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Jaffna Fort
Part of Jaffna
Jaffna, Sri Lanka
Entrance of Jaffna Fort that was originally built by the Portuguese and renovated by the Dutch in 1680
Jaffna Fort (Tamil: யாழ்ப்பாணக் கோட்டை, romanized: Yāḻppāṇak Kōṭṭai; Sinhala: යාපනය බලකොටුවYapanaya Balakotuwa) is a fort built by the Portuguese at Jaffna, Sri Lanka, in 1618 under Phillippe de Oliveira following the Portuguese invasion of Jaffna. The fort is located near the coastal village of Gurunagar. Owing to numerous miracles attributed to the statue of the Virgin Mary in the church nearby, the fort was named as Fortress of Our Lady of Miracles of Jafanapatão (Fortaleza de Nossa Senhora dos Milagres de Jafanapatão). It was captured by the Dutch under Rijcklof van Goens in 1658, who expanded the structure. In 1795, it was taken over by the British, and remained under the control of a British garrison until 1948. As the only large military fort in the country, because of the presence of only government and military buildings within its ramparts, it was garrisoned by a detachment of the Ceylon Army.[1]
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 1985 to 1995 it was under the control of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE); during this time the LTTE destroyed several key features of the fort to stop the Army from gaining 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.[2]
Buildings inside the fort include the governor's residence (King's House), Queen's House, Kruys Church, the Garrison Parade Ground, Police quarters and several buildings from the Portuguese era.[3]
^"Jaffna Fort". The Hindu. 28 September 2020.
^"Sri Lanka fort: Out of the rubble". gulfnews.com. 4 November 2015. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
JaffnaFort (Tamil: யாழ்ப்பாணக் கோட்டை, romanized: Yāḻppāṇak Kōṭṭai; Sinhala: යාපනය බලකොටුව Yapanaya Balakotuwa) is a fort built by the Portuguese at Jaffna...
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The burning of the Jaffna Public Library (Tamil: யாழ் பொது நூலகம் எரிப்பு, Yāḻ potu nūlakam erippu; Sinhala: යාපනය මහජන පුස්තකාලය ගිනිබත් කිරීම, Yāpanaya...
the operation by the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) to take control of Jaffna from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), better known as the Tamil...
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colonial Constantino de Sá de Noronha under Phillip III, occupier of the Jaffna kingdom and Malabar country on the island. On the Konamalai cape was also...
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Minister Col. Anuruddha Ratwatte raised the national flag inside the JaffnaFort on 5 December 1995. The government estimated that approximately 2500...
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temple in Jaffna. Havildar Badan Singh of the IPKF committed sodomy against 4 male activists of the LTTE during their detention at Jaffnafort in January–February...
Kayts and Karaitivu of Jaffna Peninsula in Northern Sri Lanka. The Portuguese built the fort, to guard the entrance to the Jaffna peninsula, in the mid...
The Jaffna kingdom (Tamil: யாழ்ப்பாண அரசு, Sinhala: යාපනය රාජධානිය; 1215–1619 CE), also known as Kingdom of Aryachakravarti, was a historical kingdom of...
Hanwella fortJaffnafort Kalutara fort Kayts Island fort† Kotugodella fort† Malwana fort† Mannar fort Matara fort Menikkadawara fort† Negombo fort Pooneryn...
The Portuguese conquest of the Jaffna kingdom occurred after Portuguese traders arrived at the rival Kotte kingdom in the southwest of modern Sri Lanka...
to its fortified bases in the Palaly, Point Pedro and the old Dutch fort of Jaffna. The LTTE, which had become the dominant Tamil militant group, had established...
spot as it linked Jaffna peninsula to the mainland. It was built by the Dutch in 1776 on the banks of the Jaffna lagoon. The fort was served as a defensive...
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a small fort in the Elephant Pass Fort areas, which is narrow part of the Jaffna peninsula. The fort was located in line with two other forts, Elephant...
1990 the Sri Lanka Army invaded Allaipiddy as they tried to recapture JaffnaFort. Around 85 youths were rounded up by the army and never heard of again...
Hanwella fortJaffnafort Kalutara fort Kayts Island fort† Kotugodella fort† Malwana fort† Mannar fort Matara fort Menikkadawara fort† Negombo fort Pooneryn...
Pooneryn, adjacent to the Jaffna Peninsula. It was built by the Portuguese to protect their possessions in Jaffna. The fort was captured by the Dutch...
Forces in Jaffna. Starting on 17 October 1995, the primary objective of the operation was the capture of the city of Jaffna and rest of the Jaffna peninsula...
hostilities after the IPKF withdrew. In June 1990, the LTTE laid siege around JaffnaFort and Wimalaratne played a major role in evacuating the garrison. The army...
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