Wednesday 10 Feb 2016
The day started with an early morning walk with my cousin Sangaran and Charles. We walked to Jaffna Fort. It was built by the Portuguese first and then fortified by the Dutch. The date on the entry way is 1690. It was heavily damaged during the war but is slowly being repaired. Not much has progressed since my last visit.
Then a group of us decided we will visit North Jaffna. We were going to Keerimalai Springs and then to Point Pedro, the northern most point in Sri Lanka. I have been to these places before but it will be good for a return visit.
Our first stop was the Keerimalai Springs. The Hindu temple besides it dates back from the BC era. It was destroyed by the Portuguese in 1620. It was rebuilt in 1894. However, the civil war caused extensive damage to the temple. Bullet holes and mortar damage was visible on my last visit. A new temple was built.
Some of us had a swim in the Keerimalai Springs. It is meant to have some medicinal properties. It was refreshing after the swim and a good relief from the heat. After Keerimalai Springs, we headed down the road to Dambakola. When Buddhism was came to Sri Lanka from India, it was reputed to have come through Dambakola.
After Dambakola, we headed for Niravalai deep well. It has a deep aquamarine colour and the depth of the well has never been determined. Legend has it that this is where Rama from the Hindu epic Ramayana stopped to rest.
After a brief stop at Niravalai well, we headed for Point Pedro, the northern most point in Sri Lanka. The 2004 Tsunami hit this place too and caused massive destruction. A lot of the buildings here have not been repaired or replaced.
After Point Pedro, we had lunch at a local shop and headed back to Jaffna. There were some temple festivities later on our home island Karainagar.