Around 200,000 local and foreign tourists have visited Jaffna during the last week...!!!

Number of tourists to Jaffna on the rise
by Uditha KUMARASINGHE

Around 200,000 local and foreign tourists have visited Jaffna during the last week due to the steps taken by the Government to eradicate terrorism from the country.

This is the first time such an unprecedented number of tourists had visited Jaffna via the A-9 road after 30 years owing to the moves taken by the Government to restore peace in the North and the East, Tourism Minister, Achala Jagoda told the Sunday Observer yesterday.

The Minister said a large number of local and foreign tourists had visited key historic places in Jaffna last week including the Delft Islands and the temples in Nagadeepa. Special boat services have been commenced for the benefit of the tourists to vist Delft and Nagadeepa islands.

The Tourism Ministry has already formulated a program to develop the infrastructure facilities in the North and establish observation spots in the North. Arrangements have also been made to establish three Tourism Complexes in Jaffna, Mullitivu and Mannar districts with modern facilities.

According to the Minister hundred-acre land plot will be reserved from each district to set up these Tourism Complexes. The Government will seek the assistance of investores to construct these tourism complexes.

Minister Jagoda said tourist arrivals have recorded a remarkable increase after the elimination of terrorism. Foreign tourists have shown interest to visit Sri Lanka which is one of the best and safest tourist destinations in the world.

Local and foreign visitors can now travel to any part of the country," Jagoda said.

The Ministry of Tourism has decided to promote the tourism industry this year under the theme "travel freely in a free Sri Lanka".

The Tourism Ministry has formulated plan to increase the present number of tourist arrivals by five fold in 2016.

sundayobserver.lk

Born in Kerala, Mr Kuttan left his home & took the ferry to Sri Lanka's northern seaport town of Talaimannar & then made his way to Colombo in 1938.!!

Sri Lanka's legendary doorman turns 90

Turning 90 won't stop Chattu Kuttan working at the Galle Face Hotel. (AFP : Ishara S Kodikara )
In 70 years of greeting guests to Sri Lanka's venerable Galle Face Hotel, doorman K Chattu Kuttan has hobnobbed with everyone from royal heads of state to Bond girls and Soviet cosmonauts.

Mr Kuttan, who turns 90 on Monday, has watched the hotel change with the country, from colonial days, through independence and the dark decades of ethnic conflict.

And he has pretty much seen it all, from a Japanese Zero fighter plane crash-landing on the hotel grounds during World War II, to sultry film star Ursula Andress dancing in the ballroom on New Year's Eve 1976.

Born in India's Kerala province, Mr Kuttan left his home and took the ferry to Sri Lanka's northern seaport town of Talaimannar and then made his way to Colombo in 1938.

He worked as a servant for one of Colombo's elite families before landing a job at the hotel in 1942, weeks after the Japanese bombed the capital. He started as a waiter and took 50 years to gravitate to the front door.

"Ceylon, as Sri Lanka was known, was a different country then. Famous people like Emperor Hirohito, Richard Nixon, Sir Laurence Olivier and George Bernard Shaw came and stayed with us," Mr Kuttan recalls.

In colonial days, the adjoining Galle Face promenade that overlooks the Indian Ocean used to host horse races on the green.

"White ladies and gentlemen would watch the races from the terrace of our hotel. The ladies wore hats and were covered with frills and lace," he said.

In recent years, Mr Kuttan has embraced his role as a living Galle Face institution.

His distinctive neat white cropped hair, handlebar moustache, white brass buttoned coat, sarong and expanding collection of colourful souvenir badges from dozens of countries, all combine to make the perfect photo opportunity.

Few guests pass up the chance of picture, and his image and life story have graced the covers and inside pages of some of the world's leading travel magazines.

"He is probably among the world's oldest people still in employment and also one of the most famous hotel employees in the world," said one of the Galle Face directors, Lalith Rodrigo.

