The 18 GN Divisions

Iyakkachchi is a historically important village in the Pachchilaipalli region of Kilinochchi District, officially recorded as GN Division KN/79. Located along the A9 corridor near Kovilvayal, Kottandarkulam, Muhavil, and Elephant Pass, it sits at one of the key gateways between the Jaffna Peninsula and mainland Sri Lanka.

Iyakkachchi became especially significant during the civil war because of its position near Elephant Pass and its freshwater wells, which were vital to the wider military geography of the area. Today, with its school, agricultural surroundings, roadside location, and emerging post-war development, Iyakkachchi represents both the strategic history and renewed rural life of Pachchilaipalli.

Muhamalai is a historically significant village in the Pachchilaipalli region of Kilinochchi District, officially recorded as GN Division KN/93. Located near Pallai, Ithavil, Vempodukerny, Kilali, and the A9 corridor, it became widely known during the civil war as part of the Muhamalai Forward Defence Line, one of the most active front-line areas in northern Sri Lanka.

The village was deeply affected by displacement, landmine contamination, and delayed resettlement. However, years of landmine clearance and land release have allowed families to return, rebuild their homes, restore their livelihoods, and cultivate their land again. Today, Muhamalai stands as a powerful symbol of loss, homecoming, land recovery, and resilience within Pachchilaipalli.

Muhavil is a rural village in the Pachchilaipalli region of Kilinochchi District, officially recorded as GN Division KN/80. Located near Soranpattu, Masar, Mullaiyadi, Tharmakerny, Iyakkachchi, and Kovilvayal, it forms part of Pachchilaipalli’s central and eastern agricultural settlement belt. The village is low-lying and land-based, with livelihoods connected to home gardens, coconut cultivation, palmyra resources, seasonal farming, and access to nearby Pallai and Iyakkachchi.

Although the exact origin of the name “Muhavil” is not clearly documented, the village stands as a quiet example of Pachchilaipalli’s agricultural heritage, post-war livelihood recovery, and rural resilience.

Kilaly is a lagoon-side village in the Pachchilaipalli region of Kilinochchi District, officially recorded as GN Division KN/95. Located near Muhamalai, Vempodukerny, Ittavil, Pallai, and the Jaffna Lagoon, it has a distinct identity shaped by fishing, boats, mudflats, shallow waters, and coastal ecology.

During the civil war, Kilaly became historically significant as part of the dangerous lagoon-crossing route between Jaffna and the mainland, and the 1993 Kilaly/Jaffna Lagoon massacre remains a painful civilian memory connected to this place.

Today, Kilaly stands as a symbol of lagoon heritage, wartime endurance, and the resilient rebuilding of village life in Pachchilaipalli.

Puloppalai is a rural village in the Pachchilaipalli region of Kilinochchi District, officially recorded as GN Division KN/84. Located near Pallai Town, Allipallai, Puloppalai West, Vannankeni, Tharmakerny, and Kachcharveli, it forms part of the western agricultural settlement belt of Pachchilaipalli.

The village lies in an area identified as having strong groundwater potential, supporting home gardens, coconut and palmyra resources, seasonal farming, and rural livelihoods. With its school presence, church-linked road network, close connection to Pallai’s railway and services, and post-war population recovery, Puloppalai reflects the land-based heritage, community continuity, and resilience of Pachchilaipalli.

It is also home to Araththi Murugan Temple and Araththi Amman Temple. The Pollupalai Wind Farm, located on the shore of the Jaffna Lagoon, is one of the first wind farms in the Northern Province.

Puloppalai West is a small rural village in the Pachchilaipalli region of Kilinochchi District, officially recorded as GN Division KN/88. Located beside Pallai Town and close to Puloppalai, Allipallai, Kachcharveli, Vempodukerny, and Ittavil, it forms part of the western settlement belt around Pallai. According to the 2024 Pachchilaipalli DS statistics, the village had 469 people and 150 families. Community institutions such as St. Mary’s Church and Sunday School reflect its continuing local identity.

As the western section of the wider Puloppalai settlement, Puloppalai West represents the close-knit village life, faith traditions, land-based livelihoods, and post-war resilience of Pachchilaipalli.

Mullaiyadi is a rural village in the Pachchilaipalli region of Kilinochchi District, officially recorded as GN Division KN/85. Located near Soranpattu, Masar, Muhavil, Tharmakerny, Thampakamam, Puloppalai, and Pallai Town, it forms part of the central agricultural settlement belt of Pachchilaipalli.

The village lies in a flat dry-zone landscape where wells, groundwater, home gardens, coconut and palmyra resources, and seasonal farming are central to daily life.

Its name may combine “Mullai,” referring to the mullai flower or the ancient Tamil pastoral landscape, with “Adi,” meaning base, foot, or adjoining area, suggesting an older ecological memory connected to vegetation and land. Today, Mullaiyadi reflects the quiet agricultural heritage, water-based livelihoods, and post-war resilience of Pachchilaipalli.

Thampakamam is a rural village cluster in the Pachchilaipalli region of Kilinochchi District, officially recorded as GN Division KN/86. Located near Pallai Town, Mullaiyadi, Soranpattu, Masar, Muhavil, Tharmakerny, Vannankerny North, and Periya Thampakamam, it forms part of the central settlement belt of Pachchilaipalli.

The village has a strong agricultural identity, with home gardening, wells, coconut and palmyra resources, and rural livelihoods shaping everyday life. Its temples, preschool activities, and post-war land-return history reflect a community that has rebuilt after years of displacement and military control.

Today, Thampakamam stands as a symbol of cultural continuity, agricultural resilience, and renewed village life in Pachchilaipalli.

