An architectural curiosity, the spindly Clock Tower has a Moorish domed top, which makes it look like it belongs somewhere in North Africa. It was erected in 1875 to honour a visit by the Prince of Wales. In 2000 the current prince, Charles, donated the working clocks you see today to replace those damaged by fighting.
© Oscar Espinosa/Shutterstock
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
0.34 MILES
Long the gatehouse of the city, the vast Jaffna fort, overlooking the Jaffna lagoon, has been fought over for centuries. Today you can wander its walls,…
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1.34 MILES
This huge Hindu temple, crowned by a towering god-encrusted, golden-ochre gopuram, is one of the most significant Hindu religious complexes in Sri Lanka…
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10.41 MILES
This spring is a beautiful little spot: the men’s side has a picturesque stepped pool of bright aquamarine water set against the ocean, while the women…
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19.53 MILES
A small dirt road runs for 3.1km off the B371 to this lovely beach. There are a few fishing boats, some palm trees and not much else on the sand. The…
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1.79 MILES
The provenance of this Jaffna Kingdom relic is fairly secure. This archway is thought to be one of the palace’s original entrances. Among its weathered…
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Tellingly, one of the first major buildings to be rebuilt after the 2002 ceasefire was Jaffna's Public Library. It had been burnt down by pro-government…
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5.47 MILES
Some 1km via a squiggle of lanes south of the B380 is the beautiful and mysterious Kantarodai Ruins – two dozen or so dagobas, 1m to 2m in height, in a…
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1.83 MILES
Set back from the road, it's easy to sense the beauty that was once part of this building's soul. Completely derelict now, and with walls covered in…
Nearby Jaffna attractions
0.12 MILES
Tellingly, one of the first major buildings to be rebuilt after the 2002 ceasefire was Jaffna's Public Library. It had been burnt down by pro-government…
0.16 MILES
An elegant modern park with impressive fountains. It reopened in 2010 after war damage was repaired. It has a fun children's play area.
0.34 MILES
This unusual structure looks like a whitewashed version of a Gloucestershire village church.
0.34 MILES
Long the gatehouse of the city, the vast Jaffna fort, overlooking the Jaffna lagoon, has been fought over for centuries. Today you can wander its walls,…
0.45 MILES
This is the grandest church in Jaffna, a classical Italianate edifice used by Anglicans that dates to 1827.
6. Sri Nagavihara International Buddhist Centre
0.47 MILES
The solitary Sri Nagavihara International Buddhist Centre was quickly rebuilt after government forces retook Jaffna in 1995.
7. Vannarpannai Vaitheeswaran Kovil
0.61 MILES
This beautiful temple with a restrained colour palette dates back to the Dutch colonial period.
0.82 MILES
Built by the Dutch along classical lines in the 1790s, St Mary’s Cathedral is astonishingly large, but it’s curious to see corrugated-iron roofing held up…