Pallai ( ta, பளை, si, පල්ලෙයි), also spelt Palai, is a small
town
A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world.
Origin and use
The word "town" shares an ori ...
in the
Kilinochchi District
Kilinochchi District ( ta, கிளிநொச்சி மாவட்டம் ''Kiḷinocci Māvaṭṭam''; si, කිලිනොච්චි දිස්ත්රික්කය) is one of the 25 districts of Sri Lanka, the second level ...
,
Northern Province,
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
.
It is located near the coast on the northern peninsula, approximately south-east of
Jaffna
Jaffna (, ) is the capital city of the Northern Province of Sri Lanka. It is the administrative headquarters of the Jaffna District located on a peninsula of the same name. With a population of 88,138 in 2012, Jaffna is Sri Lanka's 12th most ...
.
In 1861 the
Church Mission Society
The Church Mission Society (CMS), formerly known as the Church Missionary Society, is a British mission society working with the Christians around the world. Founded in 1799, CMS has attracted over nine thousand men and women to serve as mission ...
sent Rev. John Backus to Pallai to establish a Christian community in the town. This led to the construction and dedication of St. Andrew's Church on 30 November 1895.
In 1921 the government declared a area adjacent to the town as a
forest reserve
A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...
.
Transport
![Palai Railway Station - Sri Lanka](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cd/Palai_Railway_Station_-_Sri_Lanka.jpg)
Pallai is located on the
(A9) Kandy-Jaffna Highway.
It is served by
a railway station on the national network which was out of use due to
war damage. In 2009, agreements were made to restore the line back into service. The railway resumed operation on 4 March 2014.
See also
*
Railway stations in Sri Lanka
List of railway stations in Sri Lanka, in alphabetical order, are as follows:
A
* Abanpola, North Western Province
* Agbopura, Eastern Province
* Ahangama, Southern Province
* Ahungalle, Southern Province
* Akurala, Southern Prov ...
*
Pallai railway station
Pallai railway station ( ta, பளை தொடருந்து நிலையம் ''Paḷai toṭaruntu nilaiyam'') is a railway station in the town of Pallai in northern Sri Lanka. Owned by Sri Lanka Railways, the state-owned railway opera ...
References
Towns in Kilinochchi District
Pachchilaipalli DS Division
{{SriLanka-geo-stub