Even as he prepares for his 90th birthday bash, Mr Kuttan, who walks 1.6 kilometres to work each morning and catches the bus at the end of his afternoon shift, has ruled out any imminent retirement.

"Walking to work and the busy life at the hotel keeps me going," said the father of two girls, five grand children and one great-grand child.

When he first started as a waiter, Mr Kuttan served dignitaries like Lord Mountbatten, Princess Elizabeth, Jawarharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Arthur C Clarke.

His monthly pay back then was 20 rupees.

"Now I earn 30,000 rupees ($300) a month as a doorman," he said.

The Galle Face's glory has somewhat diminished over the decades and most A-list celebrities and political statesmen now stay at modern luxury hotels that have sprung up in other parts of Colombo.

But its faded splendour still attracts a loyal clientele and newcomers who stare at its prominently displayed list of famous guests, and point out the known and the unexpected, like Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin.

Mr Kuttan is happy he lived to see the back of Sri Lanka's 37-year ethnic conflict, which ended in May with the military victory over Tamil Tiger rebels.

"Too many people died. I have seen too many bomb blasts around Colombo. People were scared to move around. Even tourists didn't want to come. So I'm happy its finally over," he said.

A non-smoker, teetotaller and lover of vegetable dishes, Mr Kuttan hopes to visit Kerala in April to see his two sisters, aged 93 and 73 - his second visit to India since arriving in Sri Lanka.

In good shape despite his years, Mr Kuttan relies on spectacles for night vision and avoids sweets to keep his blood sugar low.

And his pet peeves? Mobile phones. "I hate those noises. I feel my ear is vibrating after talking into one."

- AFP

After the war Sri Lankans are flocking to Jaffna during this holiday season, irrespective of race or religion....!!!

The Nainaadeevu temple.............ferry

Nagadeepa viharai

Thirukethiswaram Kovil in Mannar

Chariot festival at Sivam Kovil in Karainagar


Faith in unity:
Jaffna reawakens after 30 years
by Dhaneshi YATAWARA

After the war Sri Lankans are flocking to Jaffna during this holiday season, irrespective of race or religion. Today the entrance to the Northern Province, Vavuniya, has transformed into a bustling city. It's like spring time in the North.

Jaffna almost like an island, separated from the narrow maximum 12 kilometre wide isthmus at Elephant Pass is one of a kind land uniquely made out of limestone and lines of palmyra trees with its elegant fan like fronds.

Restrictions have been totally lifted on the Alpha 9 road that links two historical cities, Kandy and Jaffna. It has now become a 'freeway'. It was this road that linked two different cultures and religions, economically and socially. Broken-down for more than two decades with the closure of A9 Road on different occasions especially from Muhamalai following its total closure during August 2006 this link between the two cultures was interrupted.

"Jaffna town has now turned into a pleasure world," Mayor of Jaffna town Yogeswari Sathgunarajah said commenting on the present situation that has changed magnificently. Life in entire Northern Province is totally recovering to normality.

According to records at the Omanthai entry/exit point in Vavuniya, operated under the Wanni Security Forces Headquarters, daily 40 - 50 buses pass this point in addition to a large number of private vehicles. There were people on pilgrimage and some were on holiday. The A9 is getting busier day by day and it is a wonderful sight to any Sri Lankan eye. The restrictions on private vehicles travelling on the A9 were lifted on December 21 and since then 58,694 people have travelled to Jaffna till December 29, records indicate.

"In one particular day we had to cater to 4000 people visiting Jaffna town," the Mayor said. Municipal Council officials held a special discussion with Northern Province Governor Maj.Gen. G. A. Chandrasiri and other higher officials to plan in providing essential facilities to this mass influx of people.

On the instructions of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, the prevailing curfew enforced in the Jaffna peninsula for security reasons, was lifted from midnight, December 31, 2009.

