Jaffna

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Jaffna (Sinhala:යාපනය, Tamil:யாழ்ப்பாணம்) is the capital city of the Northern Province of Sri Lanka. Most of the residents of Jaffna are Sri Lankan Tamils with a presence of Sri Lankan Moors. It had been the second largest city in the country for several decades, until the recent civil conflict.

Contents 1 History 1.1 The Jaffna Kingdom 1.2 Invasion and Colonization by the West 2 Etymology 3 Demography 4 Culture 4.1 Arts 4.2 Literature 5 Economic activities 5.1 Jaffna Harbour 6 Media 7 Educational instituitions 8 Ethnic conflict 8.1 Mass exodus and ethnic cleansing 8.1.1 Christian missionary activity 9 References 10 External links

[edit] History

Main article: Jaffna Kingdom

The Northern Srilankan city of Jaffna has a written history of 2000 years. Along with the Mahavamsa and Chulavamsa, the Pattinappalai and Manimekalai , The Yalppana Vaibava Malai, Kailaya Malai, and Irasamurai are some of the books containing historical facts of Jaffna. Recent finds of archaeological remains have to be given proper weight in interpreting literary sources, most of which are not contemporary documents.

[edit] The Jaffna Kingdom

Main article: Jaffna Kingdom

According to "Yalppana Vaibava Maalai"(which was written by Mayilvagana Pulavar, during Dutch period), the first king took the throne of Jaffna Kingdom in 1215 as "Segarajasekeran Singhai Ariyar Chakravarti" is considered to be none other than the Kalinga Magha (Kulasekara Segarajasekeran Seliyasekaran Vijeyar Singhai Ariyar Chakravarti: 1215-1240). If Magha of Kalinga had assumed titles like Segarajacekaran and Seliyasekaran, it shows that he was founding a Tamil kingdom as –an ending masculine names are a peculiarity of Tamil and Malayalam languages only. By the end of his rule, he had subjugated most of Sri Lanka. The Batticaloa chronicle states that Magha(n) captured Polonnaruwa. The Chulavamsa says that Magha(n) stationed troops at Trincomalee, Koddiyara, Kantalai, Padavia, Kaddukkulam, Kayts, Pulachery and ruled Rajarata from his capital Polonnaruwa. After Segarajasekeran's death in 1240, his son Kulasegaran succeeded to the throne under the name Pararajasekeran and ruled from Nallur in the Jaffna Peninsula. In 1247 Chandrabhanu from the Malayan peninsula invaded the Island with the aid of Indian armies and inflicted heavy damage on the Kalinga Magha domain. Although Chandrabhanu’s invasion was repulsed in 1263 he managed to capture certain areas(Chavakachcheri.......etc.) in the Jaffna Peninsula that were then under Kalinga Magha. Kulothungan succeeded his father and reigned until 1279 under the name Segarajasekeran II. Vikraman, son of Kulothungan, reigned from 1279 to 1302. He was known under the throne name of Pararajasekeran II. Varothayan succeeded his father and reigned from 1302 to 1325 under the name of Segarajasekeran III. Varothayan's son Marthanda Perumal became the ruler as Pararajasekeran III. He reigned from 1325 to 1348. Gunapushanam succeeded his father and reigned as Segarajasekeran IV from 1348 to 1371. In 1371, Virothayan followed his father and reigned until 1380 as Pararajasekeran IV. From 1380 to 1410, Jeyaveeran, son of Virothayan, reigned as Segarajasekeran V. Virothayan's son Kunaveeran held the throne as Pararajasekeran V from 1410 to 1446. The Jaffna Kingdom was dominated by the South Indian Pandya Empire, a Tamil empire in the 13th Century after they defeated Chadrabanu. In the Far South of India as neighbours of the Island there were states like Pallava, Pandya, Chola, Chera and Vijayanagar kingdoms in Southern India. From time to time one or the other of these Dravidian states reached pre-eminence but indubitably the greatest of these was the Chola Empire, which encompassed not only south India but the entire region up to the Ganges in Northern India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives to the south to Malaya and Sumatra in the east. The political, socio-economic and cultural impact and influence of this empire was very great. All these Dravidian kingdoms had a lasting politico-socio-economic and cultural impact and influence on Sri Lanka and in the region to a very great extent. According to the Chulavamsa, Arya Chakravarti was the title of a Pandya general, who was not Arya by birth, who invaded Lanka in the 13th century. Professor S.Pathmanathan, in his research work on the Jaffna Kingdom, believes that it was this Arya Chakravarti who established the Arya Chakravarti dynasty in Jaffna. Beginning from 1310, there was political instability and unsettled conditions in the Pandya Kingdom due to Muslim invasions from Delhi and the subsequent establishment of Madurai Sultanate. This enabled Jaffna Kingdom to become independent. The Jaffna Kingdom had control over the Jaffna Peninsula, Northern Vanni principalities, Mannar, Pearl rich western Puttalam coast and sometimes even Trincomalee port. The coastal belt of the Eastern Province was also covered by semi-independent Tamil Vanni principalities which owed allegiance to one king or another, depending on their strength.

