npr:Rising two stories and capped by three domes, the Jaffna Public Library looks a bit like a sta
npr: Rising two stories and capped by three domes, the Jaffna Public Library looks a bit like a stately wedding cake. Gleaming white under the Sri Lanka sun, the building’s classical lines and beautiful proportions make it one of the architectural standouts of the South Asia region. That it survived at all is a testament to resilience. The fact that it was restored to such pristine condition, including its lush gardens, and modernized (it now offers Wi-Fi) makes it all the more remarkable. The library’s renovation is as exquisite as its history is turbulent. The building sits in the heart of the provincial capital that was wracked not so long ago by battles and bullets. A three-decade civil war pitted Sri Lankan forces against rebels fighting a brutal campaign for a separate homeland for ethnic Tamils. The rebels, known as Tamil Tigers, were crushed in 2009, in the closing months of the fighting. Up From The Ashes, A Public Library In Sri Lanka Welcomes New Readers Photo credit: Julie McCarthy/NPR -- source link