The curfew was lifted on the request made by the Northern Province Governor to the Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, under the instructions given by Senior Presidential Advisor Basil Rajapaksa M.P. "With the eradication of terrorism, the situation in the North including Jaffna is normal, the A9 Highway opened, the public is now able to go about freely and therefore there is no need to enforce a curfew," said Northern Province Governor Maj. Gen. G. A. Chandrasiri.

Chief Incumbent of Naga Vihara in Jaffna town Ven. Meegahajathure Gnanarathana Thera had to look into the accommodation for the pilgrims. In the 'vishramashala' since it was fully occupied. Local Government officials had to look for a quick solution. With the help of principals the schools became the resting places of many visitors as the schools were closed during the holiday season. Officials specially arranged ten schools for this with all necessary facilities. Christmas holidays were truly and unbelievably busy for everyone.

"I'm visiting Jaffna after 25 years," said Upul Kodikara (45) a businessman hailing from Piliyandala. Upul with his group of friends were visiting his friends and business buddies in Jaffna. They were on their way to Nagadeepa to worship the sacred temple and the kovil. Hindus and Buddhists travel on the same ferry to visit these religious places. Visiting these places were a distant dream in the past. True happiness is written on their faces. "We of course had no problem in finding accommodation since our friends and their families took care of us," Upul said. He was hoping to come with his family on his next visit to Jaffna. "The development is taking place so fast it is unbelievable. It is now that we feel true freedom," he said.

The Siriwardane family from Galle were getting on to the ferry to visit Nagadeepa. "My children have never visited Jaffna before and it is only now, when they have reached their early twenties, that they can visit these religious places and evoke blessings," Milroy Siriwardane, the father, said. "It was like the old fashioned pilgrimages. We cooked our own meals by the side of the road and rested in the 'Vishrama shala'. It was one of those unforgettable memories we have had," he said.

Families from Horana, Panadura, Mathugama and Kadawatha were at the Purikattuwan jetty on the Punkuduthivu Island from where the ferries start their short journey to Nagadeepa. From dawn to dusk the ferries work continuously and this jetty has never been this busy in the past thirty years.

Ironically it was in the sacred land of Nagadeepa the Buddha preached the two kings, the uncle and the nephew, Mahodara and Chulodara the virtues of non violence. In the fifth year after Enlightenment the Buddha visited Nagadeepa on a Buk (April) full moon poya day to settle the dispute between the kings. According to Buddhist belief it is one of the most sacred sixteen places of worship. The Buddha preached the virtues of non-violence to the warring factions. He urged them to forget clashes with each other and be united. After the two warring kings made peace the throne was offered to the Buddha, who returned it to the Naga kings. According to the historical epic the throne was later enshrined in the Nagadeepa stupa and became a place of Buddhist worship.

Chief Incumbent of the Nagadeepa temple Venerable Navadagala Padumakiththi Thissa Thera was the only Buddhist priest to conduct the religious rituals for the devotees visiting the temple.

The most sacred Nallur kovil was receiving both Tamil speaking and non-Tamil speaking people who visit irrespective of their religions, to get blessings of God Skanda. The thought itself brings peace to my mind," said Mahadeva Kurukkal the Chief Priest of the Nallur Kovil. Twenty years serving the people as a Hindu priest Mahadeva Kurukkal said, the present situation brings so much pleasure.

With more and more people coming in, to see the land unseen for 30 years, a major part of the responsibility fell on the shoulders of the Sri Lanka Army and the Navy personnel. After passing Vavuniya a traveller would find a resting place in Mankulam now managed by the Sri Lanka Army. It is a greatest relief for travellers as this lengthy distance does not accommodate resting places nor any snack bars. With the resettlement fast on progress more developments progress can be expected in the future to come.

After liberating the land from terrorists, these gallant soldiers have not abandoned the region as they are there to help you at any needed time.

