Jaffna

   Jaffna is a city on the northern tip of Sri Lanka. Nallur Kandaswamy is a huge Hindu temple with golden arches and an ornate gopuram tower. By the coast, star-shaped Jaffna Fort was built by the Portuguese in the 17th century and later occupied by the Dutch and British. Jaffna Public Library is a symbol of the city’s post-war regeneration. Jaffna Archaeological Museum has Dutch cannons and pre-colonial artifacts.

    The Sangiliyan Statue commemorates the last ruler of the pre-colonial Jaffna Kingdom. North of the city are dozens of stone Buddhist stupas at the ruins of Kadurugoda Viharaya. Overlooking the ocean, the bathing tanks at Keerimalai are fed by underground springs. Causeways connect Jaffna to a number of offshore islands. On Karainagar Island, Casuarina Beach has shallow waters and is backed by leafy trees. Boats run to Nainativu, where the Nagadeepa Purana Viharaya temple is a Buddhist pilgrimage site. Portuguese ruins dot the island of Neduntheevu (Delft), which is also home to wild horses and a towering baobab tree.