Mantri Manai or Manthiri Manai (; literally ''Abode of Minister'') is a historic palace situated in 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 ...
,
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
Jaffna District
Jaffna District ( ''Yāḻppāṇam Māvaṭṭam''; ''yāpanaya distrikkaya'') is one of the 25 districts of Sri Lanka, the second level administrative division of the country. The district is administered by a District Secretariat headed by a ...
and was listed by the Sri Lankan government in 2007.
The palace is associated with the
Jaffna kingdom
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 t ...
. It is believed to be one of the palaces or residences of a minister of Cankili, king of Jaffna, before the fall of the Jaffna kingdom to the Portuguese. The building is surrounded by other historical remains of the Jaffna kingdom such as the Sattanathar temple, which was one of the city temples of the kingdom; Yamuna Eri and Cankilian Thoppu are also located nearby. However, much of the architectural style belongs to the post-Jaffna kingdom era.
The different theories
There are a number of contradictory theories about the origin of the building. Some historians say that it could have been built during the Dutch period, referring to the building materials used (bricks, lime plaster, wood and tiles), the structure and ornamental work. Alternatively, the ornamental work on pillars,
capitals
Capital and its variations may refer to:
Common uses
* Capital city, a municipality of primary status
** Capital region, a metropolitan region containing the capital
** List of national capitals
* Capital letter, an upper-case letter
Econom ...
and the arched porch appear to belong to the Jaffna kingdom's era.
After the fall of Nallur, the Portuguese shifted their capital to Jaffna, but they made use of existing structures. Also, the Dutch used pre-existing buildings and they constructed new buildings as well. According to the historians' view, the Mantri Manai could have been renovated or newly constructed by the Dutch. Another source says that the building has no connection with the Jaffna kingdom, but is a 19th-century
choultry
Choultry is a resting place, an inn or caravansary for travelers, pilgrims or visitors to a site, typically linked to Buddhist, Jain and Hindu temples. They are also referred to as .
Style
The Mantri Manai is built in a mixture of
European
European, or Europeans, may refer to:
In general
* ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe
** Ethnic groups in Europe
** Demographics of Europe
** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe and other West ...
and
Dravidian architecture
Dravidian architecture, or the Southern Indian temple style, is an architectural idiom in Hindu temple architecture that emerged from Southern India, reaching its final form by the sixteenth century.
In contrast with North Indian temple styl ...
styles. The entrance has an ornamental gateway, a large arched porch and a tower. It is a two-storey structure with wooden carvings decorating the interior walls. It has a well and a wash basin, a cellar, and a staircase leading down to underground rooms and secret tunnels.