The Jaffna Public Library is located about 2 km from the city of Jaffna. It is one of the main attractions of the city. Built-in 1933, the library was once one of the largest in Asia. The library was burned down on May 31, 1981, as a result of the civil conflict. Prior to the fire, the library was one of the largest libraries in Asia, with nearly 100,000 books. Although the library, which was renovated in 2001, was reopened, it will never be possible to restore the library to its original condition. Because all the rare books of Tamil history stored here were destroyed by fire forever.

Today, the library is still an architecturally important structure, surrounded by gardens. Its symmetrical face echoes memories of days gone by. As a mark of respect, all guests must remove their shoes before entering the building. In 2016, several modern facilities were added to the library, including free Wi-Fi, to meet the needs of the younger generation. The library is open from 9 am to 7 pm, so if you would like to read peacefully, we recommend you to visit the Jaffna Library. You can get a lot of local books if you like. Here you will have the opportunity to study books containing research on Sri Lanka, its folklore, culture, food, and much more. The library is open every day but viewing hours are only from 4.30 pm to 6:30 pm on weekdays. There is also no charge for entering this library.