From Vavuniya to Jaffna throughout the A9 Road soldiers have become the safety providers. At any emergency, people rely on them as they are never abandoned. Because of them the people can even rest by the side of the road without any fear. These true sons of the nation have made this land a peaceful island.


Sri Lanka Navy giving assistance to devotees

Ferry service
In Nagadeepa the Navy personnel become the guide for many civilians and at times they had to assist the people to reach hospital or medical care at the time of need. They assure security on land as well as in waters.

At Nagadeepa six to seven ferries are operating, owned by private owners, under the supervision of the Sri Lanka Navy detachment in Nagadeepa under the command of Sri Lanka Navy Naval Ship Elara in Karainagar.

From the time of departure and return of devotees the Navy keeps a watchful eye ensuring the safety of the people.

The Murunkandi Kovil near Kilinochchi is getting reconstructed as a religious and a rest place.

On par with restoring normality in the Jaffna peninsula major development projects continue in the western coast of the province, Mannar in particular in the pre-historic sacred Kovil Thiruketheeswaram. Seven miles to the north of Mannar town. It is one of the most sacred Sivam Kovils of the country.

According to Dr. Paul E. Peiris, an erudite scholar and historian, "long before the arrival of Vijaya (6 Century B.C.) there was in Sri Lanka five recognized Eeswarams of Siva which claimed and received adoration of Indians. These were Thiruketheeswaram near Mahathitha, Munneswaram, Thondeswaram, Thirukoneswaram and Naguleswaram. This Kovil is dedicated to the worship of the Supreme God Siva, has been one of the most venerated temples for centuries. This temple and the holy waters of Palavi Tank by its side are venerated in the sacred hymns of the two for most Saiva saints Tirugnanasampanthar and Sundarar who lived in the 7 and 8 Centuries respectively.

After 1990, the Kovil did not function due to terrorist activities and damage was done to the Kovil. With the objective of giving a face lift to the temple and its surroundings and provide facilities to the pilgrims a new development project is taking place under the instructions of Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Northern Development Senior Presidential Advisor Basil Rajapaksa M.P. A broader plan has also been prepared already.

The total program is to be completed in two stages considering the magnitude of the work. And the plan was implemented on December 18, 2009 with the aim of completing phase one before the 2010 Sivarathri day which falls on February 13.

In the phase one of the plan major roads towards the kovil, its roundabout, the chariot path, improving the Palavi tank and surroundings, building a passenger waiting hall and improving water and sanitary facilities are in line. And in the phase two, the internal roads, arches, putting up street lamps, repairing the pond for 'Theppaikulam', building the Vedic School and Pilgrim rest, the cultural hall and several other buildings required to conduct the religious activities are planned.


sundayobserver.lk

LAKEHOUSE BUS SERVICE: Group bookings for schools and societies will get a discount of 25 percent on up and down travel..!!!

Lake House bus service from Colombo to Jaffna

The new Lake House Thinakaran luxury bus service from Colombo to Jaffna will start on Monday, January 4 near the Lake House news agent opposite St Lawrence's Church, Wellawatte, Colombo 6.

The luxury bus will start from Wellawatte at 11.00 p.m and stop over opposite Lake House at 11.15 p.m daily. Tickets to Jaffna could be booked from the Lake House booking centre and at Stanley Road, Jaffna for return to Colombo.

The luxury bus has 49 seats and radio and TV and is air conditioned.

Group bookings for schools and societies will get a discount of 25 percent on up and down travel. Senior citizens and children below 12 will get seven percent discount on tickets and others who travel up and down will also get a five percent discount. The one way fare to or from Jaffna is Rs1,800.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Booking inquiries
Inquiries could be made on bookings on 2489273 in Colombo and Jaffna 021 2235361. Bookings should be made two days before travel.

dailynews.lk

Trinco revisited........!!!

Trinco revisited....................By Sharm de Alwis

The change in the climate and the physical features was discernible as we crossed from the North-Western to the Eastern Province. This was my fourth visit to Trinco.

