Jaffna Library, Jaffna Overview

Built in the year of 1933, the Jaffna library is one of the prominent and illustrious buildings in not only the city of Jaffna but also the country of Sri Lanka. The building holds a special place in the hearts of the people.

The heritage building was burned down in the year of 2002 as an attack on not only the building, but an attack on the cultural heritage, and their history. The fire destroyed some of the Tamil cultural texts that were rare and one of a kind and which got burned.

Out of them, only a few survived. Even after the tragedy, the people of Jaffna didn’t lose their hope, but instead gathered their courage and built the icon depicting its original Mughal design again. It is because of the building that the city of Jaffna is arguably the most intellectual city in the country of Sri Lanka.

The library before the fire consisted of almost 90,000 books, manuscripts and other kinds of texts, but since the old versions could not be revived, the new edition replaced them. The library is the second most visited and essential public library in the country after Colombo’s public library. The library also consists of beautifully lush gardens and a café.

Other than that since 2016, the library has also started to provide its visitors with free Wi-Fi. There is a wide range of options for the readers to choose from at this library.

Timings

The schedules of the library are from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM. But the access is given to the visitors after 4:00 PM as, during the day hours, the library access is provided to various school kids that come in the library to complete projects or learn more by reading the books available. During the day hours, the visitors can eat at the café or enjoy the architecture of the library by sitting in the beautiful gardens.

The library is open on all days to all visitors, whether it be local city residents or tourists except on the weekends or national holidays.

Entry Fee

There is no entry fee required to enter the premises of the library, nor is there any fee required to lend the book. But if a book is not returned to the library on time, a penalty is charged for it.

Architechture

The original architecture of the library which was built in the year 1933. It was the Mughal architecture and had detailed and magnificent intrinsic designs. After the fire, the architects tried to and replicated the architectural interior and design of the building, which was also inspired by the Mughal designs.

Tips

One must visit the library only after 4:00 PM, as before that only school kids are allowed to enter the library. No food is permitted, as there already is a café inside the premises of the library.