Forts of Sri Lanka
Encyclopedia
Forts and fortification
s in Sri Lanka
date back thousands of years with many being built by Sri Lankan Kings, these include several walled cities. With the out set of colonial rule in the Indian Ocean
, Sri Lanka was occupied by several major colonial empires that from time-to-time became the dominant power in the Indian ocean. The colonists built several western styled forts, mostly in and round the cost of the island. The first to build colonial forts in Sri Lanka were the Portuguese
, these forts were captured and later expanded by the Dutch
. The British
occupied these Dutch forts during the Napoleonic wars
.
Most of colonial forts were garrisoned up until the early 20th century. The coastal forts had coastal artillery
manned by the Ceylon Garrison Artillery during the two world wars. Most of these were abandoned by the military, but retained civil administrative officers, while others retained military garrisons, which were more administrative than operational. Some were reoccupied by military units with the escalation of the Sri Lankan Civil War
, Jaffna fort for example came under siege several times.
claims that it was more a palace than a fortress.
. It was the site of a major battle between the forces of Elara and Dutthagamani
The first colonial fort built in Sri Lanka, Colombo
started out as a trading post of the Portuguese and became the capital of Portuguese Ceylon. The first fort called Santa Barbara was built in 1518 but in 1524 it was abandoned. In 1554 a new fort was built and the city of Colombo developed. The Portuguese town was destroyed by the Dutch during the siege in 1655-56. The Dutch rebuilt Colombo fort and strengthened its bastions.
In 1870 the Dutch fort of Colombo was demolished by the English. In the late 19th century the walls of the fort were demolished by the British to extend the growing city. Today there is no trace of the old fort or any part of it, however the area which the fort occupied is still referred to as Fort which is the central business district of Colombo.
Matara fort
The fort was built by the Portuguese about 1550 but the actual fort was built by the Dutch when they took Matara, after the capture of Galle. The remains of the fort are in good preservation.
Mannar fort
Built on the island of Mannar
by the Portuguese in 1560, it surrendered to the Dutch on 22 February 1658 and was rebuilt by the Dutch in 1696. On 5 October 1795 the Dutch surrendered to the British. The fort has four bastions and it’s still in good condition.
Galle fort
Galle fort was built first by the Portuguese in 1588, then modified by the Dutch during the 17th century. During the Dutch period in Ceylon, the Dutch brought labourers from Indonesia and Mozambique to build this massive fort. Even today, after 400 years of existence, it looks new and polished. Today many Dutch people who still own most of the properties inside the fort are looking at making this one of the modern wonders of the world.
Today, the citizens of Dutch fort in Galle are trying to make this a free port and a free trade zone. If successful no taxes are levied on the companies and individuals who reside inside the city.'
Ruwanwella Fort
It was originally built as stockade in the 1590s by the Portuguese; however, the Dutch, in 1665, built a wooden fort. The British, in 1817, built a new fort with two bastions and used as an outpost. Today it remains in good condition and houses a police station
.
Jaffna fort
The original Portuguese fort built in 1618, where the remaining Portuguese had assembled after the fall of Colombo, had been captured by the Dutch in 1658 after a three and a half month siege. Since 1680 until the takeover by the British in 1795 the fort went though several phases of development. Thus making it one of the strongest forts in Asia. Unlike the Colombo and Galle Forts, which were fortified towns, the Jaffna Fort had an almost exclusively military and administrative purpose. All the civilians lived in the residential town of Jaffna
, adjoining the fort. Up till the 1970s the fort and its buildings were in their original state, despite its continuous use by the British and later the Ceylon government. During the Sri Lankan Civil War
the fort and the town of Jaffna changed hands several times. Notably the Sri Lanka Army garrison of the fort lead out a siege for months before being withdrawn in the 1980s. As a result of the war much of the fort has been destroyed.
Fort Fredrick
Fort Fredrick is a fort built by Portuguese at Trincomalee
in 1624. This was captured by a Dutch fleet under Admiral Westerwold in 1639. Not until 1665 was a new fort built here by the Dutch defend against the advancements of the British and the French. In 1672, the year when the Dutch Republic was attacked by France, Britain, and two German states, the French captured Trincomalee and later they occupied Batticaloa. However soon the French were forced to leave. Trincomalee was important for its large all-season secure harbor. In late 18th century Trincomalee traded hands once more with the French capturing it again and later handing back to the Dutch East India Company
at the Peace of Paris in 1784. In 1795 it was taken over by the British, and remained a British garrison till 1948. Coastal artillery
guns were added during the two World Wars. Today it remains garrisoned by a detachment of the Sri Lanka Army but is accessible to visitors.
