# What to See in Jaffna, Sri Lanka: Free Audio Guide **Things to do in Jaffna, Sri Lanka** Jaffna is the cultural heart of Sri Lanka’s Tamil community and the capital of the Northern Province. Its temples, churches, archaeological remains and colonial fortifications reflect a long, layered history shaped by the Jaffna kingdom, European rule and the island’s more recent past. Neywo has a free audio guide for Jaffna with 13 narrated places, available in 11 languages. ## What to see in Jaffna ### Jaffna Fort and Kruys Church Jaffna Fort is one of the clearest reminders of the city’s colonial history. The Portuguese turned Jaffna into a colonial port town in 1619, before the Dutch took control and later lost it to the British in 1796. Near the entrance stands Kruys Church, also known as Kruys Kerk, one of Sri Lanka’s oldest Protestant churches. The Dutch built it in 1706, and it remains a rare surviving part of Jaffna’s Dutch heritage within the fort walls. ### St. Mary’s Cathedral In the Gurunagar suburb, St. Mary’s Cathedral is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Jaffna and an important spiritual centre for Catholics across northern Sri Lanka. Locally known as Periye Kovil, meaning “the Great Church”, the cathedral has a history stretching back more than two hundred years and is one of the largest cathedrals in Sri Lanka. Its grounds also reflect the generosity of local parishioners, who donated land and funds across generations. ### Jaffna Archaeological Museum The Jaffna Archaeological Museum is in the Nallur area, in a complex whose front section includes the Navalar Cultural Hall. Its collection brings together Buddhist and Hindu religious objects made from metal, wood and stone. The exhibits cover a broad period, from ancient Sri Lanka to the colonial era, and include archaeological discoveries from Kandarodai. It is a useful stop for understanding the many religious and cultural influences found across the peninsula. ### Nallur Kandaswamy Devasthanam About two miles from central Jaffna, in the historic town of Nallur, the Nallur Kandaswamy Kovil is one of Sri Lanka’s most celebrated Hindu temples. It is dedicated to Murugan, also known as Kartikeya, worshipped here in the form of the sacred spear, or vel. The complex also contains shrines dedicated to other forms of the deity, including Shanmugar, Muthukumaraswami, Valli Kanthar and Dandayuddhapani. The temple’s exact origins are uncertain, but it was already an important place of worship during the era of the Jaffna kingdom. Nallur served as the kingdom’s capital from around the 12th century until the early 17th century, giving the temple a particularly strong connection with the history of the region. ### St. James’ Church, Nallur St. James’ Church is a Church of Ceylon church in Nallur. Its quiet presence adds another layer to an area already marked by the religious and political history of the former Jaffna kingdom. ### Kadurugoda Vihara Near Chunnakam, in the village of Kantharodai, Kadurugoda Vihara preserves the remains of an ancient Buddhist temple. It is considered one of the oldest surviving Buddhist sites on the Jaffna Peninsula. Small, weathered stupas are scattered across the archaeological site, representing what remains of a once-thriving monastic complex and offering a glimpse into the peninsula’s Buddhist heritage. ### Fort Hammenheil Fort Hammenheil stands on a tiny island between Kayts and Karaitivu, off the Jaffna Peninsula. Its position in the waterway explains its original purpose: the fort was built to guard and control this strategic passage. The site is also known by different names, including Hæminanhil Balakotuwa in Sinhala, Am'maṉṉīl Kōṭṭai in Tamil and the Sea Fort. ### Maviddapuram Kandaswamy Temple Maviddapuram Kandaswamy Temple is dedicated to Lord Kartikeya, or Murugan, and is regarded as one of Sri Lanka’s most ancient and sacred Shaiva pilgrimage sites. Its name is linked to a legend about a Chola princess named Marudapravelli, who is said to have had a horse’s face. According to the story, worshipping Murugan here led to the removal of the horse face and restored her beauty. The temple was formally consecrated in 1795. The same tradition says that the princess brought