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Jaffna & the

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museum is hidden away at the end of a messy
garden behind a concrete events hall. At the
door are a rusty pair of Dutch cannons from
the fort and a set of whale bones. Inside,
the most interesting items are some 15th-
century Buddha torsos found at Kantarodai
and a 14th-century ‘seven-mouthed pot.’

St Mary’s Cathedral CHurCH
(Cathedral rd) Built by the Dutch along classi-
cal lines, St Mary’s Cathedral is astonishingly
large, but it’s curious to see corrugated-iron
roofing held up by such a masterpiece of
wooden vaulting.

Our Lady of Refuge Church CHurCH
(off Hospital rd) This unusual structure looks
like a whitewashed version of a Gloucester-
shire village church.

St James’ CHurCH
(Main st) This is the grandest church in Jaffna,
a classical Italianate edifice.

British Council CulTurAl CeNTre
(%752 1521; http://www.britishcouncil.lk; 70 rakka rd;
hwed-sun 9am-5pm) Opened in 2014, the Brit-
ish Council has a library stocked with maga-
zines, newspapers and English literature and
hosts cultural events including art exhibitions.

Alliance Française CulTurAl CeNTre
(%222 8093; [email protected]; 61
Kachcheri–Nallur rd; h9am-5pm) Has a comfy
lounge with English- and French-language
newspapers and a library with books in
French and English. Offers occasional film
screenings.

z^ Festivals

Nallur Festival relIgIous
Spread over a period of 25 days in July and/
or August, this Hindu festival climaxes on
day 24 with parades of juggernaut floats

and gruesome displays of self-mutilation by

entranced devotees.

Jaffna Music Festival MusIC

(www.jaffnamusicfestival.org) In addition to

Jaffna’s religious festivals, the city hosts the

biennial Jaffna Music Festival in March of

odd-number years. This festival showcases

both local and international musicians and

performers from countries as far off as Bra-

zil and Norway.

European Film Festival CINeMA

(www.europeanfilmfestsrilanka.com) The excel-

lent European Film Festival is held in Jaffna,

Kandy, Colombo and Galle in October and

November.

4 Sleeping

Jaffna has a decent selection of budget

guesthouses, though good midrangers are

harder to come by.

Most places are located in the leafy east-

ern suburbs of the city.

oMorgan’s Residence guesTHouse $

(Maria’s; %222 3666; 103 Temple rd; s/d with air-

con rs 3000/4000; aW) A wonderful four-

roomed guesthouse in an elegant villa with

four-posters, beamed ceilings and a grand

dining table. It’s a great place to socialise

with others over tea or beer in the courtyard

garden and manager Maria is a delight, going

the extra mile to welcome guests (including

Angelina Jolie, no less!). Book ahead.

Theresa Inn guesTHouse $

(Do Drop Inn; %222 8615, 071 856 5375; calis-

[email protected]; 72 racca rd; s/d/tr rs

1500/2000/2250, with air-con rs 2750/2250/3000;

aW) A good choice, located on a leafy plot

on a quiet street, with eight clean and airy

rooms that represent good value. The family

THE ROAD TO JAFFNA

During the war, the A9 – when it was open at all – was often the only permitted land route

across Tamil Eelam, the LTTE-controlled Vanni region. This flat, savannah-like area,

sometimes nicknamed Tigerland, was effectively another country. Travellers stutter-

stepped through Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and LTTE checkpoints, complete with customs and

‘immigration’ for LTTE-controlled territory, and the trip from Vavuniya to Jaffna took up to

16 hours.

Today the trip takes around four hours, and the nearest thing to a checkpoint is a little

shack where government soldiers may ask to see your passport.

Kilinochchi, once the administrative capital of Tigerland, is the only sizeable town en

route. The most dramatic scenery is around the Elephant Pass, an eerily beautiful 1km-

long causeway that anchors the Jaffna peninsula to the rest of Sri Lanka. Possession of it

was viciously fought over during the war.