple is believed to have been built by regional king Mahanaga, the brother of King Devanmpiyatissa (250-210 BCE) who fled the Anuradhapura kingdom. […]
Thambarawa Wewa & Pre Historic Burial Site (තඹරව වැව හා ප්‍රාග් ඓතිහාසික සුසාන භූමිය)
Thambarawa is a small ancient reservoir situated 8 km southeast of Tissa, on the western border of the Yala National Park. The area is partly paddy fields and covered in forest on the southern side. The reservoir was restored for the last time in 2023. The bund of the Thambarawa Wewa is 640 meters long with spills on both sides of the bund. […]
Handapangala Wewa Reservoir (හඳපානාගල වැව ජලාශය)
Handapangala Wewa is a picturesque and peaceful haven located in the Wellawaya area popular among the travellers and photographers for the abundant elephants in the area especially during the dry season. The bund of the Handapanagala Wewa is 3600 feet (1.1 km) long and 19 feet (5.8 m) high. At full capacity, the water covers 450 acres and holds 5000 acre feet. […]
Empilipitiya Chandrika Wewa Reservoir (ඇඹිලිපිටිය චන්ද්‍රිකා වැව ජලාශය)
Empilipitiya Chandrika Wewa Reservoir, located in the Ratnapura District bordering Hambanthota District, is one of the largest reservoirs constructed after Ceylon gained independence. Chandrika wewa today is a magnet for the tourists and pilgrims to Kataragama seeking the scenic route rather than than the Southern Expressway. […]
Udawalawe Reservoir and the Dam (උඩවලවේ ජලාශය සහ වේල්ල)
The Udawalawe Reservoir, located in the Ratnapura and Hambantota Districts of Sri Lanka, is one of the country's largest and most significant water bodies. It was constructed in 1963, primarily to support agriculture and irrigation in the surrounding regions, which include Udawalawe, Embilipitiya, and Hambantota. […]
Hurulu Wewa Reservoir (හුරුළු වැව)
Hurulu Wewa ancient reservoir, originally known as Challura Vapi, was one of sixteen reservoirs constructed by King Mahasen, the renowned Sinhalese monarch who ruled over Lanka from 276 to 303 CE. The reservoir lies on Yan Oya in the remote village of Yakalla, between Anuradhapura and Habarana off Ritigala. […]
List of Adhigars of the Kandyan Kingdom (උඩරට රාජධානියේ අධිකාරම්වරු)
The title of Adhigar (Adigar) in the Kandyan Kingdom of Sri Lanka referred to a high-ranking official or noble who held significant administrative and judicial authority. In Sinhala, he is called the Adhikaram. The position was one of the most powerful in the Kandyan court, second only to the king himself. Adhigars were entrusted with overseeing various aspects of governance, including implementing laws, administering justice, and managing royal affairs. […]
Diyawadana Nilames of Kandy Dalada Maligawa
Diyawadana Nilame’ has the custody of the key to the first casket out of the seven golden caskets where the Sacred Tooth Relic is enshrined, as he is the lay custodian of the Sacred Tooth Relic. This position is recorded in the ‘Dathuwansa’, the chronicle of tooth relic, as ‘Dhathurakkadikari’. […]
Wendaruwa Kirivehera Rajamaha Viharaya (වෙඬරුව කිරිවෙහෙර රජමහා විහාරය)
The image house of Wendaruwa Kirivehera Rajamaha Viharaya is a rectangular Kandyan-style building with a verandah supported by 16 evenly spaced wooden pillars. The pillars are carved with alternating square and cylindrical sections, though these sections are plain and lack any decorative design. The pillars rest on a wooden frame constructed with large wooden beams placed atop the half-height outer wall of the image house. […]
Dimbulagala Dewagala Archaeological Ruins (දේවගල පුරාවිද්‍යා භූමිය)
These ruins are scattered across a rocky hill that stretches approximately 800 meters from north to south. The hill is surrounded on all sides by farmland. An irrigation canal and a paved road run along the eastern slope, making the western slopes the most accessible route to approach the rock by a vehicle. […]
Weligama Rajakulawadana Rajamaha Viharaya (වැලිගම රාජකුලවඩන රජමහා විහාරය)
