Valvettithurai வல்வெட்டித்துறை වල්වෙට්ටිතුරෙයි | |
|---|---|
 Fishing boats at the shoreline | |
  Valvettithurai | |
| Coordinates:9°49′0″N80°10′0″E / 9.81667°N 80.16667°E /9.81667; 80.16667 | |
| Country | Sri Lanka |
| Province | Northern |
| District | Jaffna |
| DS Division | Vadamarachchi North |
| Government | |
| • Type | Urban Council |
| • Chairman | Nadarajah Anantharaj (TNA) |
| Area | |
• Total | 4.85 km2 (1.87 sq mi) |
| Population (2007) | |
• Total | 18,000 |
| • Density | 3,711/km2 (9,474/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (Sri Lanka Standard Time Zone) |
| Post code | 40540 |
Valvettithurai (Tamil:வல்வெட்டித்துறை,romanized: Valveṭṭittuṟai;Sinhala:වල්වෙට්ටිතුරෙයි,romanized: Valveṭṭitureyi), sometimes shortened asVVT orValvai, is a coastal town ofJaffna District on the northeast coast of theJaffna Peninsula inNorthern Province, Sri Lanka governed by anUrban Council of the same name. Valvettithurai was historically known for its seafaring traditions and olden transnational shipping trade.
The town is popularly known for being the birthplace ofVelupillai Prabhakaran, the head of theLiberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam or the Tamil Tigers, a separatist group that waged a war foran independent state in the North and East.[1] Valvettithurai is also the place of birth, of the leaders of theTamil Eelam Liberation Organization,Kuttimani andNadarajah Thangathurai, the founding fathers of the Tamil Eelam armed struggle.[2]
Valvettithurai inTamil could mean "The port of the expanse of forest land/scrub jungle" or "The port of the raised stretch of open land".[3][better source needed] The word Valvettithurai seems to have been derived from the combination of Tamil words Vallai meaning a big forest or a raised stretch of land, Vedi which means expanse or open space, and Thurai which refers to seaport.
According to folk etymology, was the foundation of the village laid by aMaravar chieftain known asValliathevan, who was given the land by the founder of theJaffna Kingdom. The clans of theMaravars of southernTamil Nadu and theKaraiyars of Valvetthithurai have long had coastal military alliances through trade and marriage.[4] Both clans have long engaged in seatrade, with Valvettithurai being a prominent seaport in the northernJaffna region.[5][6]
The coastal clans of Valvettithurai were involved in warfare. The coastal chiefs of Valvettithurai fought under the leadership ofMigapulle Arachchi and fought on the side of Jaffna kingCankili II in thePortuguese conquest of the Jaffna kingdom.[4][7]
The population of the coastal town are predominantlyShaivites. TheKadalodiekal own the major temples such as the famousVaitheeswaran Sivan kovil. TheKadalodikal (Tamil name formariners) of Valvettithurai, the wealthier clan of theKaraiyars were specifically involved in the seatrade between Jaffna region and theCoromandel Coast, including up to the coasts ofMyanmar.[8] TheJapanese occupation of Burma, hindered the seatrade of the Kadalodiekal. Their situation was deteriorated with the colonial independence ofSri Lanka, and many of theKadalodiekal got engaged in large-scale smuggling betweenSri Lanka andIndia.[9] The town also produced the renownedbrigantine known locally asAnnapoorani Ammal.[10] This native vessel known as a thoni, built with a blend of Jaffna and European tradition, sailed from Valvettithurai toGloucester inMassachusetts ofUnited States in 1937.[11] Built in 1930 by native traditionalshipwrighters for the purpose of serving as acargo ship in the Indian rice trade, the vessel was bought by an American known as William C. Robinson.[12] Robinson, changing the name of the ship toFlorence C. Robinson (after his wife), sailed to the U.S. with a crew of six natives from Valvettithurai including theirThandayal (Tamil forsea captain) known asKanagaratnam Thambapillai.[13]
