Monkeys

I had a surprise photo–op when we were leaving my hotel this morning. A man had a mother monkey and her baby on a bicycle, sure to draw attention. Of course, having people take photos of the monkeys was a money–making opportunity for him. We left Anauradhapura to drive to Jaffna, 137 miles (220 km), about 4–4.5 hours. When you leave Anauradhapura to head north, you are leaving the tourist trail. Very few foreign visitors venture farther as there are, at present and as far as I know, no multiday tours going any farther north (though Gate 1 Travel is supposed to offer a tour to the north in 2020).

Hindu Temple

We passed this Hindu temple dedicated to the goddesses Kali with her tongue hanging out and fangs. She is the guardian of the family. In northern Sri Lanka, you see many Hindu temples as the majority of the population is Tamil, originally from India. In Jaffna, the capital city of the Northern Province of Sri Lanka, 99% of the population is Tamil and about 83% of the Tamil are Hindus. Christians make up about 16.4% of the population; Buddhists, about 0.6%; and Muslims, about 0.4%.

Countryside

The road to Jaffna is mainly through the countryside. Here is a photo of an egret and its reflection in a rice field.

Evangelical Church

We passed a couple of churches which I believe are evangelical based on their architecture.

Cows

Drivers had to watch out for cows on the road. Here, one cow was on the road and another cow was halfway on the road. Sometimes, a driver also has to watch out for cows crossing the road. Cows just walk wherever they wish to walk.

Waiting for the Bus

I was able to take this photo of these colorful women waiting for a bus because we were stopped behind them on the shoulder. My driver/guide Solomon was stopped by a policeman for speeding––going  63 km/h (39 mph) in what was a 60 km/h (37 mph) zone. He was given a ticket.

Hindu Temple

One of the many Hindu temples we saw on our drives to and in Jaffna.  This type of temple is called a kovil and is usually dedicated to just one Hindu god or goddess.

Buddhist Temple

We did pass a Buddhist temple on our drive. We saw very few of them in this area.

War Memorial

We passed the Elephant Pass War Hero Memorial in Kilinochchi. The battle of Elephant Pass was fought between the Sri Lankan Army and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, who waged a secessionist nationalist insurgency to create an independent state of Tamil Eelam. The civil war lasted from 1983 to 2009, with the Sri Lankan military finally bringing it to an end. As the Tamil Eelam was from Northern Sri Lanka, the memory of the war has deterred tourists from going to the area.

I have put my photos of the drive from Anuradhapura to Jaffna on a slideshow. Go to http://www.peggysphotos.com/anuradhapura–to–jaffna/    (Slide Shows, Asia–2, Sri Lanka, “Anuradhapura to Jaffna”).

Jaffna

Arriving in Jaffna. We first went to check me into my hotel and then we went sightseeing around Jaffna.

Monkey God Temple

We stopped to take photos of the Hindu temple dedicated to the Monkey God, Lord Hanuman.

Monkey God Temple

The Monkey God Temple.

Bay of Bengal

If my geography is correct, this is the Bay of Bengal, the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean.

Sangamiththa Temple

At the Sangamiththa Temple, a Buddhist temple, there was a re–creation of the boat that landed here with Theri Sangamiththata on it after traveling from India with the bodhi sapling from the bodhi tree under which Buddha gained enlightenment and which was later planted in Anuradhapura. There is also a statue of Theri Sangamiththata.

Christian Shrine

Christian Shrine

Also unusual at the Christian shrine were that the Stations of the Cross were outside and made up of golden statues.

Local Color

We saw this man carrying a load on his bicycle on the way back to the main city of Jaffna.

I have put my photos of Jaffna on a slideshow. Go to http://www.peggysphotos.com/jaffna/    (Slide Shows, Asia–2, Sri Lanka, “Jaffna”).