Jaffna: The Forgotten Kingdom (Part 1)

We arrive in Jaffna!

Going to Jaffna has always been a dream for me. I always thought it was a shame that we didn't learn more about the history of that ancient kingdom in school. For most of my life, it was mired in conflict and when it was finally safe to go, there was always something that stopped me; the family was busy, transport was crappy, there was no proper accommodation. But 7 years after the war ended, I finally went to Jaffna and it was... different.

Jaffna station in the morning light

This one wasn't a budget trip because it was sponsored by the adults in our life. Although I paid for snacks and a few tickets, most of the expenses accrued were handled by those with bigger paychecks than mine. So, I'll give you guys the expenses, but remember, this trip wasn't cheap.

We booked tickets in the night mail train to Jaffna from Pettah, the train leaving at 8.30 PM. The ticket costs LKR 1400 per person for first class; less in 2nd and 3rd. Mind you, first class is sooo comfy. I slept like a baby all the way.

We turned up in Jaffna around 6AM and was met by a van we hired for the day. It cost us LKR 6000 for the day and we pretty much covered everything there was to see within the town. Public transport isn't too bad, but I highly recommend hiring a vehicle simply because it makes the sight-seeing much easier.

 

View from the road to Nagadeepa

 I don't know what I was expecting from Jaffna but I was  pleasantly surprised. It felt familiar, almost like a transplant  of Pettah. The only difference was that everything was in  Tamil and made me feel very inadequate that I didn't know  one of the 2 official languages of my country. Everything  else though was very picturesque.

 We had breakfast at the Tilko Jaffna City Hotel because our  parents were a little put off by the 'saivar' places open at that  hour. The hotel had a decent breakfast buffet, coffee/tea  included. They had a mix of local and Western fare for LKR  700 per head. It's pricey but clean and the bathrooms were  fantastic.

 We set off immediately afterwards for Nagadeepa, the island  temple made famous as one of the places visited by Lord  Buddha. Nagadeepa is only accessible by a rickety old ferry,  which is always crowded so aim to go there as early as  possible. 

We stopped at the Densil Kobbekaduwa memorial on the way. There is a monument and the remains of the vehicle he was in when his car bomb went off. It's a desolate place, surrounded on three sides by marshland with two soldiers on duty. In fact, there were soldiers in most of the historical and cultural places we went to see, even though we studiously avoided any places that were associated with the war, like old bunkers.

The Kobbekaduwa Memorial

The boat ride to Nagdeepa was a bit disappointing. Passengers are given life jackets and shoved down into the hold of an old wooden boat; we saw nothing of the sea while we were in it. We didn't even know what direction we were going in. But I have to say, they did bring us in safely.

From the pier to Nagadeepa temple

Nagadeepa is quite frankly, an extravaganza. There is a main road running down the length of the island, and the temple is on either side. The old temple was filled with photos and memorabilia of how Nagadeepa used to be before the reconstruction; call me a romantic, but I thought the simplicity looked better on it than the gold plated fences that now adorn the temple boundaries.

We walked to the other end of the island, where the ferries gather at another pier to take us back. After a short wait, we went back into the boats, and emerged on the mainland. They charge LKR 30 per head one-way btw.

I know this has been short, but I wanna spend as much time as possible reliving Jaffna so next up: lunch at the famous Hotel Rolex.

See you guys next Monday!