JAFFNA FORT

 JAFFNA FORT


Jaffna Fort is a fort built by the Portuguese at Jaffna, Sri Lanka in 1618 under Phillippe de Oliveira following the Portuguese invasion of Jaffna. The fort is located near the coastal village of Gurunagar. Due to numerous miracles attributed to the statue of the Virgin Mary in the church nearby, the fort was named as Fortress of Our Lady of Miracles of Jafanapatão. It was captured by the Dutch under Rijcklof van Goens in 1658 who expanded it. In 1795, it was taken over by the British and remained under the control of a British garrison till 1948. As the only large military fort in the country, due to the presence of only government and military buildings within its ramparts, it was garrisoned by a detachment of the Ceylon Army. With the onset of the Sri Lankan Civil War, it came under siege on several occasions and was the scene of pitched battles. From 1985 to 1995 it was under the control of the LTTE during the time the LTTE destroyed several key features to stop the Army from getting control due to the site being used to stage attacks but it was recaptured by the Sri Lanka Army.

Location: Jaffna, Sri Lanka

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