Velanai
Village in Sri Lanka
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Velanai (Tamil: வேலணை; Sinhala: වේලනෛයි) is a small village on Velanai Island, off the coast of the Jaffna Peninsula in the north of Sri Lanka.[1][2]
The majority of the population are— Hindu along with a minority of Christians. There are a number of Hindu temples along with churches and schools. Sir Vaithilingam Duraiswamy, a member of parliament during the British colonial period, and his son Yogendra Duraiswamy, a Sri Lankan diplomat, were born in Velanai.
Etymology
History
Archaeological evidence
Archaeological evidence of ancient life in Chaddi (Tamil: சாட்டி) sea side suggested that there was a well-organised civilisation on the island. Chaaddi is an important archaeological site studied since 2009. Artefacts ranging from protohistoric, the early historic period to the times of medieval Chinese trade were found at this place.[3][4]
In 2024, the remains of a 3,400 year old human were found at Chaddi, reported to be the first confirmed prehistoric human remains found in the Jaffna Peninsula.[5]
The nearby coastal strip, at Chaddi, housed one of the cemeteries built by the Tamil Tigers for their dead fighters. This cemetery was destroyed by the Sri Lankan Army in the 1990s, but then was rebuilt during the 2002 ceasefire period. The occupying Sri Lankan Navy once again destroyed the cemetery after the end of the civil war leaving no traces behind, in land since used by John Keells.[6][citation needed]
Geography and climate
Velanai is located at 9.40°N 79.54°E. It is surrounded by the Palk Strait and located at a distance of 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) south-west of Jaffna town. Most of Velanai district is a level plain with a maximum elevation of 15 metres (49 ft) above mean sea level. The total area of this island is nearly 36 km2 (14 sq mi).[citation needed].
Places of interest
- Vangalavadi Murugan Temple
- Velanai Perunkulam Muththumaari Amman Temple
- Periyapulam Maha Ganapathy (Mudippillaiyar) Temple - Velanai West
- Puliyankoodal Seruththanaipathi Sri Raja Mahamary Amman Temple
- cheddipulam kalavathurai ayyanar temple
- Saatti Sea side
- Velanai Ayyanar Kovil
- Velanai Central College
Gallery
Velanai Vangalavadi Murugan Kovil
