Jaffna Streets and the Dutch Fort

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Jaffna Streets and the Dutch Fort:

As we travelled north past Vivuniya we couldn't help but wonder what we would find in Jaffna. To the left and right were pockmarked, roofless, partly-destroyed buildings and vast areas with very little population. The civil war which started in 1983 had taken quite a toll on the countryside.

The highway itself had been "newly carpeted", which means it had been improved and had new "blacktop" on it, so the road was smooth enough, and the trainline was being rebuilt and had gotten as far as Kilinochchie, once the centre of the LTTE (Tamil Tigers) separatist administration.

Have you ever read "Havana Bay"? It talks about the sense of timewarp when going to Cuba, where the cars on the road are from the 1950s, from the time before the US blocked trade with Cuba. Well, the cars in Jaffna go way back as well, but what is especially noticeable is the preponderance of bicycles. Although we expected bicycles throughout Sri Lanka, we've hardly seen any till getting to Jaffna. Where people went for years and years with difficulty getting petrol and with unreliable electricity, they have used their wit and pedal power to keep going.

Now the streets are busy and there is small scale building going on everywhere. We walked around the downtown area and were intrigued at how the shops are clustered, so if you want automechanic supplies you go to one street, if you want clothing you go to another. Of course, I was fascinated by the gorgeous saris and bling dresses for little girls.

The day was hot, but we headed over to have a look at the Dutch Fort, a huge construction on the edge of the lagoon, which has sheltered a number of armies over time, most recently the LTTE and the Sri Lankan army.

Jaffna is no stranger to military presence, going back for centuries. The Dutch made a series of forts around the coast of Sri Lanka and the forts were so sturdy that they survive to this day, with their massive walls fronting the trade routes and possible invaders.

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Photos

Old Austin still runs
A reflection of the years in which Jaffna was isolated.

Jaffna street
EVERYTHING travels the streets. Here you can see a minibus, a tuk tuk, the front of a motorbike, a big bus coming up the side road and lots of pedestrians. But there are also the cows and many, many bicycles.

Jaffna new markets
The bright yellow building is the new markets. There are still lots of old markets, too.

Taxi rank of tuk tuks
If you want to get around the town, a tuk tuk (3-wheeler) is the way.

Sari shop
The shops are clustered by type, so one street has the clothing, another the food, another the hardware items. Can you think of the one I liked best?

Metal coffee cup
Time for a coffee stop at the Malaysian Cafe. The metal cups were a surprise.

Rebar Extending
Rebuilding is going on everywhere, and there always seems to be rebar left for adding yet another story.

Gracious living
Despite the recent past, there are some stately homes.

Markets near temple
There's a lively street life, especially near the Nallur Temple at Festival time.

Lagoon and Bridge
The lagoon is fairly shallow and is famous for its prawns. In the distance is the bridge to the nearby island of Punkudutivu.

Upgrading Coast Walk
The approach to the Dutch Fort is being upgraded to a parkland. Until the trees grow, it will still be a searingly hot walk.

Dutch Fort Jaffna
The Dutch displaced the Portuguese and build MASSIVE forts in several coastal sites around Sri Lanka. The Jaffna one is being renovated with help from the Dutch government.

Fort moats
The fort was built in the shape of a pentagon, or 5-pointed star, with moats all around it.

Walls of Coral
The walls were extremely thick and made of blocks containing coral!

Coral block walls
Amazing source of building materials.

Info Display Room
Within the wall (!) is a display room detailing the history of the fort.

Fort walls
Building this fort was not a minor matter.

Space inside the fort
Inside the fort there was room for a small town--ie LOTS of soldiers.

Fort church ruined
During the recent civil war, this old Dutch church was demolished by aerial attack. The LTTE were in the fort, then the Sri Lankan Army was in the fort.

Fort church ruined
Not a simple matter to destroy a heritage building like this old Dutch church.

Jaffna fort Inside
No army is here now, except the army of reconstructors.

Comments

[michelleandkev]

Bicycles & the like
Copenhagen is the place for thousands of bike riders who have right of way over cars and all other traffic! And Vietnam is like Jaffna in that certain streets sell certain goods, many of the 'shops' are just set up on the pavements. Looking forward to swapping travellers tales when we both get home! M xx

[becky]

hot cups
If the coffee were hot, metal cups sound painful...