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45-470: The 111-year-old Chavakachcheri Hindu College, a high school, is a leading centre of education in the town. 9°39′N 80°09′E  /  9.650°N 80.150°E  / 9.650; 80.150 This Northern Province, Sri Lanka location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Northern Province, Sri Lanka The Northern Province ( Tamil : வட மாகாணம் Vaṭa Mākāṇam ; Sinhala : උතුරු පළාත Uturu Paḷāta )

90-596: A focus upon Sinhalese culture and ethnicity ( nationalism ) with an emphasis upon Theravada Buddhism , which is the majority belief system of most of the Sinhalese in Sri Lanka. It mostly revived in reaction to the colonisation of Sri Lanka by the British Empire and became increasingly assertive in the years following the independence of the country. Sinhalese nationalism has generally been influenced by

135-535: A haven for Buddhism and entrusted its protection to the Sinhalese people. The Mahavamsa also recounts the story of the Buddhist warrior king Dutugamunu and his battle against the Tamil king Elara to unite Sri Lanka under a Buddhist monarch. While the text depicts Elara as a good ruler, Dutugamunu's campaign is portrayed as necessary for the restoration and glory of Buddhism on the island. Scholars have noted that

180-674: A motion in the North-East Provincial Council declaring an independent Eelam . Since the early 1990s parts of the north-east provinces were controlled by the LTTE , which according to the Sri Lankan government owned Sunday Observer newspaper, prevented elections. The north-east was governed directly from Colombo until May 2008 when elections were held in the demerged the Eastern Province which

225-492: A number of lagoons , the largest being Jaffna Lagoon , Nanthi Kadal , Chundikkulam Lagoon , Vadamarachchi Lagoon , Uppu Aru Lagoon , Kokkilai lagoon , Nai Aru Lagoon and Chalai Lagoon . Most of the islands around Sri Lanka are to be found to the west of the Northern Province. The largest islands are: Velanaitivu (Kayts), Neduntivu (Delft), Karaitivu , Pungudutivu and Mandativu . Northern Province

270-589: A seat to the Northern Province. With universal adult suffrage been enabled through the Donoughmore Constitution , representatives from the province were elected to parliament. Currently Two Electoral Districts, namely Jaffna Electoral District and Vanni Electoral District which elects 15 of the 225 members of the Sri Lankan Parliament . Until 1978, the administration of the provinces in Sri Lanka where mainly carried out by

315-490: A steady flow of foreign remittances to their relatives in the province. However, with the election victory of President Maithripala Sirisena and the removal of restrictions that prevented foreigners from visiting the north contributed to the sense of economic renewal alongside the development of Kankesanthurai Harbor the Palali Airport. Hospitals and schools as well as a cultural center and vocational training facility

360-523: Is 19.3%. Most of the people engaged in service sector covering 31.2% of the total. Gross State Domestic Product in Rs. Crores and Current Prices Transport infrastructure in the province is poorly developed and limits economic activity. Most people still use bullock carts for transportation. Major roads in Province are divided into two categories: There are number of underdeveloped C and D Class roads in

405-514: Is being built in Jaffna. Investments have also started to flow into an industries such chemical and cement factories, hotels, apparel factories, power plants and aquaculture farms. As of 2018 the apparel industry of the province employ 7,917 staff and represent an investment of US$ 65 million with factories in Vavuniya , Killinochchi , Mannar and Mullaitivu . The Northern Province's contribution

450-568: Is connected with Indian mainland by Adam's Bridge (also known as Sethu Paalam or Rama's Bridge). It has an area of 8,884 square kilometres (3,430 sq mi). The province is surrounded by the Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay to the west, Palk Strait to the north west, the Bay of Bengal to the north and east and the Eastern, North Central and North Western provinces to the south. The province

495-461: Is covered in tropical forests, with numerous rivers flowing through them. The north-west coast is part of the deep Cauvery (Kaveri) River Basin of south-east India, which has been collecting sediments from the highlands of India and Sri Lanka since the breakup of Gondwanaland . Sri Lanka enjoys a typical tropical monsoonal climate. The Northern Province tends to be hot and dry in the dry season (February to September), and moderately cool and wet in