Batticaloa fort
The Batticaloa
fort was built by the Portuguese in 1628 and was the first to be captured by the Dutch (18 May 1638). It is one of the most picturesque of the small Dutch fort of Sri Lanka, it’s situated in an island, still in good condition. Near Batticaloa the Portuguese had a tiny fort at Tanavare (there is a map of it but no remains) There is a 1st century CE Buddhist Dagaba inside the Dutch fort.
Pooneryn fort
Built in the Pooneryn
area of north portion of the island first by the Portuguese to protect its possessions in Jaffna, it was expanded by the Dutch till in 1770 it was recorded that it was square shaped with two bastions at opposite corners; the rampart on each of the sides was about 30 metres and was garrisoned till the late 18th century. The British built a rest house in 1805. Since 1983 due to the civil war it was garrisoned by the Sri Lankan Army till it withdrew from the Pooneryn area in 1991; and recaptured in 2009. Ruins of the fort remains, however in bad condition.
Negombo fort
A small but important fort in the town of Negombo
, north of Colombo
was built by the Portuguese to defend Colombo. In 1640 the Dutch destroyed it and rebuilt it not on the usual square pattern, but on a pentagonal one, though it had only four bulwarks. The fort was located on a narrow strip of land between a lagoon
and an inlet of the sea. It was surrounded by moats, and the gate was accessed via a drawbridge. The English occupied it in 1796. Today only part of the walls and an arched gateway remains of the fort. It is used as a prison by the Department of Prisons
.
Elephant Pass Fort
Elephant Pass
is one of the most strategic locations in Sri Lanka, linking the Jaffna peninsula with the rest of the island. In 1760 the Portuguese built a fort, which was later rebuilt and garrisoned by the Dutch in 1776 and later by the British.
A modern military base
was built there in the area in 1952 by the Sri Lankan Army. The area has been the site of many major battles in the civil war. The state of the fort is unknown.
Kalutara Fort
The Portuguese first built a fort in Kalutara
and was surrendered to the Dutch in 1655 without a shot being fired; it was later enlarged by the conquering Dutch with the addition two bastions. Very little of it remains today.
A small fort built at the entrance to the inner harbour of Trincomalee by the Dutch and surrendered to the British 1795. It has been called "the most powerfully gunned fort in Ceylon" with strong batteries at sea level and many guns on the ridge above them. However little of it remains today, mainly due to the contraction of Coastal artillery placements by the British since the 1920 in the Ostenburg ridge. Much of these are well preserved by the Sri Lankan Navy, which maintains the Hoods Tower Museum
here.
Kalpitiya fort
Located at the northern tip of the narrow land tongue that stretches to the north for about 50 kilometres beyond Puttlam, parallel to the mainland. Built in 1667, on the spot where the Portuguese had a stockade and a Jesuit chapel. The walls are about 4 meters high and inside are the remnants of the chapel, a commander's house, barrack rooms, a prison and several go downs. Kalpitiya was important since it command the entrance to the bay. Puttlam was an area that had large amounts cinnamon
cultivations. The Dutch even built a canal from Puttlam via Negombo to Colombo to bring the cinnamon. The fort was neglect for many years until it was turned into a Sri Lankan Navy base for training and operational activity escalation of the Sri Lankan Civil War
. The ramparts are in good condition today.
Tangalle fort
A small Dutch fort exists in the coastal town of Tangalle
, south of the island. Tangalle was an important anchorage. Although much altered the fort still stands and in use as a prison by the Department of Prisons
.
Fort Hammenhiel
Situated on a small island between Kayts
and Karaitivu
islands in the north of the country, Hammenhiel Fort was built by the Dutch to protect Jaffna. It remains in good condition garrisoned by the Sri Lanka Navy.
Star fort
On the other side of the river that flows through the Matara
town is the star fort. This little redoubt called Van Eck was built in 1763-1765 by the Dutch after the Matara rebellion in 1761-1762. This fort is the unique star shaped fort in Ceylon, over the gate of the fort is the Dutch coat of arms. It’s still in good condition.
Fort Macdowall was built by the British in the town of Matale
in 1803 as an out post during the Kandian Wars
. The fort was named after General Macdowall, who led the experdition to the Kingdom of Kandy
, it is one of the few forts build inland. In 1848 during the Matale Rebellion
the fort came under siege of the rebels. Today only the gate way and few ramparts remain, with the interior of the fort turn into a cemetery, the Fort MacDowall Cemetery.