[edit] Invasion and Colonization by the West

After lasting for over 400 years the Tamil Jaffna Kingdom finally lost its independence to the Portuguese in 1621. The Nayak of Thanjavur in Tamilnadu sent reinforcements to help the king of Jaffna but they were of no avail. The Portuguese captured the king of Jaffna Sangili Kumaran and had took him to Goa in India along with his sons. After trial, the Portuguese found him guilty of treason and hanged him along with his sons. With the Jaffna Kingdom’s demise, the only indigenous independent political entity that was not Sinhalese and Buddhist in character came to an end in the Island. The Portuguese built the Jaffna Fort and the moat around it. The Tamils and the Kandyan Kingdom collaborated and conspired with the Dutch rulers of Batavia( today's Jakarta in Indonesia). The Dutch invasion from Batavia brought religious freedom for Tamils and Muslims.The Dutch and the later colonial English ruler reigned approximately 3 centuries in length with each ruling for approximately 150 years. The Jaffna Tamil has several Portuguese and Dutch words still in usage. The British started their rule in 1798. Many educational institutions were established during this period largely by Christian missionary societies. English language was taught to the locals. The Jaffna Tamils earned higher ranks in government institutions and professions. There was no need for the British to practise ‘divide and rule’ policy in their administration as the Sinhalese Buddhists were loyal subjects of the British empire and never fought for freedom for a century up to 1948 when the British left. It was Jaffna Tamil leaders like Sir Ponnampalam Ramanathan and Sir Ponnampalam Arunasalam who were leading the freedom movement of the country during the early decades of the last century.

[edit] Etymology

The general area of Jaffna peninsula boasts a written history dating back to circa 4th century BC. Yakshaganam is a type of music found in India. Yazhpanam may be a similar name for Yakshaganam. Nagapatnam is a city 40 kilometers North across the Palk Straits in India. Mahavamsa is full of references to Yakshas, Nagas and Tamilas as Kings of Lanka at various times.

A prominent port in the area was known as Yapa Patuna in Sinhala and Yaalpaana Pattinam in Tamil since the medieval times. In the local Tamil dialect it currently spelt as Yaalpaanam and some local Tamils believe the term Yaalpaanam is derived from Yaal and Paanam meaning land of the lute player alluding to a myth of a blind lute player receiving the land as a royal grant. Currently in Sinhalese, it is known as Yapanaya. Jaffna may be a latter-day simplification of the names either Yapa Patuna or Yaalpaana Pattinam.

The Tamil name for the city, "யாழ்ப்பாணம" is derived from யாழ்=harp, பாணம்=town of harper

[edit] Demography

Prior to the civil war most residents of Jaffna were Tamil speaking, Sri Lankan Tamils, with a notable Muslim and Sinhalese presence. Thus the 1981 Census gives: Tamils 800,000; Moors 14,000; Sinhala 5,000. compared to 20,514 Sinhala speakers in 1971 and none by 1988.

85% of the population of the Jaffna and Kilinochchi districts were Hindus. The Hindus followed the Saivite tradition. The remainder were largely Roman Catholic or Protestant. The Tamils were divided along caste lines with farmer-caste Vellalar forming the majority. The maritime caste known as the Karaiyar dominated the coast.

[edit] Culture

Most Jaffna tamils belong to the Dravidian cultural group and The Pongal, The Hindu New Year in April, Christmas, Deepavali, Navaratri and Shivaratri are some of the religious festivals celebrated. During the colonial period Jaffna people were attracted to western culture and these features can be identified even today in the Jaffna society.

