Vaddukoddai
Encyclopedia
Vaddukoddai is small but important town in the minority
Sri Lankan Tamil dominated Jaffna peninsula
of Sri Lanka
. It became prominent with the founding of Asia’s first modern university level collegiate known as Batticotta Seminary
by the American
Missionaries from New England
in 1823.
the actual number of residents is unknown.
that was founded as the Batticotta Seminary. It also has the Vaddu Central College another important secondary institute of education. It also houses the tertiary educational institution known as Jaffna College Institute of Technology, a polytechnic that is used for various vocational training requirements.
has 21 administrative division throughout the world. It has only one of them known as a Diocese
in Sri Lanka. The Jaffna Diocese headquarter is in Vaddukoddai. An Amman
temple at Sangarathai, a Murugan
temples at Adaikalam Thottam and Panguru are three of the main Hindu temples found here.
powers since 1621 has erased all evidence of a fort. The village became prominent during the British
colonial period in Sri Lanka as it was chosen as location for one of the nine protestant missions
to be established within the small Jaffna peninsula (hardly 15 by 40 miles). The move by the seminary to study Saiva scriptures led to an important social transformation amongst the local Tamils because it began a process that led to a Saiva revivalism led by Arumuka Navalar
. Eventually the seminary was renamed Jaffna college and became a secular institution in 1867. The village also played an important role in the current Sri Lankan civil war
as the place where the Tamil United Liberation Front
party came up with the Vaddukoddai Resolution in 1976 that articulated the view that minority Sri Lankan Tamils needed separation from rest of Sri Lanka to resolve their political problems.
Minority group
A minority is a sociological group within a demographic. The demographic could be based on many factors from ethnicity, gender, wealth, power, etc. The term extends to numerous situations, and civilizations within history, despite the misnomer of minorities associated with a numerical statistic...
Sri Lankan Tamil dominated Jaffna peninsula
Jaffna Peninsula
The Jaffna Peninsula is an area in Northern Province, Sri Lanka. It is home to the capital city of the province, Jaffna and comprises much of the former land mass of the ancient Tamil kingdoms of the Nagas and the medieval Jaffna kingdom. The peninsula is mostly surrounded by water, connected to...
of Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
. It became prominent with the founding of Asia’s first modern university level collegiate known as Batticotta Seminary
Batticotta Seminary
The Batticotta Seminary was an educational institute founded by the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions 's American Ceylon Mission at Vaddukodai, in the Jaffna Peninsula north Sri Lanka in 1823. It was closed in 1855. The reason for such a decision being that it was not successful...
by the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Missionaries from New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
in 1823.
Demography
Most of the residents of the village are Sri Lankan Tamils with majority being Hindus and a minority Christians of various sects. As of 2007, due to the effects of the Sri Lankan civil warSri Lankan civil war
The Sri Lankan Civil War was a conflict fought on the island of Sri Lanka. Beginning on July 23, 1983, there was an on-and-off insurgency against the government by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam , a separatist militant organization which fought to create an independent Tamil state named Tamil...
the actual number of residents is unknown.
Educational institutions
The village is home to the prominent Jaffna CollegeJaffna College
-See also:* List of schools in Northern Province, Sri Lanka* Uduvil Girl's College* Union College-External links:* * * *...
that was founded as the Batticotta Seminary. It also has the Vaddu Central College another important secondary institute of education. It also houses the tertiary educational institution known as Jaffna College Institute of Technology, a polytechnic that is used for various vocational training requirements.
Religious establishments
The Church of South IndiaChurch of South India
The Church of South India is the successor of the Church of England in India. It came into being in 1947 as a union of Anglican and Protestant churches in South India. With a membership of over 3.8 million, it is India's second largest Christian church after the Roman Catholic Church in India...
has 21 administrative division throughout the world. It has only one of them known as a Diocese
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
in Sri Lanka. The Jaffna Diocese headquarter is in Vaddukoddai. An Amman
Mariamman
Māri ,Tulu, also known as Mariamman , both meaning "Mother Mari", spelt also Maariamma , or simply Amman or Aatha is the South Indian Hindu goddess of disease and rain. She is the main South Indian mother goddess, predominant in the rural areas of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and...
temple at Sangarathai, a Murugan
Murugan
Murugan also called Kartikeya, Skanda and Subrahmanya, is a popular Hindu deity especially among Tamil Hindus, worshipped primarily in areas with Tamil influences, especially South India, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Mauritius and Reunion Island. His six most important shrines in India are the...
temples at Adaikalam Thottam and Panguru are three of the main Hindu temples found here.
History
The name of the village suggests that at some point in its history it had a fortress in its midst. But rule by various colonialColonialism
Colonialism is the establishment, maintenance, acquisition and expansion of colonies in one territory by people from another territory. It is a process whereby the metropole claims sovereignty over the colony and the social structure, government, and economics of the colony are changed by...
powers since 1621 has erased all evidence of a fort. The village became prominent during the British
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
colonial period in Sri Lanka as it was chosen as location for one of the nine protestant missions
Mission (Christian)
Christian missionary activities often involve sending individuals and groups , to foreign countries and to places in their own homeland. This has frequently involved not only evangelization , but also humanitarian work, especially among the poor and disadvantaged...
to be established within the small Jaffna peninsula (hardly 15 by 40 miles). The move by the seminary to study Saiva scriptures led to an important social transformation amongst the local Tamils because it began a process that led to a Saiva revivalism led by Arumuka Navalar
Arumuka Navalar
Arumuka Navalar was one the early revivalists of native Hindu Tamil traditions in Sri Lanka and India. He and others like him were responsible for reviving and reforming native traditions that had come under a long period of dormancy and decline during the previous 400 years of colonial rule by...
. Eventually the seminary was renamed Jaffna college and became a secular institution in 1867. The village also played an important role in the current Sri Lankan civil war
Sri Lankan civil war
The Sri Lankan Civil War was a conflict fought on the island of Sri Lanka. Beginning on July 23, 1983, there was an on-and-off insurgency against the government by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam , a separatist militant organization which fought to create an independent Tamil state named Tamil...
as the place where the Tamil United Liberation Front
Tamil United Liberation Front
The Tamil United Liberation Front is a political party in Sri Lanka which seeks independence for the Tamil-populated areas of Sri Lanka.-Formation:...
party came up with the Vaddukoddai Resolution in 1976 that articulated the view that minority Sri Lankan Tamils needed separation from rest of Sri Lanka to resolve their political problems.