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540-554: Is divided into five districts , 34 divisional secretariats and 921 Grama Niladhari divisions. The population of the northern province was 1,058,762 in 2012. The majority of the population are Sri Lankan Tamil , with sizeable Sri Lankan Moor and Sinhalese minorities. The population of the province, like that of the Eastern Province, was heavily affected by the civil war . The war killed an estimated 100,000 people. Several hundred thousand Sri Lankan Tamils, possibly as much as one million, emigrated to Western countries during

585-574: Is divided into two distinct geographic areas: Jaffna peninsula and the Vanni . Jaffna peninsula is irrigated by underground aquifers fed by wells whereas the Vanni has irrigation tanks fed by perennial rivers . Major rivers include: Akkarayan Aru , Aruvi Aru , Kanakarayan Aru , Kodalikkallu Aru , Mandekal Aru , Nay Aru , Netheli Aru , Pali Aru , Pallavarayankaddu Aru , Parangi Aru , Per Aru , Piramenthal Aru , Theravil Aru . The province has

630-419: Is limited and mostly censored by Government and Pro-government paramilitaries. Now most of the Tamil, English, Sinhala magazines come from Colombo and Chennai, India. [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] Sinhalese nationalism Sinhalese Buddhist nationalism is a Sri Lankan political ideology which combines

675-566: Is one of the nine provinces of Sri Lanka . The province has an area of 8,884 km , making it the 3rd largest province by area, and a population of 1,061,315, making it the least populated province. Jaffna is the capital city of the province. Between 1988 and 2006, the province was temporarily merged with the Eastern Province into one province, the North Eastern Province . Due to its large Tamil population,

720-563: Is the primary airport in the province, once an international airport that had regular passenger flight service to Colombo and Tiruchirappalli , India . It had been under the control of the Sri Lanka Navy and now has been turned into an international airport again with the help of India. Daily flights between Colombo and Chennai, India and Jaffna are available. There are a few small airports and airstrips in Vavuniya and Iranamadu . The Northern Province has one university ,

765-741: The Government Agents of the districts. Through the 13th Amendment to the 1978 Constitution of Sri Lanka and the Provincial Councils Act, No. 42 of 1987, Provincial council were established in the Provinces. The 13th Amendment to the 1978 Constitution of Sri Lanka established provincial councils. The first elections for provincial councils took place on 28 April 1988 in North Central , North Western , Sabaragamuwa , and Uva provinces. Elections in

810-679: The Supreme Court requesting a separate provincial council for the East. On 16 October 2006 the Supreme Court ruled that the proclamations issued by President Jayewardene were null and void and had no legal effect. The North Eastern Province was formally de-merged into the Northern and Eastern provinces on 1 January 2007. Much of the Northern Province was under the control of rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam for many years during

855-485: The University of Jaffna which became independent in 1979, previously having been a campus of the University of Sri Lanka since 1974. The university has approximately 7,000 students. The province is known for its institutions of education, many of which were established by Christian missionaries . The first newspaper in Jaffna, Uthayatharakai (Morning Star) was published in 1841 by C.W. Thamotharampillai By

900-527: The civil war . The province was recaptured by the Sri Lankan military in 2009. While the Northern province has seen an era of peace after the end of the war, the scars left by the war still remain. Despite the large amount of infrastructure projects undertaken by the Mahinda Rajapaksa government , at the cost of over $ 3 billion, the projects have been unable to create new jobs and as a result

945-581: The 1940s, daily newspapers had already been started Eelakesari and Virakesari in 1930 and Thinakaran in 1932 and journals committed to the growth of modernistic, socially purposive literature Bharati and Marumalarchi in 1946 had also started coming out. Few newspapers are published in the province now in the principal language of Tamil. None in English and Sinhala. Before the Civil war commenced dozens of newspapers and magazines were published. Press freedom

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990-706: The British gained control of the entire island of Ceylon . They divided the island into three ethnic based administrative structures: Low Country Sinhalese, Kandyan Sinhalese and Tamil. The Northern Province was part of the Tamil administration. In 1833, in accordance with the recommendations of the Colebrooke-Cameron Commission , the ethnic based administrative structures were unified into a single administration divided into five geographic provinces. The districts of Jaffna , Mannar , Nuvarakalaviya (present day Anuradhapura District ) and Vanni formed

