Kankesanthurai
காங்கேசன்துறை කන්කසන්තුරේ | |
|---|---|
  Kankesanthurai  Kankesanthurai | |
| Coordinates: 9°48′55″N 80°02′40″E / 9.81528°N 80.04444°E | |
| Country | Sri Lanka |
| Province | Northern |
| District | Jaffna |
| DS Division | Valikamam North |
Kankesanthurai (Tamil: காங்கேசன்துறை, Sinhala: කන්කසන්තුරේ, lit. Port Kankesan), colloquially known as KKS, is a port suburb, fishing division and resort hub of the Jaffna District, Northern Province, Sri Lanka. Formerly an electoral district, Kankesanthurai is home to the Kankesanthurai beach, Keerimalai Naguleswaram temple (a Pancha Ishwaram) and the Maviddapuram Kandaswamy Temple. The port's harbour has served as an arrival and departure point for pilgrims since classical antiquity and is named after the Sri Lankan Tamil god Murukan. Kankesanthurai suburb has many fishing villages and Grama Niladhari (village officers) and is a northern part of Valikamam, one of the three regions of ancient habitation on the Jaffna peninsula, located on the peninsula's northern coast, 12 miles from Jaffna city, 85 miles from Mannar and 155 miles from Trincomalee.
A popular tourist destination for its temples, its sandy, palm tree filled coastal stretch of beach and the Keerimalai Springs, other prominent landmarks in Kankesanthurai include the suburb's natural harbour, its fort and lighthouse.