JAFFNA (native Yalpannan), a town of Ceylon, at the northern extremity of the island. Pop. (1931) It was occupied by the Tamils about 204 B.c., and there continued to be Tamil rajahs of Jaffna till 1617, when the Portuguese took pos session of the place. As early as 1544 missionaries under Francis Xavier had made converts in this part of Ceylon, and after the conquest the Portuguese maintained their proselytizing zeal. They
had a Jesuit college, a Franciscan and a Dominican monastery. The Dutch drove out the Portuguese in 1658. The European section still has Dutch associations. Several of the church build ings date from the time of the Portuguese. The natives grow palmyras freely, and have a trade in the fibre of this palm. They also grow and export tobacco, but not enough rice for their own requirements.