Forts in Sri Lanka

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Location of forts within Sri Lanka. Completely destroyed forts are marked by Blue pog.svg . ()

Forts in Sri Lanka date back thousands of years, with many being built by Sri Lankan kings. These include several walled cities. With the outset 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-style forts, mostly in and around the coast 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.

Contents

Most of the 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.

Anuradhapura period

ImageNameFoundedAbandonedLocationConditionControlled byTypeNotes
Vijithapura 5th Century BC
Anuradhapura Kingdom
Central Province Fortress City [N 1] [1]
Sigiriya.jpg Sigiriya 5th Century
by Kashyapa I
495 CE Dambulla, Central Province Ruined Government of Sri Lanka Citadel [N 2]
Mapagala fortress Central Province [N 3]

Transitional period

Sitawaka forts

ImageNameFoundedAbandonedLocationConditionControlled byTypeNotes
Sitawaka fort Avissawella, Western Province
Hanwella Fort Hanwella, Western Province DestroyedDefence [2]

Portuguese forts

ImageNameFoundedAbandonedLocationConditionControlled byTypeNotes
Colombo fort 1518, 15541524, 1870 Colombo fort, Western Province Destroyed-Defence
Fort Fredrick05.jpg Fort Fredrick 1624- Trincomalee, Eastern Province Good Government of Sri Lanka Defence [N 4]
Batticaloa Portuguese (dutch) fort.jpg Batticaloa fort 1628 Batticaloa, Eastern Province Good Government of Sri Lanka Defence [N 5]
Arandora fort Narangoda, North Western Province Destroyed-Defence [N 6]
Arippu fort Arippu, Northern Province Ruins Government of Sri Lanka Defence [N 7]
Delft Island fort.JPG Delft Island fort Neduntheevu, Northern Province Ruins Government of Sri Lanka Defence [N 8]
Elephant Pass fort 1776 Elephant Pass, Northern Province Destroyed-Defence [N 9]
Fort galle 2017-10-28 (3).jpg Galle fort 1588- Galle, Southern Province Good Government of Sri Lanka Defence [N 10]
Haldummulla fort 1630 Haldummulla, Uva Ruins Government of Sri Lanka Defence
Hammanheil Fort.JPG Fort Hammenheil 1618 Jaffna Peninsula, Northern Province Good Government of Sri Lanka Defence [N 11]
Jaffna Fort - main entrance.JPG Jaffna fort 1618 Jaffna, Northern Province Good Government of Sri Lanka Star fort [N 12]
Kalutara Fort.jpg Kalutara fort 1655 Kalutara, Western Province Ruins Government of Sri Lanka Defence
Kayts Island Fort.JPG Kayts Island fort 1629 Kayts, Northern Province Ruins Government of Sri Lanka Defence
Kotugodella fort 1630 Ettampitiya, Uva Province RuinsDefence
Mannar fort 1560 Mannar, Northern Province Destroyed Government of Sri Lanka Defence
Matara Fort clock tower.jpg Matara fort 1550 Matara, Southern Province Good Government of Sri Lanka Defence [N 13]
Menikkadawara fort 1599 Kegalle, Sabaragamuwa Province Destroyed Government of Sri Lanka Defence
SL Negombo asv2020-01 img06 Dutch Fort.jpg Negombo fort 1672 Negombo, Western Province Ruins Government of Sri Lanka Defence
Pooneryn fort.JPG Pooneryn fort 16?? Pooneryn, Northern Province Ruins Government of Sri Lanka Defence
Ratnapura fort 1618, 1620 Ratnapura, Sabaragamuwa Province Destroyed Government of Sri Lanka Defence
Ruwanwella fort 1590s Ruwanwella, Sabaragamuwa Province Destroyed Government of Sri Lanka Defence
Hanwella fort 1597 Hanwella, Western Province Destroyed Government of Sri Lanka Defence

Kandyan period

Kandyan forts

ImageNameFoundedAbandonedLocationConditionControlled byTypeNotes
Balana fort Balana, Central Province RuinedDefence [3]
Hunnasgiriya Fort Hunnasgiriya, Central Province RuinedDefence [4]
Welanhinna Ancient Fort Diyatalawa, Uva Province Destroyed [5]

Dutch forts

ImageNameFoundedAbandonedLocationConditionControlled byTypeNotes
Hammanheil Fort.JPG Fort Hammenheil 1618- Jaffna Peninsula, Northern Province Good Government of Sri Lanka Defence
Koddiyar fort 1622 Muttur, Eastern Province DestroyedDefence
Katuwana Fort 1646- Katuwana, Southern Province Good Government of Sri Lanka Defence
Kalpitiya fort.JPG Kalpitiya fort 1667–76- Kalpitiya, North Western Province Good Government of Sri Lanka Defence [N 14]
Mullaitivu Fort in srilanka.jpg Mullaitivu fort 1715 Mullaitivu, Northern Province RuinsDefence [N 15]
Dutch Star Fort, Matara 0689.jpg Star fort 1763–65- Matara, Southern Province Good Government of Sri Lanka Star fort
Fort Beschutter Elephant Pass, Northern Province Destroyed Government of Sri Lanka Defence
Fort Ostenburg Trincomalee, Eastern Province Ruins Government of Sri Lanka Defence [N 16]
Fort Pyl Elephant Pass, Northern Province Ruins Government of Sri Lanka Defence
Point Pedro fort Point Pedro, Northern Province DestroyedDefence [N 17]
Tangalle fort Tangalle, Southern Province Good Government of Sri Lanka Defence [N 18]

