- Mannar District
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This article is about the district in Sri Lanka. For the town, see Mannar, Sri Lanka.
Mannar District
மன்னார் மாவட்டம்
මන්නාරම දිස්ත්රික්කය— Administrative District — Location within Sri Lanka
Coordinates: 08°52′N 80°04′E / 8.867°N 80.067°ECoordinates: 08°52′N 80°04′E / 8.867°N 80.067°E Country 
Sri LankaProvince Northern Created Capital Mannar Divisional Secretariats List- Madhu
- Mannar
- Manthai West
- Musalai
- Nanaddan
Government - District Secretary Nagalingam Vethanayagam Area - Total 1,996 km2 (770.7 sq mi) - Land 1,880 km2 (725.9 sq mi) - Water 116 km2 (44.8 sq mi) 5.81% Area rank 13th (3.04% of total area) Population (2007) - Total 103,688 - Density 51.9/km2 (134.5/sq mi) Ethnicity(2007)[1] - Sri Lankan Tamil 95,560 (92.16%) - Moor 8,073 (7.79%) - Sinhalese 55 (0.05%) - Indian Tamil 0 (0.01%) - Other 0 (0.00%) Religion - Hindu - Catholic - Muslim - Buddhist - Other Time zone Sri Lanka (UTC+05:30) Post Codes 41000-41999 Telephone Codes 023 ISO 3166 code LK-43 Vehicle registration NP Official Languages Tamil, Sinhala Website Mannar District Secretariat Mannar district (Tamil: மன்னார் மாவட்டம் Maṉṉār, Sinhala: මන්නාරම දිස්ත්රික්කය Mannārama) is one of the 25 administrative districts of Sri Lanka. The district is administered by a District Secretariat headed by a District Secretary (previously known as a Government Agent) appointed by the central government of Sri Lanka. The headquarters is located in Mannar, Sri Lanka. Manthai East division of the district was transferred to newly created Mullaitivu district in September 1978.
Contents
Etymology
Mannar means 'deer river' or 'silt river'. Manthai is a holy land where Hindu saints from India visited and sang Thevaram devotional songs of historical importance during the Saiva Renaissance(5th Century to 10th Century) period when the Jain and Buddhist religions were completely wiped out of India.
Thevaram refers to a set of sacred hymns sung by the 3 saints Appar , Sundharar & Gnaana Sambandhar. These songs are in praise of Shiva , the Hindu god representing Saivam. There are about 276 temples sung in the thevaram which are distributed all over India and about 96% of them are located in the state of tamizh nadu.
The ancient port was known as Mahaota , Mantota, and Mahatheetha in Sanskrit, where it means the 'great port'. Mathoddam or Manthai (Tamil = Mango Gardens) is a location of the ancient Sivan temple. e.g., in Egyptian, Chinese, Portuguese and Dutch maps. The Malvatu oya (Aruvi Aru) provided a direct water route from Mantota to the Ancient capital Anuradhapura.
History
This is the location of Thiruketheeswaram. the ancient temple which was sung in Tevaram and visited by Sambanthar.
The soil and thus the river are of red colour. Tamira means red. Varni means colour. Thus the name Vanni or Varni and it is a mutated name from Tamiravarni, Tambravarni, Tambapanni or Tammanna. Another river called Tamirabharani is located in Tuticorin area and there was a connection of land which kept both countries together during ancient times. The name Tamil is derived from Tamir. Ptolemy may have named both sides of the sea with the same name in his Greek map. Ramayana refers to Mannar in epic terms. Adam's bridge connected Tamil Nadu with Mannar district. According to the Ramayana Ithihasa, Rama built the temples of Ketheeswaram and Rameshwaram. India and Sri Lanka remained as one piece without separation during ice age.
The first settlers were Nagas and Yakshas[2]. It was the largest and most important port in the Indian Ocean. Traders from East Asia and Mediterranean were regular visitors to this great port. During the Catholic conversion period, Portuguese systematically destroyed the Sivan temples of Rajarajeswaram and Thiruketheeswaram and transformed Mannar into forts made of stones from the temples and pagodas [3].
Mahawamsa narrates that Prince Vijaya, a cruel lawless bandit prince and 700 drifter gangsters who were banished from their motherland, landed in Sri Lanka at this place around 500 B.C. and called this place Tambapanni. They married Tamil brides from Pandya Nadu. Pandyan princes started ruling the land afterwards with prefixes of Pandu.
