Who are the original inhabitants of Sri Lanka?
According to the Mahāvamsa, a Pāḷi chronicle written in the 5th century CE, the original inhabitants of Sri Lanka are said to be the Yakshas and Nagas. Ancient cemeteries that were used before 600 BCE and other signs of advanced civilisation have also been discovered in Sri Lanka.
Who is the founder of Jaffna Kingdom?
Arya Cakravarti
Sri Lanka was invaded for the 3rd time by the Pandyan Dynasty under the leadership of Arya Cakravarti who established the Jaffna kingdom.
What language do they speak in Jaffna?
Tamil
Tamil is the language of more than ninety-five percent of the people in the Jaffna District. Jaffna Tamil is identified as a dialect of Tamil, differing in many ways from the other dialects of Tamil, both in Sri Lanka and in South India.
What is the population of Jaffna District?
Jaffna District’s population was 583,378 in 2012. It is one of the most densely populated districts of Sri Lanka. The population of the district is almost exclusively Sri Lankan Tamil. The population of the district, like the rest of the north and east of Sri Lanka, has been heavily affected by the civil war.
What is the history of Jaffna in Sri Lanka?
Colonial history. The Portuguese established Jaffna city in 1621 as their colonial administrative center. Prior to the military capitulation to the Portuguese Empire in 1619, the capital of the local Jaffna Kingdom, also known as the Kingdom of the Aryacakravarti was Nallur, which is close to the city limits of Jaffna.
What is the old name of the city of Jaffna in Tamil?
Jaffna is known in Tamil as Yalpanam and earlier known as Yalpanapattinam. A 15th century inscription of the Vijayanagara Empire mentions the place as Yalpaanayanpaddinam. The name also occurs on copper plates issued by Sethupathi kings of the same era. The suffix -pattinam indicates the place to have been a seaport town.
What is the origin of the name Jaffna?
It must be said, that what is today known as Jaffna district, even as late as 1824 was in fact Waligama (Waligammo, Waligamme) district. A pure Sinhala name, in its origin.