Martello tower of Hambantota
A Martello tower
was built by the British, in 1801-03, to protect the small harbor of Hambantota
. Restored in 1999, it’s still in good condition.
Fortification
Fortifications are military constructions and buildings designed for defence in warfare and military bases. Humans have constructed defensive works for many thousands of years, in a variety of increasingly complex designs...
s in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
date back thousands of years with many being built by Sri Lankan Kings, these include several walled cities. With the out set of colonial rule in the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
, Sri Lanka was occupied by several major colonial empires that from time-to-time became the dominant power in the Indian ocean. The colonists built several western styled forts, mostly in and round the cost of the island. The first to build colonial forts in Sri Lanka were the Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, these forts were captured and later expanded by the Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. The British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
occupied these Dutch forts during the Napoleonic wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
.
Most of colonial forts were garrisoned up until the early 20th century. The coastal forts had coastal artillery
Coastal artillery
Coastal artillery is the branch of armed forces concerned with operating anti-ship artillery or fixed gun batteries in coastal fortifications....
manned by the Ceylon Garrison Artillery during the two world wars. Most of these were abandoned by the military, but retained civil administrative officers, while others retained military garrisons, which were more administrative than operational. Some were reoccupied by military units with the escalation of the Sri Lankan Civil War
Sri Lankan civil war
The Sri Lankan Civil War was a conflict fought on the island of Sri Lanka. Beginning on July 23, 1983, there was an on-and-off insurgency against the government by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam , a separatist militant organization which fought to create an independent Tamil state named Tamil...
, Jaffna fort for example came under siege several times.
Sigiriya
Sigiriya is commonly referred to as a fortress built on the rock of Sigiriya with fortifications around it. However archaeologist Senarath ParanavithanaSenarath Paranavithana
Senerath Paranavitana was a pioneering archeologist and epigraphist of Sri Lanka. His works dominated the middle-part of the 20th century. He became the archeological commissioner in 1939, following H. C. P. Bell, and D. M. de Z. Wickremasinghe in that position.He was born on 26 December 1896 at...
claims that it was more a palace than a fortress.
Vijithapura
Vijithapura was a fortress–city that existed during the Anuradhapura KingdomAnuradhapura Kingdom
The Anuradhapura Kingdom , named for its capital city, was the first established kingdom in ancient Sri Lanka. Founded by King Pandukabhaya in 377 BC, the kingdom's authority extended throughout the country, although several independent areas emerged from time to time, which grew more numerous...
. It was the site of a major battle between the forces of Elara and Dutthagamani
Dutthagamani
Dutugamunu , also known as Dutthagamani duṭṭhagāmaṇī) and Gamani Abhaya ගාමිණී අභය gāmaṇī abhaya, "fearless Gamini" was a Sinhalese King of Sri Lanka who reigned from 161 BC to 137 BC...
Portuguese forts
Colombo fortThe first colonial fort built in Sri Lanka, Colombo
Colombo
Colombo is the largest city of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo is often referred to as the capital of the country, since Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is a satellite city of Colombo...
started out as a trading post of the Portuguese and became the capital of Portuguese Ceylon. The first fort called Santa Barbara was built in 1518 but in 1524 it was abandoned. In 1554 a new fort was built and the city of Colombo developed. The Portuguese town was destroyed by the Dutch during the siege in 1655-56. The Dutch rebuilt Colombo fort and strengthened its bastions.
In 1870 the Dutch fort of Colombo was demolished by the English. In the late 19th century the walls of the fort were demolished by the British to extend the growing city. Today there is no trace of the old fort or any part of it, however the area which the fort occupied is still referred to as Fort which is the central business district of Colombo.
Matara fort
The fort was built by the Portuguese about 1550 but the actual fort was built by the Dutch when they took Matara, after the capture of Galle. The remains of the fort are in good preservation.
Mannar fort
Built on the island of Mannar
Mannar, Sri Lanka
Mannar , formerly spelled Manar, is the capital of Mannar District, Sri Lanka. It is located on Mannar Island.Mannar is known for its baobab trees and for its fort, built by the Portuguese in 1560 and taken by the Dutch in 1658 and rebuilt; its ramparts and bastions are intact, though the interior...
by the Portuguese in 1560, it surrendered to the Dutch on 22 February 1658 and was rebuilt by the Dutch in 1696. On 5 October 1795 the Dutch surrendered to the British. The fort has four bastions and it’s still in good condition.