Vijaya and his clan came from Sindh. They landed in Hela Diva. From that cross breeding the name Sinhala came to all the progeny of these immigrants (Sind + Hela = Sinhala).
The Mahavamsa describes the Pandyan ladies as originating from "Dakkhina Madura" or "southern Madura" which most Sinhala scholars have interpreted as modern-day Madurai in Tamil Nadu, "northern Madura" being the city of Mathura in Uttar Pradesh. However, there had been more than one Madurai in Tamil history. The Tamil literary tradition holds that three academies were held to collate the poetry of the Sangam age. The last of these was held in Madurai and the second was in a city called Kapatapuram, but the first academy was held in "Then Madurai," translating to "southern Madurai." Historians believe that Then Madurai was a real city on the southeastern coast of Tamil Nadu near modern Korkai, which would have been very close to the settlement of "Thambapanni" which Vijaya had constructed in Lanka. If "Then Madurai" can be equated with "Dakkhina Madura" of the Mahavamsa, then we would have evidence that the seat of the first Sangam was a historical city, and not a myth.
In the period prior to the thirteenth century Mathottam or the great port, opposite Mannar on the north-western coast facing the Arabian Sea was the most important trading port of the Island. A large number of articles of foreign origin including coins and porcelain-ware have been excavated at Mannar by archaeologists. The port was surrounded by villages with Naga names. e.g. Nagarkulam, Nagathazhvu and Siru-nagarkulam. A great Naga civilization existed here long before the arrival of Sinhalese.
In Sinhalese inscriptions and Pali chronicles Mathottam is variously referred to as Matota while it is called Mathottam in Tamil. Mathottam was governed as an autonomous port by a prince and remained as the largest port of the country.
After the seventh century, the principle arena for the East-West exchange trade had shifted from the Arabian Sea to the Bay of Bengal. Consequently there was an increasing interest in the north-eastern zone of Sri Lanka wherein was located Trincomalee port. It is significant that between seventh and tenth centuries A.D. four Sinhalese Kings Aggabodhi IV, Aggabodhi VII, Udaya I and Sena I left Anuradhapura and ruled from the north-eastern city of Polonnaruwa, situated on the banks of the Mahaweli Ganga within easy access to Trincomalee.
Rajaraja I invaded Sri Lanka in 993 CE. The copper-plate inscription mention that Rajaraja’s powerful army crossed the ocean by ships and burnt up the kingdom of Lanka. Mahinda V was the king of Sinhalas. In 991 CE, Mahinda’s army mutinied with help from mercenaries from Kerala. Mahinda had to seek refuge in the southern region of Rohana. Rajaraja utilised this opportunity and invaded the island. Chola armies occupied the northern half of Lanka and named the dominion ‘Mummudi Chola Mandalam’. Anuradhapura, the 1400-year-old capital of Sinhala kings was destroyed. The destruction was so extensive the city was abandoned. Cholas made the city of Polonnaruwa as their capital and renamed it Jananathamangalam. The choice of this city demonstrates the desire of Rajaraja to conquer the entire island. Rajaraja also built a Temple for Siva in Pollonaruwa.[2]
To complete the task began by his father, of conquering the island of Srilanka, Rajendra Chola I invaded the island in 1018 C.E. As a result of the campaign, Rajendra claimed to have captured the regal jewels of the Pandya kings, which Parantaka I tried in vain to capture. Rajendra also captured the crown of the Sinhala king, his Queen and daughter. The Sinhala king Mahinda V was taken prisoner and transported to the Chola country. He was held prisoner for over twelve years and died in captivity. Mahavamsa gives a graphic illustration of the carnage wrought by the pillaging Chola army in the Sinhala country, claiming the invading army destroyed monasteries seeking treasure. Chola inscriptions however are silent regarding the details of this campaign and draws a veil over the pillage.
Mahinda’s son Kassapa became the centre of Sihalese resistance against the Tamil Power. The war between the Cholas and the Sinhalese raged for over six months in which a great number of Tamils were killed. At the end of the battle Kassapa managed to drive out the Chola army from the southeast corner of the island and ruled as Vikramabahu I.
Remains of a number of Hindu temples have been discovered around the Polonnaruwa area attesting to the presence of the Tamil army.