I had first been here as a lad of nine when my father was stationed as Captain Adjutant in the R.A.S.C. camp situated in the Portuguese fortress, Fort Frederick, built in 1675. That was the time that the Armistice was to be signed, bringing an end to the bitter World War ll.

The childhood memories I latched on to were the hoary tales of Lover’s Leap, the Swami Rock, Marble Beach, China Bay, the spacious living, the velvety, smooth sea, excursions to Pigeon Island and striking up acquaintances with the soldiers. Life was on the easy track and people would exchange smiles and pleasantries with strangers.

My second visit was when we went to Trinco on our honeymoon which lasted one whole month at the cost of only six hundred rupees for the entire duration including petrol! Petrol in 1970 was only Rs. 2/40 per gallon and a bottle of pure bees’ honey which was purchased in Dambulla cost only five rupees.

Trinco had remained idyllic and bathing in the Hot Springs, taking a boat ride to Muttur to pray in the majestic Hindu temple, enjoying platters of seer fish and jumbo prawns washed down with copious draughts of Adam’s ale as I had temporarily abandoned Bachchus are thoughts I have held dear to my heart.

Driving out of Trinco to Nilaveli, the environment looked ravaged. Hulks of homes where once the chatter of kids and parents made life meaningful dotted the drive. New houses were being built to bring back the gladness of paradise but it will take years for Trinco to smile again. Grief has had a long cry.

One of the first things we did was to take a boat ride to Pigeon Island. At ten in the morning we were the first amongst the pigeons but within the hour its fame as a choice resort asserted itself with clutches of tourists coming in to dip in the natural pool formed by crag and coral.

Palmyrah fences and also improvised fences with the use of straightened out barrels and stems of coconut and palmyrah fronds were the feature. The clusters of plamyrah palms rising majestically in close proximity of coconut trees made my heart bleed to think that we humans have not been able to take a lesson from nature.

The Nilaveli Beach Hotel where we spent three nights lazing our cares away has an abundance of slim berry trees around it. It was akin to living in the forest but with creature comforts. Hemingway would have found it a part of paradise.

The compelling lure of water - is it a throw back, I wondered, to a time in pristine history when man was once a fish and a woman, a mermaid. The fine grains of unpolluted golden sands mocked the beaches at Dehiwela and Uswetikeiyawa.

Life is as leisurely as the sea waves that sweep gently over the beach. I would be up hours before the crack of dawn, spend an hour mulling over the past, the present and the future. My 15 and 13 year old grandsons are, normally, avid ‘explorers’ and although I tried, they would not be awoken an hour later, fatigued by long swims. The other three grand-children have yet not come of age for ‘manoeuvres’.

Trinco’s natural harbour, the fifth largest in the world and one of the most beautiful was of great strategic importance to the Allies during the Second WW and lies resplendent now that the guns are silenced.

Although exuding a passionate sensation of liberation, Trinco is yet shedding the scabs of war with a myriad roofless houses and road surfaces that are now being speedily repaired.

Home-spun tourism is apace and the floating populace is enraptured by the skyline composing golden glows of sunrise and the setting of the sun, the rapturous turquoise blue waters stretching its allure for miles on end and the sea food of all types at fetching prices.

New buildings sprout in a feverish hurry and Channa Daswatta or Amali de Mel can lend fresh architectural thinking to give an aura of luxurious living within means. Right now, Trinco is a tinsel town with thosay kadays and cheek by jowl stalls selling showy trinkets to prove that "all that glitters is not gold".

Trinco awaits flattering advances from high life style gurus to improve her cosmetic beauty as well as to generate the engines of economic growth that had been stifled for decades on end. Paradise Road, Saskia Fernando Gallery, Odel, Gandhara, Beverley Street and other Gallery Boutiques together with Abans and Arpico will find niche markets from the insular as well as the floating markets.


www island.lk

SINHALA RAILWAY: VERY UNFRIENDLY/ UNDIPLOMATIC TOWARDS TAMILS & FOREIGN TOURISTS..!!!