sculptors and materials from Madurai to build it, adding a legendary dimension to the temple’s religious importance. ### St. Thomas’ Cathedral, Vaddukoddai St. Thomas’ Cathedral in Vaddukoddai is the seat of the Jaffna Diocese of the Church of South India. It is an important centre for the Christian community in northern Sri Lanka. ### St. Anthony’s Shrine on Kachchatheevu St. Anthony’s Shrine stands on Kachchatheevu, a small island in the maritime border area between India and Sri Lanka. Built in 1913, the Catholic shrine is dedicated to St. Antony and has served as a meeting point for communities from both countries for more than a century. During the annual St. Anthony’s Festival in the first week of March, people from India and Sri Lanka gather on the island. The event has also traditionally provided an opportunity for families and traders to meet and exchange goods across the water. ## Jaffna’s history and identity Jaffna is the administrative headquarters of Jaffna District and the capital of Sri Lanka’s Northern Province. The city is known as Yāḻppāṇam in Tamil and Yāpanaya in Sinhala. Its history includes the period of the Jaffna kingdom, Portuguese and Dutch colonial rule, British control from 1796, and the effects of the Sri Lankan Civil War. The conflict began in the Northern Province in the 1980s, causing extensive damage and displacing much of Jaffna’s population. The city was also occupied by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in 1986 and remained under military control for periods during the conflict. Since the war ended in 2009, refugees and internally displaced people have returned, while reconstruction has continued through government and private efforts. Jaffna is part of [Sri Lanka](https://neywo.com/destinations/sri-lanka.md), a country whose history and landscapes extend far beyond the northern peninsula. Travellers interested in the island’s ancient heritage can also compare the city with [Anuradhapura](https://neywo.com/destinations/sri-lanka/anuradhapura.md), while [Batticaloa](https://neywo.com/destinations/sri-lanka/batticaloa.md) offers another perspective on Sri Lanka’s eastern regions. ## Explore Jaffna with Neywo Download Neywo and discover Jaffna with a self-guided audio walk. The tour **Forts, Cathedrals and the Kingdom of Nallur** covers 6.16 km in 113 minutes and includes five narrated stops: Kruys Church, St. Mary’s Cathedral, Jaffna Archaeological Museum, Nallur Kandaswamy Devasthanam and St. James’ Church in Nallur. Neywo tells the story of each place as you reach it, at your own pace, with no group and no schedule. You can explore independently while the app provides context for the buildings, religious sites and history around you. ## Places with an audio guide in Jaffna 8 places in Jaffna with a Neywo audio guide. Each one starts telling its story as you reach it. - Fort Hammenheil - Jaffna Archaeological Museum - St. Mary's Cathedral - Jaffna - Northern Province - Kadurugoda Vihara - Nallur Kandaswamy Devasthanam - Kruys Church ## Walk Jaffna with Neywo Neywo turns Jaffna into a self-guided audio tour. Stories arrive as you reach the place they belong to, and the route reshapes when you wander off it. ## More in Sri Lanka - [Negombo](https://neywo.com/destinations/sri-lanka/negombo.md) - [Anuradhapura](https://neywo.com/destinations/sri-lanka/anuradhapura.md) - [Batticaloa](https://neywo.com/destinations/sri-lanka/batticaloa.md) - [Colombo](https://neywo.com/destinations/sri-lanka/colombo.md) - [Ella](https://neywo.com/destinations/sri-lanka/ella.md) - [Galle](https://neywo.com/destinations/sri-lanka/galle.md) ## Elsewhere in Sri Lanka - [Dambulla](https://neywo.com/destinations/sri-lanka/central-province/dambulla.md) — Central Province - [Kandy](https://neywo.com/destinations/sri-lanka/central-province/kandy.md) — Central Province - [Nuwara Eliya](https://neywo.com/destinations/sri-lanka/central-province/nuwara-eliya.md) — Central Province --- HTML: https://neywo.com/destinations/sri-lanka/jaffna App: https://app.neywo.com Español: https://neywo.com/es/destinations/sri-lanka/jaffna.md Français: https://neywo.com/fr/destinations/sri-lanka/jaffna.md Deutsch: https://neywo.com/de/destinations/sri-lanka/jaffna.md