Kayts

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title: "Kayts" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["kayts", "towns-in-jaffna-district", "island-north-ds-division"] topic_path: "general/kayts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kayts" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::data[format=table title="Infobox settlement"]

Field	Value
name	Kayts
native_name	ஊர்காவற்துறை
කයිට්ස්
settlement_type	Village
pushpin_map	Sri Lanka Northern Province#Sri Lanka
pushpin_label_position	left
subdivision_type	Country
subdivision_name	Sri Lanka
subdivision_type2	Province
subdivision_name2	Northern
subdivision_type3	District
subdivision_name3	Jaffna
subdivision_type4	DS Division
subdivision_name4	Islands North
coordinates
::

::callout[type=note] the village ::

Kayts (, ), is a village on Velanai Island, off the Jaffna Peninsula in northern Sri Lanka. There are a number of other villages on the island such as Allaippiddi, Mankumpan, Velanai, Saravanai, Puliyankoodal, Suruvil, Naranthanai, Karampon and Melinchimunai.

Etymology

The name Kayts is of colonial origin, derived from the Portuguese "Caes dos Elefantes" meaning "Elephant's Quay", often just shortened to Cais. It was named such because elephants were shipped from here to India. The present term evolved further as Kayts under Dutch rule.

The native Tamil name Ūrkavathurai means "Port which guards the Country". This name is again derived from the original Tamil term Ūrathurai, derived from the Tamil words Uru meaning "ship" or "schooner", and thurai meaning "port". The earliest reference to this is found in two Tamil inscriptions of the 12th century AD, one found in Thiruvalangadu, Tamil Nadu issued by Rajadhiraja Chola II and one found in Nainativu issued by Parakramabahu I.

Other scholars derive the name from the Pali name Ūrātota meaning "Pig port", referring to a legend surrounding the Śakra Buddhist deity, who swam from India to this place in the form of a pig. Earliest reference to this is found in the Pali chronicle Pujavaliya of the 13th century AD.

History

The earliest inscription mentioning Kayts or Ūrathurai is that of a Tamil Chola inscription of the 12th century AD discovered in Fort Hammenhiel, referring to the 9th century AD Chola general of the King Parantaka Chola II, who was defeated in a battle field in Kayts. The 13th century AD Pali chronicle Pujavaliya, mentions that Mahinda IV defeated a Tamil general who landed at Hurātota from the Cola country. A Tamil 12th century AD inscription issued by Rajadhiraja Chola II found in Thiruvalangadu, Tamil Nadu also mentions the Chola King taking elephants from Kayts and other places such as Valikamam and Mattivazh.

Archeological remains found in Kayts indicates it was a harbour for foreign vessels. The Tamil 12th century AD inscription of Nainativu issued by Parakramabahu I mentions Kayts as a port where foreigners must first land for trading.

Kayts was part of the Jaffna Kingdom. Under the chieftainship of Migapulle Arachchi, group of Christians revolted against the Jaffna King Cankili II, after which they sought refuge in Kayts and asked the Portuguese for assistance.

Geography

Kayts is located on Velanai Island, which is connected to the Jaffna Peninsula by the Pamban–Velanai causeway system. Historically and in the present day, Kayts has functioned as a coastal settlement with maritime links to the surrounding islands and the mainland, reflecting its long-standing role as a port and point of entry in northern Sri Lanka.{{cite web |title=Kayts |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Kayts |website=Encyclopaedia Britannica |access-date=5 January 2026

Modern Period

In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, Kayts, along with other settlements in the Jaffna Peninsula, was affected by the broader civil conflict in Sri Lanka. Periods of restricted access, displacement, and disruption to fishing and trade altered everyday life in the area. Following the end of the civil war in 2009, the region has experienced gradual resettlement and the restoration of transport links and local economic activity.{{cite web |title=Sri Lanka Civil War |url=https://www.britannica.com/event/Sri-Lanka-Civil-War |website=Encyclopaedia Britannica |access-date=5 January 2026 |title=Jaffna Peninsula |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Jaffna-Peninsula |website=Encyclopaedia Britannica |access-date=5 January 2026

Education

Karampon Shanmuganathan Maha Vidyalayam is a major government secondary school serving the Kayts area. The school provides primary and secondary education to students from Kayts and surrounding villages and has historically functioned as one of the principal educational institutions on the island.{{cite web |title=Karampon Shanmuganathan Maha Vidyalayam |url=http://www.schoolnet.sch.lk/school.asp?schoolId=XXXX |website=Ministry of Education, Sri Lanka |access-date=5 January 2026

Religion

Kayts is home to a number of Hindu and Christian places of worship, reflecting the island’s religious diversity. Hindu religious life on the island centres around Saiva temples, including the Karampon Shanmuganathar Temple and the Kanapatheeswaram Sivan Temple, which serve the surrounding villages. Kayts also has historic Christian churches, notably St. James’ Church, associated with the Portuguese and Dutch colonial periods.{{cite web |title=Kayts |url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kayts |website=Wikipedia |access-date=5 January 2026 |title=Sri Lanka - Cultural life |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Sri-Lanka/Cultural-life |website=Encyclopaedia Britannica |access-date=5 January 2026

References

"District Secretariat Jaffna_Divisional Secretariat Location and Map". Gov of Sri Lanka.
(1909). "The Journal of the Ceylon Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain & Ireland". The Branch.
Raghavan, M. D.. (1971). "Tamil culture in Ceylon: a general introduction". Kalai Nilayam.
Wright, Arnold. (1907). "Twentieth Century Impressions of Ceylon: Its History, People, Commerce, Industries, and Resources". Asian Educational Services.
TamilNet. "TamilNet".
Bassett, Ralph Henry. (1934). "Romantic Ceylon: Its History, Legend, and Story". Asian Educational Services.
(1979). "Ancient Ceylon". Department of Archaeology, Sri Lanka.
(1955). "Epigraphia Zeylanica, Being Lithic and Other Inscriptions of Ceylon". government of Ceylon.
Pandaraththar, Sadasiva. "History of Cholas Vol II".
(2000). "History and Archaeology of Sri Lanka". Central Cultural Fund, Ministry of Cultural and Religious Affairs.
(1963). "University of Ceylon Review".
Silva, K. M. De. (1981). "A History of Sri Lanka". University of California Press.

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