Notable Places

Elephant Pass, known in Tamil as Aanaiyiravu / ஆனையிறவு, is the historic gateway connecting the Jaffna Peninsula with mainland Sri Lanka and is closely tied to the Pachchilaipalli region of Kilinochchi District.

The name means “elephant crossing” or “elephant pass,” recalling the old route through which elephants from the Vanni and dry-zone regions were driven toward Jaffna. Surrounded by lagoon waters, salt marshes, mudflats, and open dry-zone land, Elephant Pass was once one of Sri Lanka’s largest salt-producing areas and remains an important ecological and economic landscape.

Its position on the A9 and northern transport corridor made it strategically significant through colonial times and especially during the civil war, deeply affecting nearby villages such as Iyakkachchi, Pallai, Kovilvayal, Soranpattu, Muhavil, Kilaly, and Muhamalai.

Today, Elephant Pass stands as a powerful symbol of passage, memory, salt-land heritage, wartime disruption, and post-war reconnection for Pachchilaipalli and the wider northern region.

Periyapallai is a named locality within the Pallai Town area of the Pachchilaipalli region in Kilinochchi District. Located close to Pallai’s railway station, A9 road access, schools, markets, and public services, it forms part of the wider town-centred settlement network of Pachchilaipalli.

The name likely means “Big Pallai” or “Greater Pallai,” with “Periya” meaning greater, large, or important, and “Pallai/Palai” linking it to the historic Pallai place-name tradition. With its close connection to Pallai Town, village roads, home gardens, coconut and palmyra landscapes, and post-war rebuilding history, Periyapallai reflects both the town-linked and land-based heritage of Pachchilaipalli.

Peralai is a named locality in the Pallai area of Pachchilaipalli, Kilinochchi District. Located close to Pallai Town’s A9 road, railway station, schools, markets, and public services, Peralai retains a rural identity connected to farming, home gardens, coconut and palmyra landscapes, and community life.

The name “Peralai” may come from older Tamil place-name elements, where “Pēr/Per” suggests big, great, or important, and “Ālai” may refer to a hamlet, street, or settlement, giving the possible meaning of “large hamlet” or “important settlement.” Today, Peralai reflects the education, agriculture, and post-war resilience of the wider Pachchilaipalli region.