Jaffna Offshore Islands


Warning, some graphic content

Fertility Temple
These last couple of months, we have been in Jaffna more often than not and so on weekends and left to our own devices, we explore.   Our explorations are also driven by the realization that the sand in the egg timer is running out and we don’t have a lot of time left to explore this strange area of Sri Lanka that we currently call home.

In June, when our VSO friends were visiting from Trincomalee, we hijacked their van and attempted to reach Delft Island, the closest point in Sri Lanka to India.  Although the Lonely Planet warned of an “intermittent ferry” we set out on the one hour drive to take our chances with the ferry schedule.  As luck would have it, the ferry to Delft was cancelled that day.  However, as luck would have it, oceans of people were at the Ferry Terminal to go to Nangadeepa Island, where an impressive 18 day festival was going on at the Naga Pooshani Amman Kovil. 

This temple, built right on the beach and directly in front of the ferry dock is a fertility temple.  Yup.  Complete with many fertility symbols. Hindu worshippers embarked in an unseaworthy crafts looking suspiciously like refugee boats and people were loaded in the hold like a slave ship.   We, the white folk, were escorted to a sleek navy craft and offered seats in the state room, behind the captain.  No extra fee – just white folk. 
Fertility Troll
Fertility symbols
We disembarked, gave alms to a few temple beggars, munched bad popcorn and snooped out the temple.  A huge chariot pulled by 2 ropes, each the girth of my waistline (quite girthy) is apparently pulled into the sea at some point over the 18 days. We were not witness to that spectacle, but heard loud clanging music, and saw pregnant trolls and horse penises. I missed taking photos of the statues of cows and goats with fruit for testicles.  These statues were located inside the jammed packed temple and photos were not allowed inside.  It was glorious: baudy, rich and colourful.  We were directed to the slave hold for the trip back to the mainland.
Chariot that is pulled into the sea

A week later, we tried to go to Delft.  We took the government bus to the ferry terminal and missed the ferry by 10 minutes.  As we had some friends from Kandy along, we again went to Nangadeepa.  The festival was shut down, the chariot and the horses all boxed up and put away. It just wasn’t the same.

Last weekend, we made it to Delft.  It is intriguing.  The Island, built on an ancient coral reef, has not a bucket of soil on the entire island.  Coral stone fences are strung like Algernon’s maze all across the tiny island demarking property lines, much like you imagine the stone hedges in Scotland to look like.  The coral stone, on close inspection is mostly brain and fan coral. 


Brain and Fan Coral
A small and ruined Dutch Fort exists along with a pigeon hold for carrier pigeons and the old fort hospital.  An ancient Baobab tree exists on the island which, when I measured it, it was greater than the girth of my waistline.  It was eleven of my arm spans around the trunk.  It is one of the few places outside of Africa where this tree thrives.  Wild ponies, descendant from Dutch steeds roam the barren, rocky plain.   To return, we climbed aboard another ferry boat and motor scootered back to Jaffna in the desert heat.  It was a good day.
Carrier Pigeon Roost inside old Dutch Fort


Coral Fence



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