Yaalpaanam (Jaffna) Peninsula
Overview
The name “Jaffna” is a Portuguese replacement of the native Tamil name “Yaalpaanam.” Yaalpaanam is the cultural capital of the Thamil-speaking people on the island.
The Portuguese arrived on the island in 1505 but got a foothold in the Yaalpaanam Kingdom only in 1621 when they captured Sangilian the Tamil King. The Portuguese built a fort in the city in 1625 and lost it to the Dutch in 1658 who expanded the fort as they did in the city of Galle south of the island.
Due to the long civil war in Sri Lanka, tourism to the region has not developed yet but the hotels in the south are now opening branches in the peninsula and still remain off-the-beaten-track spots on the island. There are some excellent beaches like Casuarina a white sandy beach and Kankesanthurai Beach.
There are small islands off the west coast of the peninsula, some of which are accessible by causeways or boats, and they are worth a visit to see village life.
When in the peninsula a must-try dish is the island’s famous Crab Curry (Nandu Curry in Tamil) - in the south of the island they call it the “Jaffna Crab Curry”. One other dish the Tamils love and recommended is a seafood stew called “Kool” (in Tamil) with Palmerah flour, from the Palmerah tree similar to a coconut tree in height, which you will see in abundance all over the North and East of the island.
The Tamil cuisine tends to be about two-three notches more chili hot than the Singhala cuisine in the south. Try a Tamil Cookery Class whilst you are in Yaalpaanam.
Naguleswaram, one of five Eeswaram Kovils (temples) dedicated to Lord Siva, is in a small village called Keeri Malai, the only Eeswarm temple not destroyed by the Portuguese during their time on the island. The Keerimalai springs is a renowned mineral water spring, and their swimming pool is believed to have healing properties. Keeri Malai is situated about 15 miles to the west of the northernmost point of the island called Parithi Thurai (translates to Cotton Port).
A famous temple called Nallur Kandaswamy Kovil (Temple) is one of Sri Lanka’s most sacred places of pilgrimage for Sri Lankan Hindus (Saivites). Nallur is also famous for being the historical capital of the old Yaalpaanam Kingdom, with the royal palace situated very close to the temple, the ruins of which are there to see even today.
Incidentally, Yaalpaanam is twinned with the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames in Southwest London as there is a sizeable Tamil population from the peninsula who have lived in this borough for the past four decades or more.