Galle fort
Galle fort was built first by the Portuguese in 1588, then modified by the Dutch during the 17th century. During the Dutch period in Ceylon, the Dutch brought labourers from Indonesia and Mozambique to build this massive fort. Even today, after 400 years of existence, it looks new and polished. Today many Dutch people who still own most of the properties inside the fort are looking at making this one of the modern wonders of the world.
Today, the citizens of Dutch fort in Galle are trying to make this a free port and a free trade zone. If successful no taxes are levied on the companies and individuals who reside inside the city.'
Ruwanwella Fort
It was originally built as stockade in the 1590s by the Portuguese; however, the Dutch, in 1665, built a wooden fort. The British, in 1817, built a new fort with two bastions and used as an outpost. Today it remains in good condition and houses a police station
Police station
A police station or station house is a building which serves to accommodate police officers and other members of staff. These buildings often contain offices and accommodation for personnel and vehicles, along with locker rooms, temporary holding cells and interview/interrogation rooms.- Facilities...
.
Jaffna fort
The original Portuguese fort built in 1618, where the remaining Portuguese had assembled after the fall of Colombo, had been captured by the Dutch in 1658 after a three and a half month siege. Since 1680 until the takeover by the British in 1795 the fort went though several phases of development. Thus making it one of the strongest forts in Asia. Unlike the Colombo and Galle Forts, which were fortified towns, the Jaffna Fort had an almost exclusively military and administrative purpose. All the civilians lived in the residential town of Jaffna
Jaffna
Jaffna is the capital city of the Northern Province, Sri Lanka. It is the administrative headquarters of the Jaffna district located on a peninsula of the same name. Jaffna is approximately six miles away from Kandarodai which served as a famous emporium in the Jaffna peninsula from classical...
, adjoining the fort. Up till the 1970s the fort and its buildings were in their original state, despite its continuous use by the British and later the Ceylon government. During the Sri Lankan Civil War
Sri Lankan civil war
The Sri Lankan Civil War was a conflict fought on the island of Sri Lanka. Beginning on July 23, 1983, there was an on-and-off insurgency against the government by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam , a separatist militant organization which fought to create an independent Tamil state named Tamil...
the fort and the town of Jaffna changed hands several times. Notably the Sri Lanka Army garrison of the fort lead out a siege for months before being withdrawn in the 1980s. As a result of the war much of the fort has been destroyed.
Fort Fredrick
Fort Fredrick is a fort built by Portuguese at Trincomalee
Trincomalee
Trincomalee is a port city in Eastern Province, Sri Lanka and lies on the east coast of the island, about 113 miles south of Jaffna. It has a population of approximately 100,000 . The city is built on a peninsula, which divides the inner and outer harbours. Overlooking the Kottiyar Bay,...
in 1624. This was captured by a Dutch fleet under Admiral Westerwold in 1639. Not until 1665 was a new fort built here by the Dutch defend against the advancements of the British and the French. In 1672, the year when the Dutch Republic was attacked by France, Britain, and two German states, the French captured Trincomalee and later they occupied Batticaloa. However soon the French were forced to leave. Trincomalee was important for its large all-season secure harbor. In late 18th century Trincomalee traded hands once more with the French capturing it again and later handing back to the Dutch East India Company
Dutch East India Company
The Dutch East India Company was a chartered company established in 1602, when the States-General of the Netherlands granted it a 21-year monopoly to carry out colonial activities in Asia...
at the Peace of Paris in 1784. In 1795 it was taken over by the British, and remained a British garrison till 1948. Coastal artillery
Coastal artillery
Coastal artillery is the branch of armed forces concerned with operating anti-ship artillery or fixed gun batteries in coastal fortifications....
guns were added during the two World Wars. Today it remains garrisoned by a detachment of the Sri Lanka Army but is accessible to visitors.
Batticaloa fort
The Batticaloa
Batticaloa
Batticaloa is a city in the Eastern province of Sri Lanka. It is the seat of the Eastern University of Sri Lanka. It is on the east coast, south by south east of Trincomalee, and is situated on an island.-Etymology:...
fort was built by the Portuguese in 1628 and was the first to be captured by the Dutch (18 May 1638). It is one of the most picturesque of the small Dutch fort of Sri Lanka, it’s situated in an island, still in good condition. Near Batticaloa the Portuguese had a tiny fort at Tanavare (there is a map of it but no remains) There is a 1st century CE Buddhist Dagaba inside the Dutch fort.