[edit] Arts

The traditional dance of the Sri Lankan Tamils is called Kooththu. These are a variety of stage dramas. Karthavarayan Kooththu, Sangiliyan Kooththu and Poothaththambi Kooththu are some of the famous Kooththus in Jaffna. The Poothaththambi Kooththu has been Staged from the Dutch era. These arts are mainly focused on the historical values of the community and to entertain the people. The villuppattu is one of the famous art of tamils. Oyilaattam is a notable variety of dance in the jaffna peninsula. The South Indian dance and music is also indigenous to Jaffna. Noteworthy here would be Bharata Natyam and Carnatic Music in the classical high tradition of Hinduism.

[edit] Literature

A poet called Eelattu Poothanthevanar is mentioned in the ancient Tamil sangam existed in Madurai. He was most probably from the North of Sri lanka. The Chief Nalliyakodan of Mantai in what is today Mannar sponsored several Sangam era poets in the Tamil land. Kumanan, another chief from Kudiramalai, also sponsored poets. However, the precise identity of Nalliyakodan and Kumanan is under doubt. This is discussed in Mudaliyar C. Rasanayagam's "Ancient Jaffna".

The medieval Tamil court in Jaffna hardly produced any literature of worth except for the rare manuscript on astronomy or ayurveda.

Turning to modern times, Arumuga Navalar was born in Nallur in December 1822. He died in 1879. He helped develop modern Tamil prose and freed the language from what had become the stitled classicism of the past with his freer use of words. He had translated the Bible into Tamil and then researched Hindu doctrine. Navalar had written many Hindu religious books and was an outstanding orator. He was the pioneer of religious reforms in the Jaffna Hindu society. C.W Thamotheram pillai, another native of Jaffna, was one of the first two graduates in the Madras Presidency. He obtained his degree from the University of Madras in 1858 and contributed to Tamil studies. Dr. Ananda Kentish Coomaraswamy contributed extensively to the study of Indian art in its social context. He was born in 1877.

Mallikai, Sudar, Samar, Siriththiran, Alai and Kathambam were some of the Tamil magazines published in 1970s. Many of them disappeared after the ethnic tension in late 1980s.

The term Pulampeyar Ilakkiyam is the literature of the Tamil speaking people migrated away from their native places. Viduthalai Ilakkiyam is the literature of various Tamil nationalist organizations.

[edit] Economic activities

Sea products, red onion, and tobacco are the main products in Jaffna. Prior to the civil war it was a place of many small scale industries manufacturing household items as well as packaging and food processing for export. Most industrialists have left or closed shops. The present Jaffna economy is facing setbacks because of the unstable connectivity with the south. The prices of goods in Jaffna are relatively very high compared to the south. Currently the primary economic activity is related to trading. The foreign remittance from the Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora sustains many people.

[edit] Jaffna Harbour

The pending Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project may increase the productivity of the Jaffna Harbour positively. Enlargement of the harbour will bring benefits to Sri Lanka. The strategic advantages derive from obtaining a navigable sea route close to the coast, with a reduction in travel distance of more than 350 nautical miles (650 km) (for larger ships). The project is expected to provide a boost to the economic and industrial development of coastal Tamil Nadu in India. The project will be of particular significance to Jaffna, Kankesanthurai, Mannar, Point Pedro and Tuticorin harbour.

[edit] Media

The first newspaper in Jaffna, Uthayatharakai (Morning Star) was published in 1841 by C.W. Thamotharampillai[1]

Today it has number of newspapers including Eelamurasu and Uthayan.

[edit] Educational instituitions

Jaffna is considered to be the most literate district in the whole of Sri Lanka, which has a very high literacy level to begin with. In early days (before 1970s') Sri Lankan universities were dominated by Jaffna students but currently their enrollment is minimized due to the effects of district based quota system introduced in 1970s as well as the effects of the civil war. However, in 1974 the government opened the University of Jaffna which is de facto reserved for students from the region, while they have a quota based access to the other Sri Lankan universities as well. Peter Percival was a Wesleyan Missionary who started several schools in Jaffna including Jaffna Central College, Hartley College, Vembadi Girls School, and Methodist Girls High School. The first translation of Bible into Tamil was carried out by Fr Peter Percival and Arumuga Navalar. St.Patrick’s College, a leading Catholic school in the Island, was established in 1850 as the “Jaffna Catholic English School” by Monsignor Orazio Bettacchini.St.Patrick’s College, a leading Catholic school in the Island, was established in 1850 as the “Jaffna Catholic English School” by Monsignor Orazio Bettacchini.St.Patrick`s College http://www.stpatrickscollege.edu.lk/ St.John`s College,............

