Gurunagar
Gurunagar குருநகர் ගුරුනගර | |
---|---|
Suburb | |
St. James' Church, originally established in 1861 | |
Gurunagar Gurunagar | |
Coordinates: 9°39′24.80″N 80°01′41.10″E / 9.6568889°N 80.0280833°ECoordinates: 9°39′24.80″N 80°01′41.10″E / 9.6568889°N 80.0280833°E | |
Country | Sri Lanka |
Province | Northern |
District | Jaffna |
DS Division | Jaffna |
Government | |
• Type | Municipal Council |
• Body | Jaffna |
Population (2012)[1] | |
• Total | 3,520 |
Time zone | UTC+5:30 (Sri Lanka Standard Time Zone) |
Post Codes | 4136050-4136055 |
Telephone Codes | 021 |
Vehicle registration | NP |
Gurunagar (Tamil: குருநகர், translit. Kurunakar; Sinhalese: ගුරුනගර Gurunagara) is a coastal village in Jaffna city in northern Sri Lanka.[2][3] Gurunagar is also known as Karaiyur (Tamil: கரையூர், translit. Karaiyūr).[4][5]
The suburb is divided into two village officer divisions (Gurunagar East and Gurunagar West) whose combined population was 3,520 at the 2012 census.[1]
The suburb is mainly populated by Catholic Sri Lankan Tamils, engaged in sea activities.[6] The village is known in Jaffna due to its maritime history and also served as the western sector of the Jaffna Kingdom.[7][8]
Etymology
Gurunagar, also spelled as Kurunagar derives its words from Kuru and Nagar (Town in Tamil).[9] The word Kuru is a clans name used by the Karaiyars also known as Kurukulam, who make up majority of Gurunagar.[10][11]
Karaiyur, as it was earlier known as stems from the Tamil words Karai (coast) and Ur (village).[12][13] Karaiyur was marked in the Dutch maps as Cereoer.[14]
History
The earliest settlers of Jaffna, were according to local legend, a musician and his kinsfolk. The surmised place they first settled is in the area surrounding Gurunagar and Colombuthurai.[15][16] The Columbuthurai Commercial Harbor situated at Colombuthurai and the harbor known as ‘Aluppanthy’ situated previously at the Gurunagar area seem as its evidences.[17]
The navy of the Aryacakravarti dynasty were manned and officered by the people of Gurunagar. The Pattinathurai of Gurunagar was a port for foreign vessels.[18] It is surmised that it was here the Moroccan explorer Ibn Battuta, saw fleet of ships that belonged to the Aryacakravarti kings.[7] The Maniagar and Adappans of Gurunagar served as one of the headmen of the Jaffna ports.[19]
The western section of the Jaffna Kingdom was allotted by the Karaiyars of Gurunagar.[8] There existed a smaller fort in Colombuthurai and one at Pannaithurai near Gurunagar.[20] In 1560, the Portuguese forces with 77 ships arrived in Gurunagar and defeated the Tamil army governing there before proceeding further to Nallur.[21]
The Cathedral of Jaffna in Gurunagar was constructed over an already existing smaller chapel.[22] The chapel was constructed as the place where the Jaffna king Cankili I killed his own son for converting to Catholicism.[23][24]
Starting from the early 1920s, was the Gurunagar land reclamation scheme started, starting from modern Beach Road to Reclamation Road.[25]
See also
References
- 1 2 "Census of Population and Housing 2012: Population by GN division and sex 2012" (PDF). Department of Census and Statistics, Sri Lanka. p. 154.
- ↑ "Tigers resolve Gurunagar dispute". TamilNet. 3 September 2004.
- ↑ Pārlimēntuva, Ceylon (1957). Ceylon Sessional Papers. Government Press.
- ↑ Pārlimēntuva, Ceylon (1957-01-01). Ceylon Sessional Papers. Government Press.
- ↑ Holmes, Walter Robert (1980-01-01). Jaffna, Sri Lanka 1980. Christian Institute for the Study of Religion and Society of Jaffna College.
- ↑ Vidyodaya. Vidyodaya Campus, University of Sri Lanka. 1986. p. 34.
- 1 2 Rasanayagam, C.; Rasanayagam, Mudaliyar C. (1993). Ancient Jaffna: Being a Research Into the History of Jaffna from Very Early Times to the Portuguese Period. Asian Educational Services. pp. 211–212. ISBN 9788120602106.
- 1 2 Raghavan, M. D. (1964). India in Ceylonese History: Society, and Culture. Asia Publishing House. p. 143.
- ↑ "நகர் | அகராதி | Tamil Dictionary". agarathi.com. University of Madras Lexicon. Retrieved 2017-08-13.
- ↑ Sivaratnam, C. (1964). An outline of the cultural history and principles of Hinduism. University of Michigan.
- ↑ Kurukshetra. University of Michigan: Sri Lak-Indo Study Group. 1976.
- ↑ "கரை | அகராதி | Tamil Dictionary". www.agarathi.com. University of Madras Lexicon. Retrieved 2017-08-13.
- ↑ "ஊர் | அகராதி | Tamil Dictionary". www.agarathi.com. University of Madras Lexicon. Retrieved 2017-08-13.
- ↑ Raghavan, M. D. (1971). Tamil culture in Ceylon: a general introduction. Kalai Nilayam. p. 142.
- ↑ Rasanayagam, C.; Rasanayagam, Mudaliyar C. (1993-01-01). Ancient Jaffna: Being a Research Into the History of Jaffna from Very Early Times to the Portuguese Period. Asian Educational Services. ISBN 9788120602106.
- ↑ Ceylon Journal of Medical Science. University of California. 1949.
- ↑ ICTA. "Jaffna Divisional Secretariat - Overview". www.jaffna.ds.gov.lk. Retrieved 2017-08-12.
- ↑ Ceylon Journal of Medical Science. University of Ceylon. 1949. p. 58.
- ↑ Bastiampillai, Bertram (2006-01-01). Northern Ceylon (Sri Lanka) in the 19th century. Godage International Publishers. p. 96.
- ↑ Ragupathy, Ponnampalam (1987). Early Settlements in Jaffna: An Archaeological Survey. Thillimalar Ragupathy. p. 154.
- ↑ Professor Gunarasa, K. (2003). Dynasty of Jaffna Kings: Vijayakalingan to Narasinghan. Dynasty of Jaffna King's Historical Society. p. 47.
- ↑ Martyn, John H. (1923). Notes on Jaffna. Asian Educational Services. p. 155. ISBN 9788120616707.
- ↑ Kurukshetra. Sri Lak-Indo Study Group. 1983. p. 68.
- ↑ Joseph, Dishan (2016-07-16). "Mannar Island of Martyrs » Nation". Nation. Retrieved 2018-03-02.
- ↑ Ceylon (1919). Ceylon Administration Reports. Government Printer, South Africa. p. 49.