Nallur St James’ Church (යාපනය නල්ලුර් ශාන්ත ජේම්ස් පල්ලිය)

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St James church in Nallur built by the Anglicans in 1828
photo by : Andrew Praveen Puththisikamany

St James’ church in Nallur, is one of the grandest British churches in the Jaffna peninsula.

In 1817 the Anglican Church Mission Society (CMS) approved the establishment of missions in Ceylon. On 20 December 1817 four clergymen – Joseph Knight, Samuel Lambrick, Robert Major and Benjamin Ward – and their wives left England and sailed to Ceylon on board the Vittoria and arrived in late June 1818.

Knight went to Jaffna, Lambrick went to Colombo, Major and his wife went to Galle and Ward and his wife to Trincomalee. Knight started his missionary work in 1818 in Nallur. In 1820 Knight bought a mission house in Nallur to conduct regular services. An old, dilapidated Dutch church next to the mission house was handed over to the mission by the government in 1823. After extensive repairs, this church was opened to the public for worship on 25 July 1828 (St. James’ Day). Bishop James Chapman consecrated the church in 1847 and in 1849 a 60 feet tower was added. The classical Italianate edifice used by Anglicans since its inception still can be seen being used today.

This church was the site of the original Nallur Kandaswamy Kovil before it was destroyed by the Portuguese. Part of the original Shivalingam of the Nallur Kandaswamy Kovil was located in the Vicarage till 1995 when it was destroyed during the recapture of Jaffna by Sri Lanka armed forces and the platform where the shivalingam was mounted can still be seen in the hallway of the vicarage.

The church was declared an archaeological protected monument in December 2011.

St James church in Nallur built by the Anglicans in 1828St James church in Nallur built by the Anglicans in 1828

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Map of Nallur St James’ Church

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Travelling directions to Nallur St James’ Church

Jaffna can be reached through two principal routes. The most commonly used approach is via Elephant Pass, which has long served as the traditional gateway to the Jaffna Peninsula.

An alternative route reaches Jaffna from the direction of Pooneryn by crossing the Sangupiddy Bridge. This crossing follows what was historically the ancient route to the peninsula before the construction of modern highways. The route provides a connection between Jaffna and the Mannar region.

Route 01 from Colombo to Jaffna Through Kurunegala (Popular Route)	Route 02 from Colombo to Jaffna Through Puttalam and Pooneryn (Lesser Traveled Route)
Through : Kurunegala – Dambulla – Anuradhapura – Vavuniya Distance: 410 km Travel Time: 7-8 hours Driving Directions: see on Google Maps.	Through: Puttalam – Thantirimale – Mannar – Poonaryn Distance: 408 km Travel Time: 8 hours Driving Directions: see on Google Maps.

Travel directions from Jaffna town to Nallur St James’ Church

Distance : 4km
Travel time : 10 min
Time to spend : 15 – 30 mins
Driving directions : see on google map

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Muruthtthanai Buddhist Monastic Archaeological Ruins 3 (මුරුත්තනෙයි පුරාවිද්‍යා නටබුන් 3)
The Anurādhapura-period Muruthtthanai Monastic Site 3 in Kiran features a small structure with seven stone pillars in a 3×4 arrangement. A Padowanada Gala (foot-washing basin) remains nearby, while an associated Siripatul Gala sits at Mariamman Kovil. […]
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Archaeological Ruins at Mariamman Kovil in Muruthtthanai (මුරුත්තානෛ මාරිඅම්මාන් කෝවිල් භූමියේ පුරාවිද්‍යා නටබුන්)
The Anurādhapura-period ruins at Mariamman Kovil in Muruthtthanai (Kiran) are situated 50 meters east of a Maduru Oya tributary. The site features the remains of a small building, including four broken, 30-centimeter-tall stone pillars currently intertwined within the roots of a tamarind tree. […]
Archaeological Ruins Behind Amman Kovil in Muruthtthanai (මුරුත්තනෙයි අම්මාන් කෝවිල පිටුපස පුරාවිද්‍යා නටබුන්)
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Archaeological Ruins on the Land of Vairamuttu Nagendran in Muruthtthanai (වෛරමුත්තු නාගේන්ද්‍රන්ගේ ඉඩමේ පුරාවිද්‍යා නටබුන්)
The Muruthtthanai ruins on Vairamuttu Nagendran’s land in Kiran are situated within private property. The site contains a small ancient structure of unknown date and origin, constructed from roughly worked stone blocks and including at least four stone pillars that still stand in their original positions. […]
Muruthtthanai Werama Archaeological Site in Kiran (මුරුත්තානෛ වේරම පුරාවිද්‍යා භූමිය)
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Palakkadu Road Archaeological Site in Kiran (පාලක්කාඩු මාර්ගයේ පුරාවිද්‍යා භූමිය)
The Anurādhapura-period Palakkadu Road site in Kiran is split in two by a modern gravel road. It features nineteen surviving 1-meter-tall, roughly dressed stone pillars, which likely formed a 4×7 grid structure before being partially destroyed. […]
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Miniminiththaweli Archaeological Site 2 in Kiran (මිනිමිණිත්තවේලි පුරාවිද්‍යා භූමිය 2)
The Maduru Oya Valley site in Miniminiththāweli features an Anurādhapura-period building complex with stone pillars and brick foundations. Unfortunately, illegal excavations by treasure hunters have severely damaged these structures, though they have also exposed various ancient artifacts and pottery. […]
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The Buddhist Monastic Ruins Site 2 at Akkuraṇai are located in the village of Akkuraṇai, within the Grāma Niladhāri Division of Muruthtthanai 209-A, in the Divisional Secretariat Division of Kōrale Pattu South (Kiran) of Batticaloa District. […]
Akkuranai Archaeological Ruins Site 3 in Kiran (අක්කුරානයි බෞද්ධ ආරාමික නටබුන් 3)
An Anurādhapura-period site near Akkuranai sits on a Maduru Oya tributary bank. It features six stone pillars—five upright and one fallen—showing ancient oval quarry marks. The original structure's exact function remains unknown due to insufficient evidence. […]
Akkuranai Megalithic Burial Site in Kiran (අක්කුරානයි මෙගාලිතික සුසාන භූමිය)
The Akkuranai Megalithic Burial Site in Kiran is a 1.2-hectare area surrounded by paddy fields. Though plundered by treasure hunters, it features at least six visible graves constructed from irregular stone slabs and numerous ancient pottery fragments. […]
Muruthtthanai Buddhist Archaeological Site in Kiran (මුරුත්තානෛ බෞද්ධ ආරාමික නටබුන්)
The Anurādhapura-period Muruthtthanai Buddhist site in Kiran features a rock-summit stupa and northern-slope buildings. Plundered by treasure hunters who breached the relic chamber, the ruins still preserve brick paving, stone wall foundations, and scattered pillar bases. […]

Also See

Map of Nallur St James’ Church

Travelling directions to Nallur St James’ Church

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