Train services: Announcements requested in all three languages


By Kusal Chamath

Foreign tourists and Tamil speaking people who travel by train on the coastal lines face many difficulties when announcements at the railway stations were made only in the Sinhala language. The passengers stressed the need to deliver announcements at all Railway Stations in all the three languages for the convenience of travellers from the North-East who visit the South as well as foreign tourists who are presently compelled to make constant inquiries from fellow passengers or from employees of the railways dept. A foreign tourist Peter Harvey, who boarded a wrong train and was stranded at Panadura, said that a man at the Aluthgama Railway Station misled him when he was waiting for the Galle train and that he boarded the Kandy train. He said he got down at Panadura when the fellow travelers told him that he was traveling in the wrong train. However, he excused the man who was not probably conversant in English.

dailymirror.lk

The Maldives infact comprises 1190 islands, located along a 512 mile stretch....!!!

Island world of Maldives

By Srimal Fernando

The Maldives ,an equatorial nation situated in the azure waters of the Indian Ocean is a country with its own uniqueness. Though rising from a common plateau, the geography of the Maldives features diverse and exciting elements. The Maldives infact comprises 1190 islands, located along a 512 mile stretch.

The country is situated 500km from the Southern tip of both Sri Lanka and India. Male’ the capital of the Maldives is situated in the Kaafa. Atoll is a bustling affluent island which houses the intellectual elite as well as the seat of the government.

The People of the Maldives are unified by a common history. They are also united through a common language, Dhivehi. The language has its roots in Sanskrit. .

The countries first settlers were Ariyan immigrants from India who were believed to have colonized Sri Lanka around 500B.C. External nations influenced the Maldivian life significantly. In 1153 A.D the Persian and the Arab travellers converted the people of this Island nation from Buddhism to Islam. After the conversion of the first known king of the Malay dynasty, the rulers became known as Sultans. The Malay or Thimuge dynasty lasted for 235 years. Under the rule of 29 different Sultans the Hilali dynasty prevailed until the Maldives became a Republic.

The country gained its Independence from Britain in 1965. Since November 11, 2008 His Excellency the President, Mohamed Nasheed has been governing the country and overseeing its administration.

The population of Maldives presently stands at 298,842 (2006) scattered across the 199 inhabited islands .The economy of the country has grown at an annual rate of 7.5% GDP. The per capita income of Maldives increased from USD 377 in 1978 to USD $3,654 in 2008.

Expansion of the tourism sector in the Maldives continues to achieve spectacular gain, recording a figure of 8,380,000. foreign tourist arrivals in 2007. The country has made the optimum out of almost 100 island resorts covered with lush green vegetation and numerous palm trees with sandy beeches, shallow lagoons and reefs with multi colored fish to develop tourism to great heights.

Fishing is the traditional livelihood of the Maldivians. The fisheries industry in the Maldives plays a major role in the countries exports. The traditional boats used for fishing are called Dhoni .The fishing industry provides job opportunities to the vast majority of the Maldivian islanders.

Agriculture is another sector in the Maldives which has been recently growing in quality and quantity .The government has introduced a range of incentives to enable farmers to boost production and attract foreign direct investment to the Agriculture sector. Planting is done during the South west monsoon season .Coconut ,Banana ,Chilies ,Cucumbers and Papaya are the main agro based crops which are grown in the islands of the Maldives

The Maldives has passed 44 years of independence. The growth and achievements of the Maldives since independence are outstanding .The socio- economic background from Haa Atoll in the Northern tip of the Maldives, to Seenu Atoll at the Southern end is both vast and diverse. If one is to understand and experience the marvels of South Asia, the Maldives is surely not a place to be missed!

dailymirror.lk