To the Peninsular on the Rails…….

Ever since the legendary Yal Devi was re-launched we wanted to visit the Peninsular by train but decided to wait a few months till the rush settled – especially during school holidays. Finally the dates were fixed for Friday 27th Feb – Sunday 1st March and train reservation was made. As it was not a long weekend booking both ways was not a problem.

I should say the A/C Intercity Express train to Jaffna is the best train I have travelled in Sri Lanka. It is still in immaculate condition as the vandals haven’t touched it yet. It starts from Mt.Lavinia and reaches Colombo Fort around 5.30am and leaves for KKS at 5.45. The journey is swift and you do not feel the speed at all. By 9am it passes Anuradhapura and then runs non-stop to Vauniya. It reaches Jaffna by 12.20pm and reaches its destination KKS by 12.45pm.

Thal Sevana Holiday Resort, managed by the Sri Lanka Army, is only 100mts away from the KKS Station and when you show your hotel reservation receipt at the station they inform the Resort and an assistant comes to take your luggage.

Thal Sevana offers luxury to budget accommodation and also has two large domes that can accommodate large groups. It has three restaurants and the latest addition is the swimming pool. But the best feature at the Resort is the unending sandy beach and the deep-blue sea.

Enloying the journey

Changing landscape

End of the Northern Line – KKS

End of the Northern Line – KKS

Thal Sevana seen from the KKS station

We reached Thal Sevana by 1pm and the hot sun was at its best. The kids could not resist the pool and after a short dip in the pool we had lunch and retired to the rooms for a short rest.

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We had booked a van from Jaffna for sightseeing and we left the hotel at 3.30 for our tour.

Our first stop was Kandaragoda Raja Maha Vihara at Chunnakam. It consists of over 20 small pagodas believed to from the pre-Anuradhapura era. The legend is that the procession carrying the sacred bo-tree from Dambakolapatuna stopped at Kadurugoda on its long journey to Anuradhapura and from then onwards there had been a vast temple complex here housing a large number of rahathan vahansela. However we noted that the entire area was maintained by the Army and the priest who was here during our last visit – over three years ago- had left the place.

The Stupa complex at Kandaragoda

From Chunnakam we proceeded to Jaffna and our next stop was the famous Nallur Kandasammy Kovil. The Kovil was being renovated and re-pained getting ready to welcome Shri Narendra Modi who was to visit Jafna in a few days. As it was a week-day the place was not very crowded and we spent quite some time admiring the colourful murals adorning the walls.

At Nallur Kovil

After leaving the Kovil we went to see King Sanguli’s statue in the vicinity. It is a recent monument and right behind it you get the ruins of what is believed to be his palace. It was just a heap of soil and no trace of a building could be found. But I had read somewhere that what is believed to be a house of a Minister of King Sanguli is in the vicinity which is in good condition but our driver was totally ignorant of any such building. Finally we showed him a pic of the said building – Rajamanthri Walawwa – in amaizinglanka website and we were directed to the decaying building a few meters away by a three-wheeler driver.  It looked more like an old walawwa and it is hard to believe that it is more than 200 years old and it kept me wondering whether the story is true.

King Sanguli’s Statue

Rajamanthri Walawwa

You should not miss Rio Ice Cream before leaving Nallur. It was a treat that we all enjoyed – the delicious tastes of their special ice-cream.

Thereafter we headed towards the Fort and we witnessed the sun going down from the rampart walls. It was a breath-taking sight and was the best reward of the day. We walked along the rampart walls till dusk and finally headed towards the town to find a good eating place for our dinner. The driver took us to a famous eatery right opposite Nagadeepa Temple, Jaffna. It looked more like an eatery in Colombo and was packed. Definitely it is a popular place, especially catering to the crowds coming from Colombo. We enjoyed an authentic Jaffna meal and headed towards Thal Sevana, all feeling contended at the end of our long day.

Sunset from the rampart walls

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Day 02:

We left the hotel around 6.30 in the morning and headed towards Nainative. The landscape along the way was breathtaking in the morning sun as we passed a number of causeways. At Arali Point we made a detour to visit the Denzil Kobbekaduwa Memorial just 2km away from the road. It is where Major General Kobbekaduwa and 9 other military officers were assassinated in 1992 by blasting their vehicle. A small Army unit is stationed there to manage the place.

Gen. Kobbekaduwa Memorial at Arali Point

Gen. Kobbekaduwa Memorial at Arali Point

We had our breakfast at Kayts and headed towards the Punkudutive jetty. The jetty was crowed and we understood that Kachchative Festival was taking place and there were large crowds waiting to get into to boats. There were two queues – one for Kachchative and one for Nagadeepa. We were fortunate to get seats in the new boat managed by the temple which is luxurious compared to the old wooden boats that you cannot breathe once you are seated at the bottom. After a swift ride of less than fifteen minutes we reached Nagadeepa Temple. Now there are two jetties – boats land at the jetty near the temple and leave from the jetty near the Kovil. So it is more systematic and less crowded but I think the idea is your first worship the temple and then the kovil!

The boat ride

Nagadeepa Temple at a distance

We worshiped the temple and then headed towards the kovil in the boiling sun. You can take a tuk-tuk if you want but its good to walk – even in the scorching sun – stopping at the wayside kiosks selling Jaffna products.

The kovil is known as Nagapooshani Amman Temple and is a very ancient temple. It too was undergoing the re-painting process that Nallur Kovil was subjected to.

After worshipping the kovil we headed towards the jetty and it was packed with devotees. We were not fortunate to catch the semi-luxury boat this time and had to suffocate in an ordinary wooden boat for the return journey.

The Temple and the Kovil

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We headed towards Kayts for lunch and it was so hot that the air-conditioner inside the van was not powerful enough to beat the heat. After lunch we wanted reach Karaitivu by using the ferry but to our dismay the ferry had been stopped for repairs. So, the return journey was again via Jaffna. We visited the Nakuleswaran Kovil and fresh water ponds at Keerimalai.

Calm pond – before the splash

Colourful pond – after the splash!

On our way to Keerimalai at a distance we saw a huge mansion complex rising above the trees and learnt that it was the so-called “Presidential Palace, Jaffna”. It indeed was a palace even at a distance.

After Keerimali we made a brief visit to Dambakola Patuna temple and by this time we were so worn out by the hot sun that we all wanted to call it a day and come back to our oasis – Thal Sevana- as soon as possible.

We reached Thal Sevena by 4.30 and after a cup of tea the kids cooled off in the pool and we rested till the sun went down. We all had a very refreshing sea bath in the evening. There is one particular place for sea bathing and there are some lifeguards on duty.  So we all enjoyed a safe sea bath until the sun went down and the lights of the KKS lighthouse started flashing.

We had a lovely outdoor dinner basking in the moonlight and enjoying the cool breeze coming from the sea and went early to bed as we were all tired of our long day.

Day 3:

On the third day we slept till late as we had no special plans for the day. We went for a morning sea bath and enjoyed it till the harsh sun-rays started coming out. We had our breakfast and thereafter the kids along with the fathers hired bicycles and went cycling along the deserted roads. We all had a relaxing morning and by noon had an early lunch at the hotel as we had to catch the return train at 1pm from KKS. The train left KKS around 1.20pm and was full at Jaffna. It was an uneventful pleasant journey back home and we reached Fort RS by 8.30pm.

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