In 1041 C.E. Rajendra had to lead another expedition into Sri Lanka to quell the continuing attacks against the Chola army by Vikramabahu. Vikramabahu died soon after and anarchy reigned outside the Chola territories. An assortment of adventurers including Sinhalese, dispossessed Pandya princes and even a certain Jagaitpala from distance Kanauj asserted authority over portions of the island. Chola army had to fight and defeat them all.[2]
It was the most important port for vessels coming from South India and there was a strong Tamil element in the population of this port during most periods of history. Mannar located at the mouth of the Aruvi Aru had easy access to the capital Anuradhapura, which was located on the banks of the same river. However with the increased emphasis on the South-East Asian Sri Vijayan Kingdom as the main centre of entrepot trade after the seventh century A.D. the importance of the port of Mannar had diminished to some extent. Owing to this change even the capital Anuradhapura lost much of its attractiveness.
Thus, the emergence of Polonnaruwa and the port of Trincomalee is significant in terms of the changing patterns of trade in the Bay of Bengal and Sri Lanka's interest in it. The South Indian Chola occupation of Polonnaruva (1017–1070) was partly motivated by the commercial policy of the Cholas aimed at controlling the western seaboard of Bay of the Bengal. The importance of Trincomalee for the Bay of Bengal and South-East Asian trade was realized also by the Sinhalese rulers of Polonnaruva particularly Vijayabahu I (1070–1110) and Parakramabahu (1153–1186).
However Mannar did not completely lose its glamour in the period between the seventh and the twelfth centuries and it functioned as an important trading centre where South Indian merchants flourished. In addition to the ancient temple of Tiruketisvaram at Mathottam another temple named Rajarajavarattu Mahadeva was constructed near the port in the eleventh century for the worship of the trading communities and soldiers living there by the Chola conqueror Rajaraja Chola I.
The new commercial policy of the southern Sung dynasty (1127–1278) of China deviated from the "tributary trading system" in south East Asian and South Asian waters. As a result, the role of the intermediaries in the Bay of Bengal trade declined drastically. Once again the coastal ports in India regained their eminent position in trade and the theatre of activity shifted from the Bay of Bengal to the Arabian Sea. Mathottam continued as the chief port of Rajarata at least up to the middle of the thirteenth century. The Rasavahini written in the Polonnaruva period implies that traders collected various commodities from Mahatittha and sold them in the interior. The Saddharmalankara refers to a merchant of Mavatupatuna who went eastwards for trade. However, by the fifteenth century Mathottam appears no longer to be an important port. The Kokila Sandesa written during the reign of Parakramabahu VI of Kotte, in giving a description of the important places along the western littoral of the Island does not mention Mathottam.
Geography
Map of Mannar District
Detailed map of Mannar District.Mannar district is located in the north west of Sri Lanka in the Northern Province. It has an area of 1,996 square kilometres (771 sq mi)[3].
Geology, soil and water
Murunkan (Tamil = Cracked Earth) is due to the black clay surface which is cracked while dry, is the place where the Giant's Tank is situated. It has montmorillonite clay and is the only place in Sri Lanka where this kind of clay can be obtained. This clay is used in making cement.
Aruvi Aru is the second longest river in Sri Lanka and runs through Mannar and Anuradhapura districts. Mannar has artesian springs and aquifers. These water supply comes from Sri Lanka's central areas. The Northern Province has a supply of fresh water from aquifers and it was used in successful cultivation. It only exists in the areas where Red Yellow Latosol exists. These types of aquifers do not exist where Reddish Brown Earth is found. The rest of the Vanni area is void of perennial supply of fresh water.
Wildlife and plants
Mannar District is unique in its vegetation and wildlife contrasting with rest of Sri Lanka.
Mannar Island is also notably one of the few places in Sri Lanka where Boabab trees thrive. The Boabab tree, native to Africa, was bought by Arab sailors to feed camels which they stationed in the area. Although camels are not found in today, few boabab trees still thrive on the hot sandy Mannar region. The Baobab Adansonia digitata L. belongs to the family Bombacaceae. It appear strange and barrel-like enormous trunk, which tapers into branches. When the leaves are shed, the tree gives the impression that it had been planted upside down. The name baobab comes from the Arabic plant name Buhibab, while the scientific name is after the French Botanist M. Adanson (1727–1806). The tree is more known for its girth than height: trunks attain a diameter of 9 m (30 ft) in some cases, and are hollow in the centre. The bark is rough and greyish, and since it resembles the hide of an elephant, but Tamils refer to it as Perukkaa which means Large fruit. Catholics in Mannar call baobab the Judas Bag given the 30 seeds its fruit contains. Monkeys love the fruit and hence the tree is sometimes known as the Monkey-bread tree.