1035-558: The Christian missionaries, and to the independence movement of the 20th century. He illustrated the first three points in a public speech: He called upon the Sinhalese people to rise. He strongly protested consumption of alcohol, killing of cattle and promoted vegetarianism. Sinhalese Buddhist nationalism has a fractious relationship with other religious communities like Christians and Muslims, with protests often being organised by Buddhist nationalist organisations against Christians in

1080-537: The Eastern Province to decide whether the merger should be permanent. Crucially, the accord allowed the Sri Lankan president to postpone the referendum at his discretion. On 14 November 1987 the Sri Lankan Parliament passed the 13th Amendment to the 1978 Constitution of Sri Lanka and the Provincial Councils Act No 42 of 1987, establishing provincial councils. On September 2 and 8 1988 President Jayewardene issued proclamations enabling

1125-510: The Mahavamsa's narratives have contributed to a belief among some Sinhalese Buddhists that they are the Buddha's chosen people and that Sri Lanka is a sacred Buddhist land. The text's depiction of the Buddha driving away Yakkhas , the island's non-human inhabitants, to establish Buddhism has been interpreted by some as providing justification for the use of violence in the name of religion and

1170-522: The Northern Line operated south of Pallai , while the Mannar Line operates between Medawachchiya and Madhu Road , but by 2015 it was reconstructed past Jaffna to its terminus at Kankesanthirai. Both lines are under reconstruction to restore the original network and upgrade the operating technology used. Airways and airports are underdeveloped in this province. Jaffna International Airport

1215-509: The Northern Province is sometimes referred to as "Sri Lanka's Tamil country". The majority of the fighting in the Sri Lankan Civil War took place in the Northern province. Parts of present-day Northern Province were part of the pre-colonial Jaffna kingdom . Other parts were ruled by Vanniar Chieftains who paid tribute to the Jaffna kingdom. The province then came under Portuguese , Dutch and British control. In 1815

1260-420: The Northern and Eastern provinces to be one administrative unit administered by one elected Council. The North Eastern Province was born. The proclamations were only meant to be a temporary measure until a referendum was held in the Eastern Province on a permanent merger between the two provinces. However, the referendum was never held and successive Sri Lankan presidents issued proclamations annually extending

1305-457: The Sinhalese) and Dhammadipa (the island chosen to preserve and propagate Buddhism), instilling a strong sense of religious and national identity. The Mahavamsa, a 6th century CE chronicle, has had a profound influence on Sinhalese Buddhist culture and identity. The text contains mythological accounts of the Buddha's visits to Sri Lanka, during which he is said to have sanctified the island as

1350-521: The Sri Lanka is the north and east of the island, this region is affected by the north east monsoon (December to March) and southwest monsoon (June to October). It is thought to be dry because most of the rains fall during the north-east monsoon. Annual rainfall is less than 1250 mm in the north west and south east of the Inland. It has two rainy seasons South West Monsoon- May to August, North East Monsoon- November to February. The Northern Province

1395-535: The contents of the Mahavamsa , the major Pali chronicle, written in the 6th century. The Sinhalese Buddhist national chronicle Mahavamsa ('Great Chronicle'), composed in the sixth century CE by Buddhist monks, contains historical accounts and mythological stories that have played a significant role in shaping and strengthening Sinhalese Buddhist identity. The Mahavamsa describes Gautama Buddha 's three visits to Sri Lanka, during which he blesses and sanctifies

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1440-456: The governance of the country through movements like Catholic Action . Relations between Buddhist nationalists and Hindus are more peaceful and friendly, with numerous Hindu figures, including Kandiah Neelakandan and T. Maheswaran working with Buddhist groups on the anti-conversion bill . Also, D. B. S. Jeyaraj noted that both Sri Lankan Hindu nationalism and Buddhist nationalism rose as reactions to Christianity. Hindu-Buddhist collaboration

1485-480: The gross domestic product is the lowest among the nine provinces representing only 3.5% of the overall GDP in 2015 however the provincial gross domestic product nominal growth rate was 12.1% in 2015 and is the fastest growing province alongside the North Central Province. Northern Province being an agricultural dominant province, where agricultural sector is 25.9% and trade sector comes next to it