Pooneryn fort
Built in the Pooneryn
Pooneryn
Pooneryn is a strategically important village in the northern province of Sri Lanka situated just below the Jaffna Peninsula. Built in the Pooneryn area of north portion of the island first by the Portuguese to protect its possessions in Jaffna, it was expanded by the Dutch till in 1770 it was...
area of north portion of the island first by the Portuguese to protect its possessions in Jaffna, it was expanded by the Dutch till in 1770 it was recorded that it was square shaped with two bastions at opposite corners; the rampart on each of the sides was about 30 metres and was garrisoned till the late 18th century. The British built a rest house in 1805. Since 1983 due to the civil war it was garrisoned by the Sri Lankan Army till it withdrew from the Pooneryn area in 1991; and recaptured in 2009. Ruins of the fort remains, however in bad condition.
Negombo fort
A small but important fort in the town of Negombo
Negombo
Negombo is a town of about 121,933, approximately 37 km north of Colombo, in Sri Lanka. It is located at the mouth of the Negombo Lagoon, about 7 km from the Bandaranaike International Airport...
, north of Colombo
Colombo
Colombo is the largest city of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo is often referred to as the capital of the country, since Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is a satellite city of Colombo...
was built by the Portuguese to defend Colombo. In 1640 the Dutch destroyed it and rebuilt it not on the usual square pattern, but on a pentagonal one, though it had only four bulwarks. The fort was located on a narrow strip of land between a lagoon
Negombo Lagoon
Negombo Lagoon is a large estuarine lagoon in Gampaha District, south-west Sri Lanka.The lagoon is fed by a number of small rivers and a canal. It is linked to the sea by a narrow channel to the north, near Negombo town. It is surrounded by a densely populated region containing rice paddies,...
and an inlet of the sea. It was surrounded by moats, and the gate was accessed via a drawbridge. The English occupied it in 1796. Today only part of the walls and an arched gateway remains of the fort. It is used as a prison by the Department of Prisons
Department of Prisons (Sri Lanka)
The Department of Prisons is a non-ministerial government department in Sri Lanka responsible for the incarceration and rehabilitation of convicted criminal offenders and terror suspects in Sri Lanka, it comes under purview of the Ministry of Justice and Law Reforms...
.
Elephant Pass Fort
Elephant Pass
Elephant Pass
Elephant Pass, Northern Province, Sri Lanka is an important military base and formerly the island's largest salt field, located in the gateway of Jaffna Peninsula. It has thus regularly been the site of battles during the civil war....
is one of the most strategic locations in Sri Lanka, linking the Jaffna peninsula with the rest of the island. In 1760 the Portuguese built a fort, which was later rebuilt and garrisoned by the Dutch in 1776 and later by the British.
A modern military base
Military base
A military base is a facility directly owned and operated by or for the military or one of its branches that shelters military equipment and personnel, and facilitates training and operations. In general, a military base provides accommodations for one or more units, but it may also be used as a...
was built there in the area in 1952 by the Sri Lankan Army. The area has been the site of many major battles in the civil war. The state of the fort is unknown.
Kalutara Fort
The Portuguese first built a fort in Kalutara
Kalutara
Kalutara is a resort town located approximately 40 km south of Colombo in Sri Lanka.- Overview :Once an important spice-trading center, the city's name is derived from the Kalu Ganga River . In the 11th Century, the town was temporarily made a capital on the orders of a South Indian Prince...
and was surrendered to the Dutch in 1655 without a shot being fired; it was later enlarged by the conquering Dutch with the addition two bastions. Very little of it remains today.
Dutch forts
Fort OstenburgA small fort built at the entrance to the inner harbour of Trincomalee by the Dutch and surrendered to the British 1795. It has been called "the most powerfully gunned fort in Ceylon" with strong batteries at sea level and many guns on the ridge above them. However little of it remains today, mainly due to the contraction of Coastal artillery placements by the British since the 1920 in the Ostenburg ridge. Much of these are well preserved by the Sri Lankan Navy, which maintains the Hoods Tower Museum
Hoods Tower Museum
The Hoods Tower Museum is a naval museum of the Sri Lanka Navy in Trincomalee. Located at Ostenburg, in the Trincomalee peninsular on a high ridge over looking the entrance to the inner harbor of Trincomalee within the SLN Dockyard...
here.
