Sunday 14 Feb 2016

Today we have a full day trip to Mullaitivu. I was keen to see this area as it was the LTTE stronghold and where the  made their last stand in the civil war.  The lagoon area called Nanthikadal was site of alleged massacre of civilians who were cornered and had no where to go during the final stages of the war.  Along the way, there will be various sites from the war years that would be interesting, including a museum holding captured LTTE weapons.  Prabhakaran’s bunker (apparently 4 stories underground), Sea Tiger training centre and other LTTE command centres are also in this area.  We learnt from later from our van driver that most of these sites have been demolished by the government.  We were also recommended to visit the famed Vattapallai Kannaki Amman Temple in Mullaitivu.  Following Mullaitivu, we will make a trip to Vavuniya to visit Susie’s uncle.

From Jaffna we drove through Elephant Pass and to Kilinochchi.  First stop was the Water Tower that was blown up by the LTTE during the final stages of the war.

Next stop was the Iranamadu Tank.  This reservoir was built in 1902.

After more than an hours drive, we arrived in the town of Puthukkudiyiruppu which is home to a war museum that houses LTTE weapons and hardware.  It was interesting to walk through this place and look at the various captured weapons on display.  A lot of these weapons and equipment are improvised but have proven somewhat effective during the civil war.

After the war museum we headed towards Nanthikadal.  To my disappointment, the contentious beach area was fenced off by the army with sentry posts at regular intervals.  There were alleged human rights abuses here and the government was keen to keep the evidence away from prying eyes.

Going around the Nanthikadal lagoon we came to the famed Vattapallai Kannaki Amman Temple.  Vattapallai is the area in which the temple is located.  I am unsure about the history of this temple.

After the temple visit we made our way to Vavuniya to have a meal at Susie’s uncle’s place.  We had a great meal and Susie’s uncle and aunt were warm and welcoming.

The drive back to Jaffna was about 2.5 hours and we arrived at the hotel at night.

Saturday 13 Feb 2016

Today we decided to do nothing but go shopping and hang loose.  Most of my other relatives were leaving today, mostly to Malaysia and Melbourne.  They were catching the 1:45 train back to Colombo.  We went to see my granduncle again this morning.  He lived down the road.  He is a treasure of information.  Even though he is 84, he is pretty sharp.  Having worked at the Central Bank in Colombo all his working life, our conversation is in English.  This is a welcome relief to us as our Tamil is well below local standards.

We returned to the hotel to bid farewell to the departing group.  At this point the sun was really belting down and so we decided to wait a while before hitting the shops.  At about 2pm we decided to make our move.  Our group split up at the shopping area.  Susie and I went separately.  I had to get a few things, including spices and some clothes for my nieces in Singapore.  We then went to a restaurant to have some refreshments.  It is hot here, quite similar to Sydney but slightly humid.  We returned to the hotel after the drinkl.  We later went to a supermarket for a second round of shopping.

That evening Logan had organised a feast at the hotel.  Jaffna crab curry was prepared in 3 versions.  Due to my allergy, I had fish curry.  We had some vegetable curry and rice to go.  It was a wonderful feast and seemed to have gone for hours.  An American couple in the next table were looking at us enviously.  As they were leaving, they greeted us and commented on our feast.

Friday 12 Feb 2016

Today was an early start.  Consecration ceremonies at temple was beginning at 6am.  It should be finished by 7:30am.  Timing is important for Hindus who look to astrologers for auspicious times.  The temple is known as the Sri Katpaga Vinayagar Temple in the village of  Varivalavu.

After the temple proceedings, we decided to do a tour of Karainagar, the island from which my ancestors came from.  First stop was the famous Casuarina Beach.  It is more relaxed here now.  The last I was here 3 years ago, there an army sentry stationed here.  This  was followed by a visit to my maternal ancestral homeland.

After Casuarina Beach, it was time to head for Kovalum, the village my maternal grandmother came from.  It is rough road that is unsealed.  No many live in the village now except for a few.  Our van driver could not make the trip due to road conditions.  We decided to use a Tuk-tuk to make the journey.  Vijaya negotiated a price of 600 rupees with a Tuk-tuk driver for us to make the journey.  My cousin Sangaran, Palini a close family friend and myself decided to make the journey.  We went to the first property that belong to one of our relatives.  Then we made the trip to the beach front where the actual land is.  Part of the land, as we thought, was occupied by the navy.  We later realised upon surveying the land, it was not the case.  To our surprise, the navy personnel were friendly and helpful.  This really surprised me.  The end result is that we were able to inspect our ancestral land with great ease.  Paling who can speak Sinhalese facilitated this.  We were also advised by the navy personnel to register our interest in the land with the Grama Niladhari, who is local village level government official who is meant to keep track of land in his allotted area.  This way if others came to ask about the land or try to assume ownership, this official could advise them accordingly.

We decided to end the day by relaxing and recovering from the events of the day back at the hotel.  We needed it especially because of the early start.  Needless to say, I had a nap which I most enjoyed.