Mannar District மன்னார் மாவட்டம் මන්නාරම දිස්ත්‍රික්කය
—  Administrative District  —
Location within Sri Lanka
Coordinates: 08°52′N 80°04′E / 8.867°N 80.067°E / 8.867; 80.067Coordinates: 08°52′N 80°04′E / 8.867°N 80.067°E / 8.867; 80.067
Country	Sri Lanka
Province	Northern
Created
Capital	Mannar
DS Division	List Madhu Mannar Manthai West Musali Nanaddan
Government
• District Secretary	Sarath Raveendra
Area[1]
• Total	1,996 km2 (771 sq mi)
• Land	1,880 km2 (730 sq mi)
• Water	116 km2 (45 sq mi)  5.81%
Area rank	13th (3.04% of total area)
Population (2011)[2]
• Total	95,430
• Density	48/km2 (120/sq mi)
Ethnicity(2011)[2]
• Sri Lankan Tamil	77,653 (81.37%)
• Muslim	16,130 (16.90%)
• Indian Tamil	1,136 (1.19%)
• Sinhalese	455 (0.48%)
• Other	56 (0.06%)
Religion(1981)[3]
• Catholic	43,633 (41.07%)
• Muslim	29,161 (27.45%)
• Hindu	28,885 (27.20%)
• Buddhist	3,363 (3.17%)
• Other	1,183 (1.11%)
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 Māvaṭṭam, Sinhala: මන්නාරම දිස්ත්‍රික්කය) 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 town.

History[link]

Since 5th Century BC, present day Mannar District was part of Rajarata until 13th Century AD. During the 15th Century AD and 17th Century AD it was ruled by Vanniar Chieftains who paid tribute to the pre-colonial Jaffna kingdom.^[4] The district then came under Portuguese, Dutch and British control. In 1815 the British gained control of the entire island of Ceylon. They divided the island into three ethnic based administrative structures: Low Country Sinhalese, Kandyan Sinhalese and Tamil. The district was part of the Tamil administration. In 1833, in accordance with the recommendations of the Colebrooke-Cameron Commission, the ethnic based administrative structures were unified into a single administration divided into five geographic provinces.^[5] Mannar District, together with Jaffna District and Vanni District, formed the new Northern Province.^[6]

At the time that Ceylon gained independence, Mannar was one of the three districts located in the Northern Province. Manthai East division was transferred to newly created Mullaitivu District in September 1978.

Much of Mannar District was under the control of rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam for many years during the civil war. The entire district was recaptured by the Sri Lankan military in 2008.

Geography[link]

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).^[1]

Geology, soil and water[link]

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[link]

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[link]

Mannar District is divided into 5 Divisional Secretary's Division (DS Divisions), each headed by a Divisional Secretary (previously known as an Assistant Government Agent).^[7] The DS Divisions are further sub-divided into 153 Grama Niladhari Divisions (GN Divisions).^[7]

Demographics[link]

Population[link]

Mannar District's population was 95,430 in 2011.^[2] The population of the district is mostly Sri Lankan Tamil.

The population of the district, like the rest of the north and east of Sri Lanka, has been heavily affected by the civil war. The war killed an estimated 100,000 people.^[10] Several hundred thousand Sri Lankan Tamils, possibly as much as one million, emigrated to the West during the war.^[11] Many Sri Lankan Tamils also moved to the relative safety of the capital Colombo. Most of the Sri Lankan Moors and Sinhalese who lived in the district fled to other parts of Sri Lanka or were forcibly expelled by the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, though most of them have returned to the district since the end of the civil war.

Ethnicity[link]

Religion[link]

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[link]

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[link]

Local government[link]

Mannar District has 5 local authorities of which one is an Urban Council and the remaining 4 are Divisional Councils (Pradeshiya Sabha or Pradesha Sabhai).^[7]

Economy[link]

Mannar harbour[link]

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.^[14]

References & footnotes[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Mannar District

• Mannar District Secretariat
• Mannar Resources

v t e 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)