Administrative units
Mannar district is divided into 5 Divisional Secretary's (DS) Divisions, each headed by a Divisional Secretary (previously known as an Assistant Government Agent)[4]. The DS Divisions are further sub-divided into 153 Grama Niladhari (GN) Divisions (villages)[4].
DS Division Main Town GN
Divisions[4]Area
(km2)[5]Population[1] Madhu Madhu 17 512.82 4,498 Mannar Mannar 49 226.88 51,249 Manthai West Adampan 36 658.90 26,741 Musalai Chilawathurai 20 474.22 0 Nanaddan Nanaddan 31 129.25 21,200 Total 153 2,002.07 103,688 Demographics
Population
Mannar district's population was 103,688 in 2007[1]. The population of the district is mostly Sri Lankan Tamil.
The population of the district, like the rest of the North and East, has been heavily affected by the civil war. The war has killed an estimated 70,000 people[6]. Several hundred thousand Sri Lankan Tamils, possibly as much as 1,000,000[7], have emigrated to the West since the start of the war. There are a further 800,000 internally displaced persons in Sri Lanka, many of them living in refugee camps in the North and East and depending on aid provided by NGOs[8]. There are approximately 100,000 Sri Lankan refugees is India[9]. Many Sri Lankan Tamils have also moved to the relative safety of Colombo. The war has also caused most of the Sri Lankan Moors and Sinhalese who lived in the district to flee to other parts of Sri Lanka, though some of them have returned to the district in recent years.
Ethnicity
Population of Mannar District by ethnic group 1981 to 2007
Year Sri Lankan Tamil Sri Lankan Moors Sinhalese Others Total No. % No. % No. % No. % No. % 1881 Census 14,415 67.52% 6,635 31.08% 142 0.67% 156 0.73% 21,348 100.00% 1891 Census 16,098 65.68% 7,643 31.18% 592 2.42% 178 0.73% 24,511 100.00% 1901 Census 16,848 67.59% 7,715 30.95% 201 0.81% 162 0.65% 24,926 100.00% 1911 Census 16,731 65.35% 8,092 31.61% 639 2.50% 141 0.55% 25,603 100.00% 1921 Census 16,949 66.25% 8,002 31.28% 538 2.10% 93 0.36% 25,582 100.00% 1946 Census 19,623 62.22% 10,410 33.01% 1,186 3.76% 319 1.01% 31,538 100.00% 1963 Census 40,140 66.70% 17,260 28.68% 2,262 4.35% 160 0.27% 60,180 100.00% 1971 Census 53,353 68.50% 20,878 26.81% 3,568 4.58% 83 0.11% 77,882 100.00% 1981 Census 68,178 63.75% 28,464 26.62% 8,710 8.14% 1,588 1.48% 106,940 100.00% 2001 Estimate1 92,911 94.84% 5,038 5.14% 16 0.02% 0 0.00% 97,965 100.00% 2007 Estimate 95,560 92.16% 8,073 7.79% 55 0.05% 0 0.00% 103,688 100.00% Source:[1] 1 2001 Census was not carried out in Mannar district.
Religion
Mannar is a predominantly Catholic Christian area. There was equal amount of Muslim population and a few Sinhalase before 1990. The ethnic conflict created distrust between communities and LTTE expelled all Muslims out of Northern Province during 1990. Muslims refugees settled around Puttalam. Muslims have lived here from ancient times when Arab traders were travelling the Indian Ocean. Christians have lived here from Portuguese times. This was the principal port of the Sinhala kings until about the 11th century. Christians originate from the local Tamil people who changed their religions after the foreign traders or missionaries came to Mannar.
Nayakkar or Madurai was the origin of settlers in Mannar and Moplah Muslims from Cochin settled as trading partners of the ruler of Sethu. Nayakkar dynasty which ruled Madurai had marital connections with all the local rulers and people of Tamil Nadu and Kerala settled in Ceylon without any hindrance as Portugal ruled certain areas in Ceylon and Kerala like Mannar, Kochi and Tuticorin and Catholic religion flourished in all the coastal villages.
