Gurunagar
குருநகர் ගුරුනගර | |
---|---|
Suburb | |
![]() St. James' Church, originally established in 1861 | |
Coordinates: 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 (2015)
[1] | |
• Total | 3,600 |
Time zone | UTC+5:30 ( Sri Lanka Standard Time Zone) |
Post Codes | 4136050-4136055 |
Telephone Codes | 021 |
Vehicle registration | NP |
Gurunagar ( Tamil: குருநகர், romanized: Kurunakar) is a coastal village in Jaffna city in northern Sri Lanka. Gurunagar is also known as Karaiyur ( Tamil: கரையூர், romanized: Karaiyūr). [2] [3]
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. [4] The village is known in Jaffna due to its maritime history and also served as the western sector of the Jaffna Kingdom. [5]
Gurunagar, also spelled as Kurunagar derives its words from Kuru and Nagar (Urban centre in Tamil). [6] The word Kuru is a clans name used by the Karaiyars also known as Kurukulam, who make up majority of Gurunagar. [7] [8]
Karaiyur, as it was earlier known as stems from the Tamil words Karai (coast) and Ur (village). [9] [10] Karaiyur was marked in the Dutch maps as Cereoer. [11]
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. [12] The Columbuthurai Commercial Harbor situated at Colombuthurai and the harbor known as ‘Aluppanthy’ situated previously at the Gurunagar area seem as its evidences. [13]
The navy of the Aryacakravarti dynasty was crewed and officered by the people of Gurunagar. [11] The Pattinathurai of Gurunagar was a port for foreign vessels. [12] It is surmised that it was here the Moroccan explorer Ibn Battuta, saw fleet of ships that belonged to the Aryacakravarti kings. [11] The Maniagar and Adappans of Gurunagar served as one of the headmen of the Jaffna ports. [14]
The western section of the Jaffna Kingdom was allotted by the Karaiyars of Gurunagar. [5] There existed a smaller fort in Colombuthurai and one at Pannaithurai near Gurunagar. [15] In 1560, the Portuguese forces with 77 ships arrived in Gurunagar and defeated the Tamil army governing there before proceeding further to Nallur. [16]
The Cathedral of Jaffna in Gurunagar was constructed over an already existing smaller chapel. [17] The chapel was constructed as the place where the Jaffna king Cankili I killed his own son for converting to Catholicism. [18]
Starting from the early 1920s, was the Gurunagar land reclamation scheme started, starting from modern Beach Road to Reclamation Road. [19]
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