The Jaffna Hindu College is one of the leading schools in Jaffna. This institution was established by a Hindu asscociation in 1890. The Hindu Board of Education had established a network of grant-in-aid schools. Sir Ponnambalam Ramanathan established Ramanathan College for Girls and Parameshwarar College for Boys.

Founded by American missionaries in 1819, Jaffna College, has records of Malaysian, Singaporean, South Indian and even Japanese students enrollment in 1930s and 1940s. American missionaries also founded many other institutions of higher learning that are still functioning today. Today most students are locals.

[edit] Ethnic conflict

Main articles: Ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka, State terrorism in Sri Lanka, and Human Rights in Sri Lanka

Due to the current civil war, the city has witnessed wholesale massacres and disappearances of the civilian population and a deterioration in the human rights situation.^{[citation needed]} Currently it is under the control of the government of Sri Lanka; prior to 1995 it was under control of the LTTE. Due to ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka, many residents had moved out of the city, and thus the population has been reduced dramatically. According to the 2001 census, the population of the municipality is about 145,600^{[citation needed]}. The population of the district is estimated at 490,621, as opposed to 738,788 in 1981.^[1] Jaffna also functions as the economic and cultural capital of Sri Lankan Tamils.

Jaffna was once a 'stronghold' of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a political and military organization seeking the establishment of an independent Tamil Eelam for Tamil-speaking people in Sri Lanka. However, the LTTE were evicted from the city by the Sri Lankan military in 1995.

The Jaffna Public library was burnt down in June 1981, when ethnic tensions in the country were building steadily towards war. It renovated in 2003 by the government of Sri Lanka. [2]

[edit] Mass exodus and ethnic cleansing

Main articles: Expulsion of Muslims from Jaffna and Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora

While Jaffna was under the control of the LTTE in 1990, the LTTE expelled all the Muslims residing in Jaffna. A total of 28,000 Muslims were forced to leave their homes taking nothing but the clothes on their backs.^[2]

Many of the Tamils from this region have also moved out to other parts of the island or to foreign countries due to the war situation.

[edit] Christian missionary activity

Main article: Jaffna Roman Catholic diocese

Jaffna also has played an important role in the Roman Catholic religious administration of Sri Lanka. It also plays an important role in the administration of the Church of South India in Sri Lanka, a group of Protestant denominations. Some notable missionaries are

• Eliza Agnew, Presbyterian missionary from New York City^[3]

[edit] References

This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.

• 4 BALDAEUS-A.J. DE JONG, Afgoderye der Oost-Indische Heydenen (door Ph. Baldaeus, Amsterdam, 1672). Orig. thesis [Utrecht university]. 's-Gravenhage, 1917. Original wraps., (lxxxv), 236pp., facsim. title-p. of the original, publ. 1672, extensive notes to the original reviewed text, register at end. EUR 145.00

¶ After an introd. on the presence of Europeans in the "Indies" (Spain, Portugual, England, Holland) & their missionaries, the author focuses on the life & work of Philippus Baldeus a Dutch Protestant minister in V.O.C. service, who arrived at Batavia 24 June 1655 to perform his duties, visiting India (Jaffna), Coromandel & Ceylon, his return to the Netherlands (1667). The 2nd. part of this thesis deals with the still curious & interesting work of Baldeus on Hindu-religion & mythology ("Afgoderye...", being the 3rd part of the whole publication). The text has been completely published, with ext. foot-notes & commentary. Fine, unopened copy.

• Wars waged for the Possession of the Tooth Relic

[edit] External links

• Train without tracks Jaffna
• Extensive page about Jaffna
• Traditional Buildings of Jaffna
• About Jaffna
• is about place names in Sri Lanka

• Official site for the last descendants of the Jaffna Kings

Main Cities Of Sri Lanka
Colombo | Sri Jayewardenapura | Anuradhapura | Trincomalee | Jaffna | Kandy | Polonnaruwa | Galle | Batticaloa | Nuwara Eliya | Negombo | Kurunegala | Badulla | Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia | Moratuwa

Provincial Capitals Of Sri Lanka
Colombo | Kandy | Galle | Jaffna | Trincomalee | Kurunegala | Anuradhapura | Badulla | Ratnapura

Cities of North and East Provinces of Sri Lanka
Trincomalee | Jaffna | Vavuniya | Batticaloa | Mannar | Kilinochchi | Ampara | Mullaitivu

Coordinates: 9°40′N 80°00′E