Jaffna Fort
Jaffna Fort is a fort built by the Portuguese at Jaffna, Sri Lanka in 1618 under Philip De Olivera following the Portuguese invasion of Jaffna. The fort is located near Karaiyur. Due to numerous miracles attributed to the statue of Virgin Mary in the church inside the fort, Jaffna Fort was named as Fortress of Our Lady of Miracles of Jafanapatão . It was captured by the Dutch under Rijcklof van Goens in 1658 who expanded it. In 1795, it was taken over by the British, and remained under the control of a British garrison till 1948. As the only large military fort in the country, due to the presence of only government and military buildings within its ramparts, it was garrisoned by a detachment of the Ceylon Army. Map of the fort from 1693.
With the onset of the Sri Lankan Civil War it came under siege on several occasions and was the scene of pitched battles. From 1986 to 1995 it was under the control of the LTTE during this time the LTTE destroyed several of key features to stop the Army getting control due to the site being used to stage attacks but it was recaptured by the Sri Lanka Army in 1995 after a 50 day siege during Operation Riviresa. It was also vandalised by locals to rebuild houses damaged from the war .Today it remains garrisoned by a detachment of the Sri Lanka Army with limited access to visitors and is being renovated with Dutch funding
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100% locally owned
Monies you pay us, stays in Sri Lanka, benefiting local economy.
Local knowledge
We know Sri Lanka well. We offer your you "Insider secrets" which could only come from locals. We are not the regular travel agent who promotes big chain hotels and taking you from one monument to another. We provide you an experiential journey to remember.
Responsible Travel
We source local expertise and knowledge from the villages which benefits their livelihood when you patronize our services.
Authentic Experiences
We only promote authentic travel experiences hosted by fellow locals to give you the most authentic Sri Lankan experience. No fake or staged experiences, no visits to tourist traps, no shopping unless you decide to do so.
No animal exploitation
No Elephant back rides; No Turtle Farm visits and no visits to chained animal complexes.
100% Tailor made
we design your trip with expert insider suggestions to suite your taste and budget.
