Mannar
| Author:Laxman Burdak, IFS (R) |
Mannar is a big town, and it's the main town of Mannar District, Northern Province, Sri Lanka. Mannar was called Mahatittha in Mahavansa. It is located on Ram Van Gaman Path.
Variants
- Mannar (मन्नार)
- Tamil: மன்னார்,
- Sinhalese: මන්නාරම),
- Manar,
- Mahatittha (Mahavansa)
- Mannar Island
Location
Mannar is located on Mannar Island overlooking the Gulf of Mannar. It is home to the historic Ketheeswaram temple.
The Mannar Island lies at the eastern end of Adam's Bridge (Tamil: ஆதம் பாலம், romanized: Ātam pālam),[1] a chain of limestone shoals between Pamban Island (also known as Rameswaram Island), off the south-eastern coast of Tamil Nadu, India, and Mannar Island. Geological evidence suggests that this may have been a land connection between India and Sri Lanka.
Etymology
In the Tamil language Mannar means the raised place [of sand] which is thought to have come from the geology of the island which was formed by the accumulation of sand.[2]
History
Scholars identify the old Sinhalese name "Mahapatan-ju which is mentioned in Sigiri graffiti as the island of Mannar."[3]
Mannar is known for its baobab trees and for its fort, built by the Portuguese in 1560 and taken by the Dutch in 1658 and rebuilt; its ramparts and bastions are intact, though the interior is largely destroyed.
Formerly the town was renowned as a center of pearl fishing, mentioned in the 2nd-century CE Periplus of the Erythraean Sea.[4]
Visually, the modern town is dominated by its Hindu temples, mosques and churches.[5] The Catholic Church has a diocese headquartered in the town.
By rail the town is connected to the rest of Sri Lanka by the Mannar Line.
मन्नार द्वीप
मन्नार द्वीप, जिसे पहले मनार द्वीप के नाम से जाना जाता था, श्रीलंका के मन्नार जिले का हिस्सा है। यह श्रीलंका की मुख्य भूमि से एक सेतुक के माध्यम से जुड़ा है। १९१४ से १९६४ के बीच, भारत की मुख्यभूमि धनुषकोडी और तलईमन्नार के रास्ते कोलंबो से एक रेलमार्ग और नौकामार्ग के द्वारा जुड़ी थी, पर १९६४ में आये एक भीषण चक्रवात में यह मार्ग नष्ट हो गये और आज तक इन्हें फिर से चालू नहीं किया गया है। यह एक शुष्क और बंजर द्वीप है और मछली पकड़ना यहां के लोगों का मुख्य व्यवसाय है।
External links
References
- ↑ Murray, Lorraine. "Mannar Island". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
- ↑ "Know the Etymology: 272 - Mannaar". TamilNet. 9 August 2013.
- ↑ Nicholas, C.W. (1963). Historical topography of ancient and medieval Ceylon. Journal of the Ceylon Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, New Series (Vol VI). p. 81. Mahapatan-ju, mentioned in the Sigiri Graffiti, means the island of Mannar.
- ↑ Noted in Edwin William Streeter, Pearls and Pearling Life 1886:24.
- ↑ Edward Aves, Sri Lanka (Footprint Travel Guides, 2003: ISBN 1-903471-78-8), p. 337.