Soranpattu is a historic rural village in the Pachchilaipalli region of Kilinochchi District, officially recorded as GN Division KN/82. Located east/southeast of Pallai and close to Masar, Mullaiyadi, Tharmakerny, Muhavil, and Iyakkachchi, it forms part of Pachchilaipalli’s central and eastern agricultural settlement belt.

The village lies in a flat dry-zone landscape with strong groundwater potential, supporting wells, home gardens, coconut and palmyra resources, seasonal farming, and rural livelihoods.

Its location near the Pallai–Iyakkachchi–Elephant Pass corridor gave it wartime significance, especially during the 2000 Battle of Elephant Pass. Today, Soranpattu reflects the agricultural heritage, post-war rebuilding, community renewal, and quiet resilience of Pachchilaipalli.

Allipallai is a rural village in the Pachchilaipalli region of Kilinochchi District, officially recorded as GN Division KN/89. Located near Pallai Town, Pulopallai, Kachcharveli, and Arasarkerni, the village forms part of the agricultural settlement belt of western Pachchilaipalli.

Its name came from “alli,” meaning water lily, suggesting an older connection to ponds, wetlands, or flowering water plants. With its farming landscape, close links to Pallai’s transport network, and place within the wider Elephant Pass–Pallai region, Allipallai reflects the quiet resilience and land-based heritage of Pachchilaipalli.

Arasarkerni is a small rural village in the Pachchilaipalli region of Kilinochchi District, officially recorded as GN Division KN/91. Located near Pallai Town, Allipallai, Kachcharveli, Puloppalai, and Ittavil, it forms part of the western agricultural settlement belt of Pachchilaipalli.

The name likely combines “Arasar,” meaning king or ruler, with “Kēṇi,” meaning well or small tank, suggesting a village identity connected to an important old water source. With its rural landscape, close connection to Pallai, and name rooted in Tamil place-name tradition, Arasarkerni reflects the land-based heritage and quiet resilience of Pachchilaipalli.

Ithavil is a rural village in the Pachchilaipalli region of Kilinochchi District, officially recorded as GN Division KN/92. Located north of Pallai and near Muhamalai, Vempodukerny, Kilali, and the coastal village belt, Ithavil lies within the historically important Pallai–Muhamalai–Elephant Pass corridor. The village was heavily shaped by the civil war and later by post-war resettlement, including the Surabinagar housing project.

Its name may preserve an older landscape memory connected to “vil,” a Tamil place-name element meaning pond or marsh. Today, Ithavil stands as a symbol of return, rebuilding, and rural resilience in Pachchilaipalli.

Kachcharveli is a small rural village in the Pachchilaipalli region of Kilinochchi District, officially recorded as GN Division KN/90. Located near Pallai Town, Allipallai, Arasarkerni, Ithavil, Vempodukerny, and Puloppalai West, it forms part of the western agricultural settlement belt of Pachchilaipalli.

The name may combine an older local element, “Kachchar,” with “veli,” meaning open land or field, suggesting a village identity connected to open plains or cultivated land. With its compact community, rural landscape, and close connection to Pallai, Kachcharveli reflects the quiet land-based heritage and post-war resilience of Pachchilaipalli.

Kovilvayal is a rural village in the Pachchilaipalli region of Kilinochchi District, officially recorded as GN Division KN/78. Located about 2.5 km from Iyakkachchi and close to Sangatharvayal and Kottandarkulam, it forms part of Pachchilaipalli’s eastern agricultural belt.

Its name combines “Kovil,” meaning temple, with “Vayal,” meaning paddy field or agricultural land, suggesting an older connection between sacred space and cultivated fields. With livelihoods rooted in agriculture, fishing, and livestock farming, and a post-war story shaped by road rehabilitation and land recovery, Kovilvayal reflects the temple-linked agrarian heritage and resilience of Pachchilaipalli.

Masar is a small rural village in the Pachchilaipalli region of Kilinochchi District, officially recorded as GN Division KN/81. Located about 8 km southeast of Pallai and close to Soranpattu, Muhavil, Mullaiyadi, and Tharmakerny, it forms part of Pachchilaipalli’s agricultural settlement belt. The village lies in an area identified as having very high groundwater potential, supporting farming, home gardens, coconut cultivation, and rural livelihoods.

The name “Masar” may be connected to the Tamil word “Maa,” meaning horse, suggesting an older link to Tamil royal or military traditions. With this possible historical association, along with its strong farming landscape and post-war recovery, Masar reflects both the ancient cultural memory and quiet rural resilience of Pachchilaipalli.

Tharmakerny is a rural village in the Pachchilaipalli region of Kilinochchi District, officially recorded as GN Division KN/83. Located south/southeast of Pallai and close to Soranpattu, Mullaiyadi, Muhavil, Puloppalai, and Thampakamam, it forms part of Pachchilaipalli’s agricultural settlement belt.

Its name likely combines “Tharma,” meaning virtue, charity, or righteousness, with “Kēṇi,” meaning well or small tank, suggesting an older village identity connected to an important public or sacred water source. With its school, temples, women-led livelihood initiatives, road rehabilitation, and farming landscape, Tharmakerny reflects the water-based heritage, community strength, and post-war resilience of Pachchilaipalli

Vempodukerny is a rural village in the Pachchilaipalli region of Kilinochchi District, officially recorded as GN Division KN/94. Located west of Pallai and close to Muhamalai, Kilali, Puloppalai, Ittavil, and Kachcharveli, it lies within one of the most historically sensitive corridors of northern Sri Lanka.

Its name likely combines “Vembu,” meaning neem tree, with “Kēṇi,” meaning well or small tank, suggesting an older village identity connected to a water source near neem trees. With its post-war resettlement history, school rebuilding, nearby tanks, and rural landscape, Vempodukerny reflects the water-based heritage, ecological memory, and resilience of Pachchilaipalli.