Pallai

Pallai is a small town in the Kilinochchi District, Northern Province, Sri Lanka. It is located near the coast on the northern peninsula, approximately 40 kilometres (25 mi) south-east of Jaffna. In 1861 the Church Mission Society sent Rev. John Backus to Pallai to establish a Christian community in the town. This led to the construction and dedication of St. Andrew's Church on 30 November 1895. In 1921 the government declared a 4.25 square kilometres (2 sq mi) area adjacent to the town as a forest reserve.

About Kilinochchi District

Kilinochchi District is one of the 25 districts of Sri Lanka, the second level administrative division of the country. The district is administered by a District Secretariat headed by a District Secretary (previously known as a Government Agent) appointed by the central government of Sri Lanka. The capital of the district is the town of Kilinochchi.

Between 5th century BC and 13th century AD present day Kilinochchi District was part of Rajarata. Much of Kilinochchi District was thereafter part of the pre-colonial Jaffna kingdom. The district then came under Portuguese, Dutch and British control. In 1815 the British gained control of the entire island of Ceylon. They divided the island into three ethnic based administrative structures: Low Country Sinhalese, Kandyan Sinhalese and Tamil. The district, which was then part of Jaffna District, was part of the Tamil administration. In 1833, in accordance with the recommendations of the Colebrooke-Cameron Commission, the ethnic based administrative structures were unified into a single administration divided into five geographic provinces.Jaffna District, together with Mannar District and Vanni District, formed the new Northern Province.