Vavuniya

History

This city has a long history of being ruled by the Tamil kings, who built many tanks and placed Naga Sacred Guard Stones near them with inscriptions. They inherited the city from the ancient Yaka and Nagas of Sri Lanka. Later, the city became part of the Rajarata kingdom after the arrival of the Sinhalese Ancestor or Exiled Aryan (Vijaya) to Sri Lanka. The city experienced a revival of Hinduism (Shaivism) and Tamil culture after the Chola invasion and reformed as Vanni under the rule of Vanni Chieftains. However, the Cholas were soon defeated by the Pandya in Tamil Nadu, and the city fell under their control when they invaded Sri Lanka. The Pandya lost their power in Sri Lanka when the Vijayanagar Dynasty invaded and dispersed them. The Vanni Chieftains (Aryans), who had come with the Cholas, broke away from the Pandya and formed their own Vanni nation (Not a nation but a collection of small nations), which was loyal to the central government. The Vanni resisted the Portuguese occupation but succumbed to the Dutch invasion despite the heroism of Pandara Vanniyan. The city then came under British rule when the Dutch were succeeded by the British in Sri Lanka at the start of the 19th century. The British granted independence to Sri Lanka, but the Sinhalese oppression sparked a war that forced many affluent people to migrate abroad or to Vavuniya. Vavuniya is a city that was heavily affected by the war but has since recovered. Now, Tamils, Muslims, and Sinhalese live together without distinction. The district recently got its own university (University of Vavuniya), and there are plans to upgrade the district airport to an international airport.