Things to see & do in Northern Sri Lanka

The decades long civil war began with Tamil riots in the 1970s over a lack of representation in Sri Lankan government, and the fact that Buddhism was given primary place as the country's religion. Tamils are a minority ethnic group, with the majority of Sri Lankans identifying as Sinhalese. Tamils are predominantly Hindu although there are also some Tamil Christians and Buddhists. Their full name is Eelam Tamils and, for the most part, they originally came to the island as traders during South India’s Chola dynasty, the longest ruling dynasty in India’s history. In the Northern Province however, Tamils are very much in the majority, and this was home to activists fighting for recognition and autonomy during the war. These activists called themselves the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and were formed in 1976, becoming known internationally as the Tamil Tigers. By 1983, the conflict had become a civil war, which lasted until 2009.

Modern day Jaffna boasts some gorgeous hotels, a proliferation of magnificent Hindu temples, parks and markets. And coast of course, as Jaffna is gateway to the paradise islands that lie in wait off its eponymous peninsula.

Trincomalee is also becoming a very popular whale watching destination, as blue and sperm whales come to mate in its very deep natural harbour. The best times to see whales here are between June and October; they’re pretty close to shore, too.

Nearby, Mihintale Mountain is believed to be the site of a meeting between the Buddhist monk Mahinda, son of Emperor Ashoka of India, and King Devanampiyatissa, which marks the inauguration of Buddhism in Sri Lanka. They met during a full moon in June, and the religious festival known as Poson is a busy pilgrimage season here as a result.

On a much less peaceful note, and just to keep the history of the North in perspective, the Anuradhapura massacre occurred in the modern town in 1985, when the LTTE opened fire on civilians in a bus station and killed 146 Sinhalese men, women and children.

If Londoners thought their Northern Line was bad, it is put into perspective by the fact that Sri Lanka’s railway that goes between Anuradhapura and Jaffna was closed throughout the civil war when guerrillas took over the lands surrounding it and also used the sleepers for bunkers. It was left to wrack and ruin until it was reopened in 2014. As well as daytime services, you can take a sleeper train on this line up at the coast, and you can go all the way to and from Colombo. The scenic train journey is often on board the Queen of Jaffna train, known in Tamil as the Yarl Devi.