In the past, Arab sailors frequented the Mannar coast. Muslim lineages claim that their Arab ancestors married Sinhala and Tamil women.
Christian churches
Mannar is part of the 'Catholic Belt' extending from Negombo to Jaffna. Portuguese first arrived in Colombo and established Catholicism in areas around Chilaw and further expanded their rule into Nagar Kovil, Kanyakumari and Tuticorin area. Thus the whole of Gulf of Mannar could be called a Catholic Belt.
The ancient Madu Church is one of the ancient churches in Asia and located near Murunkan. An ancient Kali Temple was demolished by Portuguese to construct the Catholic Church on the same location.
Pesalai Catholic Church is one of the largest church in Sri Lanka, which was rebuilt after year-2000. Alleged recent human rights violations by Sri Lanka Army and the LTTE attacks have brought it to the media attention internationally. (see 2006 Mannar massacres)
There are also few Protestant/Christian Churches in Mannar. Methodist is one of a Senior church started in Mannar in the history and the Ceylon Penticostal Mission is second to it. The Grace Gospel Church, My Saviour's Church, Philedephiya Full Gospel Church, Assemble of God & Christian Fellowship Church are also old churches in Mannar more than 10 years.
Politics and government
Local government
Mannar district has 5 local authorities of which one is an Urban Council and the remaining 4 are Pradeshya Sabhas[10].
Local Authority Elected
MembersArea
(km2)Population Mannar Pradeshya Sabha 9 286.40 0 Mannar Urban Council 9 27.85 22,581 Manthai West Urban Council 9 1,053.06 46,639 Musalai Pradeshya Sabha 9 458.25 6,195 Nanaddan Pradeshya Sabha 9 256.10 19,223 Source:[10] Economy
Mannar harbour
Rama's Bridge.Mannar has an ancient port which needs to be expanded into a large harbour like Rameshwaram Harbour. The present 'Sethusamudram Project' by the Indian Government will bring 90% of the shipping traffic very near to the Mannar Harbour.
The strategic advantages derive from obtaining a navigable sea route close to the coast, with a reduction in travel distance of more than 350 nautical miles (650 km) (for larger ships). The project is expected to provide a boost to the economic and industrial development of coastal Tamil Nadu. The project will be of particular significance to Jaffna, Kankesanthurai, Mannar, Point Pedro and Tuticorin harbour. Tuticurin has the potential to transform itself into a nodal port. The Tamil Nadu Government has announced its proposal to develop 13 minor ports, including Ennore, Cuddalore, Nagapattinam, Thondi, Valinokam, Kolachel and Kanyakumari.
Development of the canal and ports is also expected to provide increased maritime security for Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka.
All the other harbours of Sri Lanka will get bypassed by the ships and Indian harbours will be servicing the shipping traffic. As such a hundred million dollar project needs to be started to build a modern harbour in Mannar to compete. The location of such a harbour can be on the northern side and southern side of Mannar as both the sides can cater for deep sea vessels.
The project has been criticized by some environmentalists[11].
References
- ^ a b c d 2007 Estimate - Northern Provincial Council
- ^ a b KAN Sastri The Colas
- ^ Department of Census & Statistics Statistical Abstract 2007
- ^ a b c Mannar District Secretariat Administration Structure (GN Divisions)
- ^ Northern Provincial Council Statistical Handbook 2008 (Geographical)
- ^ BBC News Quick guide: Sri Lanka
- ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3090111.stm
- ^ UNHCR Global Appeal 2008-2009 - Sri Lanka
- ^ Acharya, Arunkumar (2007). "Ethnic conflict and refugees in Sri Lanka". Autonomous University of Nuevo Leon
- ^ a b Northern Provincial Council Statistical Handbook 2008 (Administration and Local Government)
- ^ [1]
External links
Districts of Sri Lanka Central (Kandy • Matale • Nuwara Eliya) · Eastern (Ampara • Batticaloa • Trincomalee) · North Central (Anuradhapura • Polonnaruwa) · Northern (Jaffna • Kilinochchi • Mannar • Mullaitivu • Vavuniya) · North Western (Kurunegala • Puttalam) · Sabaragamuwa (Kegalle • Ratnapura) · Southern (Galle • Hambantota • Matara) · Uva (Badulla • Moneragala) · Western (Colombo • Gampaha • Kalutara)
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