Poonakary or Pooneryn (; ), is a strategically important

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

situated on the

Jaffna Lagoon Jaffna Lagoon is a large lagoon off Jaffna District and Kilinochchi District, northern Sri Lanka. The lagoon is surrounded by the densely populated Jaffna Peninsula containing Borassus flabellifer, palmyra palms, coconut plantations, and Paddy fi ...

, directly across from the

Jaffna Peninsula The Jaffna Peninsula (, or ) is a region in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka. It is home to the capital city of the province, Jaffna, and comprises much of the former land mass of the medieval Jaffna Kingdom. The peninsula was historically ...

in the Northern Province of

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, ...

. Situated in the

Vanni region The Vanni, also spelled Wanni, is the name given to the mainland area of the Northern Province of Sri Lanka. It covers the entirety of Mannar, Mullaitivu and Vavuniya Districts, and most of Kilinochchi District. It has an area of approximatel ...

, the town was colonized by the Portuguese in the 15th century and a

fort A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from La ...

was constructed in the town due to its strategic location on the Jaffna Lagoon. It was later taken and expanded by the

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

. According to 1770 records, it was square shaped with two

bastions A bastion is a structure projecting outward from the curtain wall of a fortification, most commonly angular in shape and positioned at the corners of the fort. The fully developed bastion consists of two faces and two flanks, with fire from the ...

at opposite corners. The ramparts on each of the sides were about 30 metres in length. It was garrisoned until the late 18th century. The British built a rest house there in 1805. Since 1983, and due to the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, the town was garrisoned by the

Sri Lankan Army The Sri Lanka Army (; ) is the oldest and largest of the Sri Lanka Armed Forces. The army was officially established as the Ceylon Army in 1949, though the army traces its roots back in 1881 when Ceylon Light Infantry Volunteers was created; t ...

. In 1993, the town was the site of a major battle during the civil war. During the battle, the

LTTE The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE; , ; also known as the Tamil Tigers) was a Tamil militant organization, that was based in the northern and eastern Sri Lanka. The LTTE fought to create an independent Tamil state called Tamil Eelam ...

attacked and failed to take the town. They did however managed to capture equipment such as assault rifles, ammunition, machine guns, mortars and even two

T-55 The T-54 and T-55 tanks are a series of Soviet medium tanks introduced in the years following the Second World War. The first T-54 prototype was completed at Nizhny Tagil by the end of 1945.Steven Zaloga, T-54 and T-55 Main Battle Tanks 1944–2 ...

tanks which proved to be vital to their forces. The town was later evacuated by the Sri Lankan Army due to tactical reasons in 1996. The LTTE occupied the town and maintained a garrison due to its strategic location. The fort was used during the

Second Battle of Elephant Pass The Second Battle of Elephant Pass (code-named Operation Unceasing Waves III (ஓயாத அலைகள் மூன்று) by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam), was fought from December 1999 to April 2000 for the control of the Sri ...

, where the LTTE bombed

Elephant Pass Elephant Pass (; ) is a region located at the gateway of the Jaffna Peninsula in the Northern Province, Sri Lanka. It lies about 340 km north of the capital. It has an important military base and used to be the island's largest salt field. ...

from Poonakary and bombed soldiers who retreated to

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 ...

. The town was recaptured by the Sri Lankan Army on November 15, 2008. The The town has since then been garrisoned by the Sri Lankan Army. The fort itself has been abandoned and left to the elements. The fort is accessible to the public. Poonakari website

References

{{NorthernLK-geo-stub Towns in Kilinochchi District Poonakary DS Division