The ruins of the Jaffna kingdom are the remains of the building structures of the Jaffna Kingdom, the royal abode and structure of the ruling dynasty of the

kingdom of Jaffna The Jaffna kingdom (, ; 1215–1619 CE), also known as Kingdom of Aryachakravarti, was a historical kingdom of what today is northern Sri Lanka. It came into existence around the town of Jaffna on the Jaffna peninsula and was traditionally tho ...

, Nallur,

Jaffna Jaffna (, ; , ) is the capital city of the Northern Province, Sri Lanka, Northern Province of Sri Lanka. It is the administrative headquarters of the Jaffna District located on a Jaffna Peninsula, peninsula of the same name. With a population o ...

, in Northern Sri Lanka.

History and inception

The palace was the home to the

Aryacakravarti dynasty The Arya Chakravarti dynasty (, Sinhalese: ආර්ය චක්‍රවර්තී රාජවංශය) were kings of the Jaffna Kingdom in Sri Lanka. The earliest Sri Lankan sources, between 1277 and 1283, mention a military leader of ...

which became a powerful force in the North and North-East of the islands prior to the conquest of the Portuguese into the island. According to

Ibn Batuta Ibn Battuta (; 24 February 13041368/1369), was a Maghrebis, Maghrebi traveller, explorer and scholar. Over a period of 30 years from 1325 to 1354, he visited much of Africa, the Middle East, Asia and the Iberian Peninsula. Near the end of his ...

, a renowned Moroccan historian, the kingdom had two capitals; Nallur was one and the other being

Puttalam Puttalam (; ) is the largest town in Puttalam District, North Western Province, Sri Lanka, North Western Province, Sri Lanka. Puttalam is the administrative capital of the Puttalam District and governed by a municipal council. Climate Under the ...

presently in the North Western Province.

Architecture

The construction of the Royal Palace has been ordered by Cinkai Ariyan Cekaracacekaran. But, another source says the palace and a flower garden was built by a Tamil king named Koolanghai in 104 AD. There were two main roadways and four temples at the four gateways that have now been destroyed. The rebuilt temples that exist now do not match their original locations which instead are occupied by churches erected by the Portuguese. The center of the city was Muthirai Santhai (market place) and was surrounded by a square fortification around it. There were courtly buildings for the kings,

Brahmin Brahmin (; ) is a ''Varna (Hinduism), varna'' (theoretical social classes) within Hindu society. The other three varnas are the ''Kshatriya'' (rulers and warriors), ''Vaishya'' (traders, merchants, and farmers), and ''Shudra'' (labourers). Th ...

priests, soldiers and other service providers in the palace premises. The old Nallur Kandaswamy temple functioned as a defensive fort with high walls. In general, the palace and the city was laid out like the traditional temple towns in South India.

Destruction

The Jaffna Palace was significantly damaged during the

Portuguese conquest of the Jaffna kingdom The Portuguese conquest of the Jaffna kingdom occurred after Portuguese traders arrived at the rival Kotte kingdom in the southwest of modern Sri Lanka in 1505. Many kings of Jaffna, such as Cankili I, initially confronted the Portuguese in ...

. The fall of

Cankili II Cankili II (; died 1621), also spelled Sangili) was the last king of the Jaffna kingdom and was a usurper who came to throne with a palace massacre of the royal prince and the regent Arasa-kesari in 1617. His regency was rejected by the Portu ...

, the last of the ruling dynasty at the hands of a 5,000 men-strong Portuguese invaders inevitably meant the fall of the Jaffna throne. Over the next 40 years, the Portuguese destroyed Hindu temples in the region, the royal repository of all literary output of the kingdom. Yamuna Eri, Cankili Thoppu archway, Ruins of the foundation of the Cankilian Thoppu and Mantri Manai are few of the only remaining parts of the palace apart from several small monuments that dot the compound.

Gallery

File:Statue of king Cankili II.JPG, Sangiliyan Statue File:Cankilian Thoppu.JPG, Cankili Thopu, facade of the palace File:Wood carving (Mantri Manai).JPG, Wood carving at Mantri Manai File:Front top (Mantri Manai).JPG, Front top File:Rear (Mantri Manai).JPG, Rear side File:Indoor silhouette (Mantri Manai).JPG, Indoor, silhouette of the entrance File:Inside (Mantri Manai).JPG, Inside, rear entrance and well

References

{{coord missing, Sri Lanka Archaeological sites in Sri Lanka Houses in Jaffna Jaffna kingdom Nallur DS Division Palaces in Sri Lanka Tourist attractions in Northern Province, Sri Lanka