Vavuniya (,
romanized: ''Vavuṉiyā'', ,
romanized: ''Vavuniyāva''). Vavuniya City is the capital of
Vavuniya District
Vavuniya (, romanized: ''Vavuṉiyā'', , romanized: ''Vavuniyāva''). Vavuniya City is the capital of Vavuniya District in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka and the largest city in the Northern Province. The municipality is administered by Vavu ...
in the
Northern Province of
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 ...
and the largest city in the Northern Province. The municipality is administered by
Vavuniya Urban Council
Vavuniya Urban Council ( ta, வவுனியா நகர சபை ''Vavuṉiyā Nakara Capai''; VUC) is the Local government in Sri Lanka, local authority for the city of Vavuniya in northern Sri Lanka. VUC is responsible for providing a vari ...
. The town has been known since ancient times, but being a heavily forested area, less than 10,000 people lived in the entire district before the
Sri Lankan Civil War. The city is situated as a border town that divides the
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nativ ...
and
Sinhalese
Sinhala may refer to:
* Something of or related to the Sinhalese people of Sri Lanka
* Sinhalese people
* Sinhala language, one of the three official languages used in Sri Lanka
* Sinhala script, a writing system for the Sinhala language
** Sinha ...
population. To the south of the city are the Sinhala cities and to the north are the Tamil cities. The city has a large population of Tamils,
Muslims
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abraha ...
and a significant number of Sinhalese. In the early days, Vavuniya was known as Vanni due to the abundance of
Vanni Trees. The
Security Forces Headquarters - Wanni
Security is protection from, or resilience against, potential harm (or other unwanted coercive change) caused by others, by restraining the freedom of others to act. Beneficiaries (technically referents) of security may be of persons and social ...
is located in Vavuniya.
History
This city was under the rule of the Nagas during the period of the
Yaka and
Nagas in ancient Sri Lanka. Many Tanks were constructed by them in this area and Naga Sacred Guard Stones were placed near them and inscriptions were engraved.
Later, following the arrival of the
Sinhalese
Sinhala may refer to:
* Something of or related to the Sinhalese people of Sri Lanka
* Sinhalese people
* Sinhala language, one of the three official languages used in Sri Lanka
* Sinhala script, a writing system for the Sinhala language
** Sinha ...
to Sri Lanka, the region came under the
Rajarata
Rajarata ā dja ra tə(Meaning: King's country) ( Sinhala: රජරට) (Tamil: ரஜரட) was one of three historical regions of the island of Sri Lanka for about 1,700 years from the 6th century BCE to the early 13th century CE. Several anci ...
kingdom. Later, after the
Chola invasion,
Saivism
Shaivism (; sa, शैवसम्प्रदायः, Śaivasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu traditions, which worships Shiva as the Supreme Being. One of the largest Hindu denominations, it incorporates many sub-traditions rangin ...
and
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nativ ...
revived in the city. After the
Cholas
The Chola dynasty was a Tamil thalassocratic empire of southern India and one of the longest-ruling dynasties in the history of the world. The earliest datable references to the Chola are from inscriptions dated to the 3rd century BCE d ...
were defeated by the
Pandyas in
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...
, Vavuniya was taken over by the Pandyas during their
invasion
An invasion is a military offensive in which large numbers of combatants of one geopolitical entity aggressively enter territory owned by another such entity, generally with the objective of either: conquering; liberating or re-establishing con ...
of Sri Lanka. As the Pandyas were dispersed in the Delhi invasion and their strength diminished in Sri Lanka, the Vanni who arrived with the Cholas broke free from the Pandyas in Sri Lanka and formed the submissive
Vanni nation. The Vanni Rasadani, which had remained unyielding during the Portuguese period, came under the control of the Dutch in the maneuver of the hero
Pandaravannian in the Dutch invasion. Then the Dutch handed Sri Lanka over to the British and it came under British rule.
After the British granted independence to Sri Lanka, many people migrated abroad and to Vavuniya as the war caused by the Sinhalese oppression forced the affluent population to migrate.Vavuniya is a city that has recovered from the war even though it was heavily affected by the war. Now here Tamils, Muslims and Sinhalese are united without distinction.Recently the district got its own university. Discussions are going on to make this Urban Council a Municipal Council now. And there are discussions to convert the district airport into an international airport.
Demographics
The total population of the Northern Province as per the statistics is 1.246 million, the lowest populous province in the country, with 606,678 males (47.3%) and 639,775 females (52.7%). The population density is 136 persons per Sq. Km as against to 346 for the whole Island. The majority in the province live in areas classified as rural (84.5%), and only 15.5% of the population live in areas classified as urban. The majority of the population i.e. 89% in the province are Sri Lankan Tamils and others are Sri Lankan Moors, Sinhalese and Indian Tamils living in the province. Most of the Sri Lankan Tamils are Hindus, and the other religious persuasions in the province are Christians, Muslims, and a small number of Buddhists. The graph here shows the difference in ethnic composition from province to district to city. While usually, the city shows a more cosmopolitan nature than the province. The Vavuniya city reflects the composition of the district quite closely, even more so than the provincial percentages.
Electoral Wards
Transport
Vavuniya railway station
Vavuniya railway station ( ta, வவுனியா தொடருந்து நிலையம் ''Vavuṉiyā toṭaruntu nilaiyam'') is a railway station in the city of Vavuniya in northern Sri Lanka. Owned by Sri Lanka Railways, the state- ...
, which is located on the
Northern Line
The Northern line is a London Underground line that runs from North London to South London. It is printed in black on the Tube map. The Northern line is unique on the Underground network in having two different routes through central London, two ...
connects
Kankesanthurai
Kankesanthurai (, , lit. ''Port Kankesan''), colloquially known as KKS, is a port suburb, fishing division and resort hub of the Jaffna District, Northern Province, Sri Lanka. Formerly an electoral district, Kankesanthurai is home to the Kankesan ...
(the northern terminus of the line) through to
Colombo
Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo me ...
. During the
civil war
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
Vavuniya was the terminus of the Northern Line.
Vavuniya airport, which is an
air force base
An air base (sometimes referred to as a military air base, military airfield, military airport, air station, naval air station, air force station, or air force base) is an aerodrome used as a military base by a military force for the operation ...
and a
domestic airport is also located here.
Vavuniya is situated in the middle of the Vanni region and is the gate to northern province where people can access all the northern cities quickly.
See also
*
Vipulanantha College
Vipulanantha College ( ta, விபுலாநந்தா கல்லூரி ''Vipulānantā Kallūri'') is a provincial school in Vavuniya, Sri Lanka.
See also
* List of schools in Northern Province, Sri Lanka
The following is a list o ...
*
Pandarikulam
*
Nelukkulam
References
Cities in Sri Lanka
Populated places in Vavuniya District
Vavuniya DS Division
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