Kalpitiya fort
Located at the northern tip of the narrow land tongue that stretches to the north for about 50 kilometres beyond Puttlam, parallel to the mainland. Built in 1667, on the spot where the Portuguese had a stockade and a Jesuit chapel. The walls are about 4 meters high and inside are the remnants of the chapel, a commander's house, barrack rooms, a prison and several go downs. Kalpitiya was important since it command the entrance to the bay. Puttlam was an area that had large amounts cinnamon
Cinnamon
Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several trees from the genus Cinnamomum that is used in both sweet and savoury foods...
cultivations. The Dutch even built a canal from Puttlam via Negombo to Colombo to bring the cinnamon. The fort was neglect for many years until it was turned into a Sri Lankan Navy base for training and operational activity escalation of the Sri Lankan Civil War
Sri Lankan civil war
The Sri Lankan Civil War was a conflict fought on the island of Sri Lanka. Beginning on July 23, 1983, there was an on-and-off insurgency against the government by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam , a separatist militant organization which fought to create an independent Tamil state named Tamil...
. The ramparts are in good condition today.
Tangalle fort
A small Dutch fort exists in the coastal town of Tangalle
Tangalle
Tangalle is a town on the southern coast of Sri Lanka located in the Hambantota District. It has a mild climate, in comparison to the rest of the district, and sandy beaches....
, south of the island. Tangalle was an important anchorage. Although much altered the fort still stands and in use as a prison by the Department of Prisons
Department of Prisons (Sri Lanka)
The Department of Prisons is a non-ministerial government department in Sri Lanka responsible for the incarceration and rehabilitation of convicted criminal offenders and terror suspects in Sri Lanka, it comes under purview of the Ministry of Justice and Law Reforms...
.
Fort Hammenhiel
Situated on a small island between Kayts
Kayts
Kayts , is one of the important villages in Velanai Island which is a small island off the coast of Jaffna Peninsula in the North of Sri Lanka. There are number of other villages within the Velanai Island such as Allaipiddy, Mankumpan, Velanai, Saravanai, Puliyankoodal, Suruvil, Naranthanai and...
and Karaitivu
Karaitivu
Karaitivu may refer to*Karaitivu - A Tamil village in Puttalam District, North Western Sri Lanka*Karaitivu - An island Tamil village in Jaffna District, Northern Sri Lanka...
islands in the north of the country, Hammenhiel Fort was built by the Dutch to protect Jaffna. It remains in good condition garrisoned by the Sri Lanka Navy.
Star fort
On the other side of the river that flows through the Matara
Matara, Sri Lanka
Matara is a city on the southern coast of Sri Lanka, 160 km from Colombo. It is one of the largest cities in Sri Lanka. It was deeply affected by the Asian tsunami in December 2004.-History:...
town is the star fort. This little redoubt called Van Eck was built in 1763-1765 by the Dutch after the Matara rebellion in 1761-1762. This fort is the unique star shaped fort in Ceylon, over the gate of the fort is the Dutch coat of arms. It’s still in good condition.
British forts
Fort MacdowallFort Macdowall was built by the British in the town of Matale
Matale
Matale is a town in the hill country of Sri Lanka, from Colombo and from Kandy. It is an area steeped in history and village living. The mayor of Matale is Hilmy Careem, as of May, 2006....
in 1803 as an out post during the Kandian Wars
Kandian Wars
The Kandyan Wars refers generally to the period of warfare between the British colonial forces and the Kingdom of Kandy, on the island of what is now present day Sri Lanka, between 1796 and 1818...
. The fort was named after General Macdowall, who led the experdition to the Kingdom of Kandy
Kingdom of Kandy
Kingdom of Kandy was an important independent monarchy of Sri Lanka, located in the central and eastern portion of the island. It was founded in late 15th century and endured until the early 19th century...
, it is one of the few forts build inland. In 1848 during the Matale Rebellion
Matale Rebellion
The Matale Rebellion, also known as the Rebellion of 1848 took place in Ceylon against the British colonial government under Governor Lord Torrington, 7th Viscount Torrington. It marked a transition from the classic feudal form of anti-colonial revolt to modern independence struggles...
the fort came under siege of the rebels. Today only the gate way and few ramparts remain, with the interior of the fort turn into a cemetery, the Fort MacDowall Cemetery.
Martello tower of Hambantota
A Martello tower
Martello tower
Martello towers are small defensive forts built in several countries of the British Empire during the 19th century, from the time of the Napoleonic Wars onwards....
was built by the British, in 1801-03, to protect the small harbor of Hambantota
Hambantota
Hambantota is a coastal city in the south of Sri Lanka. It is the capital of the Hambantota District...
. Restored in 1999, it’s still in good condition.