Places to Visit on the Way to Jaffna

Jaffna is on the Northern corner of the island so there are plenty of places to visit on the way to Jaffna. This will also be the last of the Jaffna series. It took three posts to cover a Jaffna trip and I’m sure I must have missed some important places as well. Feel free to let me know in the comments if I have missed any important place.For the curious, you can check out previous two posts about Jaffna at places to visit in Jaffna and places to visit in Jaffna peninsula. Below are some places to visit on your way to Jaffna.

The Bullet in the Wall War Memorial

This is one of the war memorials you will find on the way to Jaffna. It is by the road and easily spotted. This is in front of an army camp so you need to go a bit further if you want to get down and watch it.

War Memorial with a Bullet in the Wall

Kilinochchi Water Tank ( කිලිනොච්චිය ජල ටැංකිය )

A water tank destroyed by the LTTE when they were fleeing from Kilinochchi. There is nothing much to see other than the water tank but most visitor stop by this place.

Remains of the water tank in Kilinochchi

Bulldozer Destroyed by Hasalaka Gamini in Elephant Pass ( අලිමංකඩ )

One of the most famous incidents in the Elephant Pass battle is Hasalaka Gamini destroying a bulldozer by jumping onto it with explosives. You can see the remains of the bulldozer and the special plaque built in his memory. If you have the time speak to the soldiers nearby and you can get some excellent details about what happened during that war. There is a nice cafeteria right next to it maintained by the army. The food is great and there are well maintained wash rooms as well.

The famous bulldozer destroyed by Hasalaka Gamini

Elephant Pass War Memorial

There is another war memorial at Elephant Pass. This is to mark the place where forces coming from north and forces coming from south joined together for the final battle. This is also near the road and there is ample parking space available. Definitely worth a visit.

War memorial at Elephant Pass to mark the place forces from North joined with Forces from South

Nearby you can see remains of some tank stoppers. These concreted pillars are commonly referred as “Tiger Teeth”. According to locals Elephant Pass is the only place in Sri Lanka where you can see the sun rise and the sun set.

Muhamalai ( මුහමලේ )

One of the most bloodiest battles of the war took place at Muhamalai. You can see the destroyed trees and tanks while passing here. You cant get down because there are land mines everywhere.

Remains of a battle tank at Muhamalai

Mentioned above are some of the top places to visit on your way to Jaffna. If I have missed something feel free to mention in the comments section.