Rajakulawadana Rajamaha Viharaya in Weligama lies just 250 meters east of the more well-known Agrabodhi Rajamaha Viharaya. This temple is also referred to as Weligamgane or Galgane Viharaya. In ancient times, these two temples were one. During the time of Queen Kalyanavati, a Rajakulawadana Pirivena (monastic college) was established at Weligamgane Viharaya. […]
Weligama Agrabodhi Rajamaha Viharaya (වැලිගම අග්‍රබෝධි රජමහා විහාරය)
An ancient temple which dates back to times of King Devanampiyatissa (250-210 BC). According the Bodhivamsa, the chronicle of the Holy Bodhi Tree, the very first of the Bodhi saplings out of the first thirty two saplings from the Sacred Sri Maha Bodhi was planted on this temple grounds during the time of King Devanampiyatissa. […]
Omalpe Purana Tampita Viharaya
The Tampita Viharaya at the Omalpe Purana Viharaya is similar in structure of the Walalgoda Tampita Viharaya which lies few kilometers away. The structure is built on nine 6 feet 6 six inch high granite stumps. The lower area is built as a ground floor creating a two storied building. The complete structure is house is 65 feet 7 inches long and 40 feet 8 inches wide. […]
Dapane Sri Jayasumanaramaya Purana Tampita Viharaya (දාපනේ ටැම්පිට විහාරය)
Dapane Sri Jayasumanaramaya Purana Viharaya is an ancient temple with a Tampita Viharaya built during the Kandyan era. This temple lie 8 km from Urubokka and 9 km from Kella junction on the Suriyakanda - Empilipitiya road. […]
Handagala Kanda Ancient Cave Temple (හඳගලකන්ද ලෙන් විහාරය)
A lesser known place that lay mostly in ruins today is situated in a serene forest-clad area in a village called Ratmalgahawewa 22 miles north-east of Anuradhapura. This sacred site called Handagala cave temple could be reached by proceeding about two miles from Ratmalgahawewa junction on the Kebitigollewa road and continuing westwards for another two miles. […]
Fort Ostenburg at Trincomalee (ඔස්ටන්බර්ග් බලකොටුව)
Fort Ostenburg is believed to be the fort buit by King Rajasinghe II who ruled this country for 52 years (1635-1687) to attack the Portuguese at Fort Fedrick. […]
Fort Fredrick at Trincomalee (ත්‍රිකුණාමලය බලකොටුව)
Fort Fredrick is a fort built by Portuguese at Trincomalee, Sri Lanka in 1624. It is said to built from the debris of an ancient Hindu temple that was destroyed by the Portuguese. […]
Batticaloa Fort (මඩකලපුව බලකොටුව)
The Fort in Batticaloa lies on a one of the many small islands of Batticaloa in the east coast of Sri Lanka. It was built by the Portuguese in 1628 after a Dutch fleet landed in Batticaloa in 1603 with a fleet of six ships to take part in a joint effort to oust the Portuguese from the island after an initial agreement with then King of Kandy. This infuriated the Portuguese who had a firm holding in the Island and built a small fort 1628. […]
Arippu Fort in Mannar (මන්නාරමේ අරිප්පු බලකොටුව)
Arippu Fort is a small two bastion fort built by the Portuguese just before the causeway at Arippu. This fort was handed over to the Dutch in 1658 after the fall of Mannar. This fort again changed hands to the British. […]
Dutch Fort of Galle (ගාල්ල කොටුව)
The Dutch Galle Fort is a rare historical jewel protected by dark, thick stone walls - with the endless ocean on one side. […]
Negombo Fort : Exploring the Historic Legacy of the Colonial Past
The Portuguese fort that stood where the current Negombo Fort is situated was mostly destroyed by cannon during the Dutch siege in 1644. The Dutch fort was built on its ruins, not on the usual square pattern, but on a pentagonal one, though it had only four bulwarks. The fifth one was never bui […]
Jaffna Fort (යාපනය බලකොටුව)
Situated on the south side of the Jaffna peninsula at the water’s edge of the lagoon, the ancient Jaffna Fort is the second largest existing fort in the Island. Originally built by the Portuguese in 1619 and re-built and expanded by the Dutch during the second half of the 17th and the 18th centuries. […]