In truth, there’s not a great deal by way of ‘sights’ in Jaffna. There used to be a lot more. I learned from Google that before the civil war, Jaffna was Sri Lanka’s second biggest city; it’s now its 12th. The Sri Lankan army destroyed much of the rest, and even now, 17 years after the war ended (no peace with honour here: the Sri Lankan army inflicted a crushing defeat on the Tamil resistance) the city still has a battered, just-recovering feel to it. But we had a plan for the day – market, fort, temple – and after a very tasty breakfast we set off into the heat.
Got off to a flier, when some young fellers working on an ornate building opposite spotted me taking a photo, and gave me cheery waves with their loaded paint brushes. Then it was off to the market, which was ok, but in truth not much to it – we’ve yet to come across a really good market in Sri Lanka, and this one was quite small, and even then only half-occupied. So, to the fort, which was – there’s no other word for it – massive. Walls apparently 40 feet thick at the base, and the whole site covers, consensus seems to be, about 55 acres. A Sri Lankan asked me if it was built by the Brits; having just read about it, I was able to confirm that it was built by the Portuguese, taken over by the Dutch, “…and then we came along and stole it, as we generally did.” I apologised, but he didn’t seem to hold it against me/us.
Our route to Pt 3 – the temple – took us via the Public Library, which was reputed to be worth a gander. And so it proved. A rather imposing building, in a striking dazzling white. We were allowed to enter, though photography was prohibited (seems to be quite a lot of prohibition hereabouts – doubtless inherited from our mob) but I got a nice shot of the exterior, and flouted the rules in the archive section when no-one was watching. By pure chance, the random volume I took off the shelves proved to open with The Times’s report on ‘the’ Isle of Wight Festival: a quirky thing to find mouldering away in a corner of a library on the northern tip of Sri Lanka.
After a junk lunch in a shopping centre (the place had good reviews, and we just fancied a burger with chips – very good it was too) we got a tuk tuk to the temple, which was impressive, but closed. Google said it opened again at three, so we killed half an hour over mango nectar at a local caff. This time I had not only to shed hat and flip-flops and don a sarong, but lose the t-shirt too. Sheer magnificence. Sadly, photography was strictly prohibited; sadly because the place was wonderful, and rich with photo opportunities – all ornate columns supporting filigree-edged arches receding into the shadows, priests superbly silhouetted against the gold, shimmering in the blazing sunlight. But we much relished it even if I couldn’t record it, enjoying the peace and the gorgeous, brightly-coloured artwork.
Then back to the hotel for some quiet time, which we could certainly use. Cities in the sun can be fun, but they’re pretty draining when all’s said and done.