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Photo: Wikinamaste, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Holy island with two important temples: one Hindu and one Buddhist
Nainativu is a small but notable island off the coast of the Jaffna Peninsula in the Northern Province, Sri Lanka. The name of the island alludes to the folklore inhabitants, the Naga people. It is home to the Hindu Nagapooshani Amman Temple, one of the prominent 64 Shakta pithas, and the Buddhist shrine Nagadeepa Purana Viharaya.
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Buddhist pilgrimage destination. One of 16 places in Sri Lanka that were blessed by Buddha himself. Has its own boat jetty.
Hindu pilgrimage destination. One of 64 Shaktipeethas (shrines devoted to the worship of the Hindu Goddess Parvati). The only other one in Sri Lanka is Shankari Kovil in Trincomalee. Has its own boat jetty.
A colourful, bustling market
யாழ் பொது நூலகம்
This magnificent library, built in 1933, once housed the largest collection in Asia, with over 97,000 books and rare documents. It was burnt in 1981 by Sinhalese police and paramilitaries during a pogrom against the minority Tamil population. As a precursor to the Sri Lankan Civil War, the burning of Jaffna Library remains a controversial and traumatic issue among many in Jaffna. Restored and reopened, it now houses a much smaller collection. It is airconditioned so is a great place to hide from the heat, though much of the library is off limits to visitors.
A bustling market for locally-caught seafood