Jaffna Peninsula

The Jaffna Peninsula is the northernmost part of Sri Lanka, extending into the Palk Strait. Historically, it was the center of a Tamil kingdom that existed from the early 14th to the early 17th century, largely populated by Tamil-speaking people of South Indian origin. This kingdom maintained its autonomy for centuries, with a notable period of subjugation by the Sinhalese Kotte kingdom.1

The establishment of the Tamil kingdom in the Jaffna Peninsula contributed to the division of the island into distinct ethnolinguistic areas, with the northern and eastern regions becoming predominantly Tamil. Jaffna city, the capital of this kingdom, became a hub for Tamil Hindu culture, with a social structure influenced by South India. The city has experienced various periods of foreign rule, including Portuguese, Dutch, and British control, and has been a site of conflict, particularly related to Tamil separatism. In 2004, Jaffna was also significantly impacted by a tsunami.23