1530-409: The island, paving the way for his teachings to flourish there. The text also portrays the Buddha as instructing deities to protect the ancestors of the Sinhalese ( Prince Vijaya and his followers from North India), enabling them to establish and propagate Buddhism in Sri Lanka. These inspiring narratives have contributed to the deeply held Sinhalese Buddhist belief that Sri Lanka is Sihadipa (island of

1575-527: The life of the "temporary" entity. The merger was bitterly opposed by Sinhalese nationalists . The new province made up about one fourth of the total area of Sri Lanka. The thought of the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam controlling this province, directly or indirectly, alarmed them greatly. On 14 July 2006, after a long campaign against the merger, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna political party filed three separate petitions with

1620-405: The new Northern Province. Nuvarakalaviya was transferred to the newly created North Central Province in 1873. The Indo-Lanka Accord signed on 29 July 1987 required the Sri Lankan government to devolve powers to the provinces and, in the interim, to merge the Northern and Eastern provinces into one administrative unit . The accord required a referendum to be held by 31 December 1988 in

1665-618: The newly merged North-East Province were scheduled for 19 November 1988. However, the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF), which at that time occupied the North-East Province, rigged the elections in the north so that the Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF) and Eelam National Democratic Liberation Front (ENDLF), two Indian backed paramilitary groups, won all of the 36 seats in

1710-606: The north uncontested. However, elections did take place for the 35 seats in the east. The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress won 17 seats, EPRLF 12 seats, ENDLF 5 seats and the United National Party 1 seat. On 10 December 1988 Annamalai Varatharajah Perumal of the EPRLF became the first Chief Minister of the North-East Provincial Council. On 1 March 1990, just as the IPKF were preparing to withdraw from Sri Lanka, Permual moved

1755-478: The people earn their livelihood as farmers , fishers , and professionals in the civil and business sectors. Before the civil war cement and chemical industries along with fishing made a major contribution to the economy. However now they have been abandoned and the factories are rusting. Close to a third of the population is unemployed far more than Sri Lanka and work is mostly informal and thus unstable. The population that managed to flee to foreign nations provide

1800-423: The province suffers from extreme levels of unemployment . In late 2014, then-incumbent President Mahinda Rajapaksa imposed a travel ban to prevent foreigners from traveling to the former war zone in the province. The ban was lifted three months later by the newly elected president Maithripala Sirisena . Northern Province is located in the north of Sri Lanka and is just 22 miles (35 km) from India . It

1845-539: The province. Sri Lanka Railways operates the country's railway network, including the Northern Line and the Mannar Line , in the Northern Province. Most of the railways were developed during the British colonial period. The railway lines between Vavuniya , Jaffna , and Kankesanthurai and between Medawachchiya and Talaimannar were destroyed during the civil war . For a time during reconstruction

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1890-405: The removal of groups seen as uncooperative with Buddhist goals. However, the Mahavamsa remains an important religious and cultural text that has helped to shape Sinhalese Buddhist identity over many centuries. Anagarika Dharmapala was one of the leading contributors to the Buddhist revival of the 19th century that led to the creation of Buddhist institutions and Buddhist schools to match those of

1935-660: The war. Many Sri Lankan Tamils also moved to the relative safety of the capital city Colombo . Most of the Sri Lankan Moors and Sinhalese who lived in the province fled to other parts of Sri Lanka, though most of them have returned to the province since the end of the civil war. First elected representation at provincial level to a legislative came about after the Second Manning Reforms of the Legislative Council of Ceylon which assigned

1980-429: The wet season (October to January). The province's climate is of the tropical kind, and therefore during monsoons there is always the chance of a deluge. In the lowlands, the climate is typically tropical with the average temperature is around 28°C to 30°C throughout the year. January is typically the coolest month and May is the hottest month. Relative humidity varies from 70% during the day to 90% at night. The Dry Zone of

2025-645: Was followed by elections in the Northern Province in September 2013. Following the end of the civil war, G.A. Chandrasiri was sworn in as the Governor of Northern Province with effect 12 July 2009 and C. V. Vigneswaran was appointed Chief Minister of the Northern Province following the provincial council elections 2013. Major political parties in the province are Tamil National Alliance led by Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi , DTNA, United National Party , Sri Lanka Freedom Party and EPDP . The majority of

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