Exploring Jaffna Town (Part 2)

Nallur Kovil

Once we got back onto shore (we were charged LKR 30 per head) we decided that it was time for lunch. A friend of mine had recommended Hotel Rolex for lunch with the promise that we were gonna be blown away. 

She was right. 

It's a narrow building with stainless steel food counters running down a long aisle which leads to a back room; said back room has tables for diners. It was heaving with people when we walked in, especially young teenagers. The meals are sooo affordable there. My mother and I shared a seafood rice plate actually packed with seafood and it was only LKR 500. The chicken fried rice was cooked with real butter and it was just LKR 400. Mind you, the portions were so huge that we all shared 1 dish between 2 people and it was still too much for us. We stuffed our face (and forgot photos).

MY ice cream - look at the treacle!

For dessert we went to... *drum roll... RIO! Rio ice cream is a popular and historic Jaffna establishment that survived decades of conflict. Now, I have tried ice creams from many different places in Sri Lanka, Japan and Singapore. NOTHING comes even close to the heaven I tasted at Rio, Jaffna. My mother and I had a kitul treacle and nut sundae while the others opted for chocolate stuff. Divine and yu-mmy!

Chocolate glory with wafer stick

Bellies full and sated, we decided to go to the famous Nallur kovil. We had to wait a few minutes before the front doors were opened at 3 PM and then the women went inside; the men, being prudes, didn't want to remove their T shirts (however, they are very comfortable watching women shed clothes on the internet. Wonder why?).

The atmosphere inside was very calm and serene. It's not easy for a religious institution to become famous, popular and still maintain such a spiritual atmosphere because sooner or later, it becomes a tourist attraction. Nallur kovil did though. Despite being one of the landmarks of Jaffna and having large crowds every day, the massive compound was silent save for murmured prayers.

Nallur kovil has a distinctive colour that sets it apart from other kovils

The inside was cavernous and breathtaking. The decorations were so delicate and detailed, covered in gold paint that somehow gave everything a magical, shimmery quality. I regretted not knowing enough about the Hindu religion because I couldn't figure out the back stories of all the murals and statues. If you ever decide to go, take someone with you who knows these things.

Jaffna Fort

We had a long drive towards KKS (Kankasathurei) at the top of the Jaffna peninsula where we would stay the night at 'Thal Sevana', the Army-run guest house. So we decided to make the visit to the Jaffna Fort quick. Initially built by the Portuguese, it was expanded and improved upon by the Dutch. Most of the remains speak to Dutch origins and we were happy to see that the architecture department seemed to have taken over the site and was running it as a dig site. We could still go in, and climb up onto the ramparts. 

Main Entrance

More ruins

Ruins

Ramparts

The walls were made of lime and stone but interspersed with coral, no doubt taken from the sea which was only a few hundred metres away. From up there we could see the whole of Jaffna town, including the infamous library. Unfortunately, we couldn't go see the library since it was closed.

The  stones in the middle are coral blocks

After spending a good hour there, we got back into the van and moved off towards KKS. It was a long drive of about 1 hour, and we were sure glad to see the lights of the rest house in front of us. 

We went to a couple of places the next day too, but that's for the next post. Till next time!

*All pictures are subject to copyright © Asuka Randeniye 2016