Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
TAMIL TIGER BURIAL GROUNDS
Although bodies of the deceased are generally cremated in Hindu tradition, those of LTTE
fighters were buried instead, beneath neatly lined rows of identical stones. The fallen Ti-
gers were calledmaaveerar -'martyrs' or 'heroes' - and their cemeteries Maaveerar
Thuyilum Illam (Martyrs' Sleeping Houses). The tradition of burial began in the 1990s, not
long after the 1989 initiation of Maveerar Naal (Heroes Day), held each year on 27
November. The cemeteries were controversial: many saw them as a natural way to hon-
our those who died; for others, they were a propaganda tool.
When the Sri Lankan Army (SLA) took control of the Jaffna peninsula in 1995, it des-
troyed many of the cemeteries, only to have the LTTE build them up again after the 2002
ceasefire. But when the SLA conquered areas in the East in 2006 and 2007, and then
again after the war's end in 2009, all cemeteries (and other LTTE monuments) across the
North and East were bulldozed anew - to the distress of many Tamils, especially family
members of the deceased. The SLA went further in early 2011 by building a military base
on the site of a cemetery at Kopay, just a few kilometres northeast of Jaffna. According to
the BBC, the army claimed to be unaware of any 'unhappiness' over the site.
An online Maaveerar Thuyilum Illam, including the names and burial places of many Ti-
gers, is maintained at
www.maaveerarillam.com
.
Jaffna's Islands
The highlight of the entire region, Jaffna's low-lying islands are a blissful vision of the
tropics. The main pleasure is not any specific sight, but the hypnotic quality of the water-
scapes and the escapist feeling of boat rides to end-of-the-earth villages.
As the sea here is very shallow (only a metre or so deep in places) the light is very spe-
cial indeed, with sunlight bouncing off the sandy seafloor. The islands are all dotted with
palmyra palms - their fronds are used for fencing and roofs while their sap produces a
mildly alcoholic toddy.
Causeways and boat connections link the islands, making a number of idyllic daytrips
possible. One option is to head from Jaffna city to Velanai and then to the island of Punku-
dutivu, ferry-hopping from here across to the temples of Nainativu and then returning by