As an effect of the1958 anti-Tamil pogroms, several students from Valvettithurai formed organisations based onSri Lankan Tamil nationalism, such as theTamil Eelam Liberation Organization (TELO), founded byKuttimani andThangadurai of Valvettithurai.[14] One of the earliest members of this organisation wasVelupillai Prabhakaran of Valvettithurai, who later became the leader and founder ofLiberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).[15] Several chief commanders of theLTTE, such asKittu, Radha, and Baby Subramaniam, were natives of Valvettithurai.[16][17]
The town had been severely affected by thecountry's civil war with a number offorced disappearances and attacks against local civilians by the Sri Lankan military. It was the site of two brutal massacres of local Tamil civilians by occupying armies. In1985 the Sri Lankan military rounded local people up into the library and blew up the building.[18] In1989 the Indian army rounded up people into the village square and opened fire on them, as well as people in shops and their homes.[19]
Valvettithuri is a coastal town bounded by theIndian Ocean to its north. It is situated at the tip of the northern province and is considered as a place of strategic importance due to the presence of thePalk Strait and its close proximity to the coast of theIndian state ofTamil Nadu.[2] The northern coast of the island was severely impacted by the2004 Indian Ocean tsunami which claimed several thousand lives.
It is also flourished by theThondamannar lagoon which meets the sea through a long, narrow channel to the west of the town. The lagoon's water is brackish to saline. The lagoon has extensive mudflats, seagrass beds and mangrove swamps, particularly Avicennia. The lagoon attracts a wide variety of water birds including American Flamingoes, ducks, gulls, terns and other shorebirds.
There exists abarrage and bridge on the Highway preventing sea water from entering into the Thondamannar lagoon which is the primary source of drinking water for the locals. Across the bridge, to the west of the town, lie the towns ofPaalai andKankesanturai, much of whose lands have been seized under theSri Lankan military's High Security Zone (HSZ). To the eastern end of the town, is the town of Paruthithurai orPoint Pedro, the northernmost point of the island.[20][better source needed]
The temperature varies from 25 to 34 °C. The town experiences a moderate climate in September–January. It receives much of its rainfall during the North Eastmonsoon between October and December. Being a coastal town, the weather is also influenced by cyclones and tropical currents.
| Climate data for Valvettithurai, Jaffna district | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 25 (77) | 26 (79) | 28 (82) | 29 (84) | 29 (84) | 28 (82) | 28 (82) | 28 (82) | 28 (82) | 27 (81) | 25 (77) | 24 (75) | 27 (81) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 70 (2.8) | 30 (1.2) | 20 (0.8) | 50 (2.0) | 40 (1.6) | 10 (0.4) | 20 (0.8) | 30 (1.2) | 60 (2.4) | 230 (9.1) | 380 (15.0) | 260 (10.2) | 1,270 (50.0) |
| Source: Weatherbase[21] | |||||||||||||
The population is mainlySri Lankan Tamils ofHindu orCatholic faith. The main industry is farming, fishing and trading. The mouth of the Thondamannar lagoon has the popular Hindu temple dedicated toLord Murugan called Selva Sannithy.
The population of the town, as of 2007 stood at 18,000 and bears a high population density of 3711 persons per square km.
The Valvai Chithamabara College is the major higher educational institution in Valvettithurai. The town is the home to several primary schools:[22]
| No | Name of School |
|---|---|
| 1. | Thondamannaru Veerakaththippillai Maha Vidyalayam |
| 2. | Valvai Sivakuru Vidthyasalai |
| 3. | Valvir Mahalir Maha Vidyalayam |
| 4. | Valvai Roman Catholic Tamil Mixed School |
| 5. | Valvai American Mixed School |
| 6. | Polikandy Hindu Tamil Mixed School |
| 7. | Kamparmalai Vidyalayam |
| 8. | Valvetty Hindu Tamil Mixed School |
The town also houses a good number of public libraries.[23]