British forts

ImageNameFoundedAbandonedLocationConditionControlled byTypeNotes
Martello tower 1801-03 Hambantota, Southern Province GoodGovernment of Sri LankaDefence tower
Fort MacDowall 1803 Matale Central Province [N 19]

Notes

  1. It was the site of a major battle between the forces of Ellalan and Dutthagamani
  2. Royal Palace. Briefly used as an outpost of the Kingdom of Kandy in the 16th and 17th centuries.
  3. Located to the south of Sigiriya is the Mapagala Fortress (‘Rock of the Viceroy’), a fortress with massive stone walls, which was built prior to Sigiriya.
  4. Later controlled by the Dutch and then the British
  5. Captured by the Dutch in 1638
  6. Captured by the Dutch in 1665
  7. Handed over to the Dutch in 1658
  8. Later controlled by the Dutch
  9. Later controlled by the Dutch
  10. Captured and rebuilt by the Dutch from 1640
  11. Rebuilt by the Dutch in 1680
  12. Captured and rebuilt by the Dutch in 1658
  13. Rebuilt by the Dutch after 1640
  14. In 1795 the fort was surrendered to the British
  15. Rebuilt by British during their occupation of the country in 1795
  16. Later surrendered to the British 1795
  17. Later surrendered to the British 1795
  18. The fort is still being used as a prison by the Department of Prisons.
  19. Outpost during the Kandyan Wars

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kandyan Wars</span> British Army expeditionary campaigns

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 Sri Lanka, between 1796 and 1818. More specifically it is used to describe the expeditionary campaigns of the British Army in the Kingdom of Kandy in 1803 and 1815.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Fredrick</span>

Fort Fredrick, also known as Trincomalee Fort or Fort of Triquillimale, is a fort built by the Portuguese at Trincomalee, Eastern Province, Sri Lanka, completed in 1624 CE, built on Swami Rock-Konamamalai from the debris of the world-famous ancient Hindu Koneswaram temple. The temple was destroyed by the Portuguese colonial Constantino de Sá de Noronha under Phillip III, occupier of the Jaffna kingdom and Malabar country on the island. On the Konamalai cape was also built a new village of Portuguese and Tamil people, 50 Portuguese soldiers and inside the fort, a church named after "Nossa Senhora de Guadalupe". The Fort of Triquillimale was dismantled and rebuilt by the Dutch in 1665, renamed Fort Fredrick.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pandara Vanniyan</span> Tamil Vanniar (Chieftain) of Vannimai

Pandara Vanniyan was a Tamil Chieftain who ruled in Vanni Nadu in 18th century AD. He is referred to by some as the last Tamil king in Sri Lanka, who also rose to revolt against the British Ceylon empire and Dutch Ceylon empire, who died battling the British colonial rule on the island. He was officially declared a National Hero of Sri Lanka in 1982.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dutch Ceylon</span> Former colony in Sri Lanka (1640–1796)

Dutch Ceylon was a governorate established in present-day Sri Lanka by the Dutch East India Company. Although the Dutch managed to capture most of the coastal areas in Sri Lanka, they were never able to control the Kingdom of Kandy located in the interior of the island. Dutch Ceylon existed from 1640 until 1796.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christianity in Sri Lanka</span>

Christianity is a minority religion in Sri Lanka. It was introduced to the island in first century. Traditionally, after Thomas the Apostle's visit in Kerala in AD 52, Christianity is said to have been introduced to Sri Lanka because of its close geographical and commercial ties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kingdom of Kandy</span> Kingdom on the island of Sri Lanka from 1469 to 1815

The Kingdom of Kandy was a monarchy on the island of Sri Lanka, located in the central and eastern portion of the island. It was founded in the late 15th century and endured until the early 19th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kingdom of Sitawaka</span> Sinhalese kingdom on the island of Sri Lanka from 1521 to 1594

The kingdom of Sitawaka was a kingdom located in south-central Sri Lanka. It emerged from the division of the kingdom of Kotte following the Spoiling of Vijayabahu in 1521. Over the course of the next seventy years it came to dominate much of the island. Sitawaka also offered fierce resistance to the Portuguese, who had arrived on the island in 1505. Despite its military successes, Sitawaka remained unstable, having to contend with repeated uprisings in its restive Kandyan territories, as well as a wide-ranging and often devastating conflict with the Portuguese. Sitawaka disintegrated soon after the death of its last king Rajasimha I in 1593.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lascarins</span> Military unit

Lascarins is a term used in Sri Lanka to identify indigenous soldiers who fought for the Portuguese during the Portuguese era (1505–1658) and continued to serve as colonial soldiers until the 1930s. The lascarins played a crucial role not only in the colonial armies, but also in the success of the campaigns of the local kingdoms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portuguese Ceylon</span> Portuguese-controlled kingdom in Asia, 16th–17th century

Portuguese Ceylon is the name given to the territory on Ceylon, modern-day Sri Lanka, controlled by the Portuguese Empire between 1597 and 1658.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jaffna Fort</span> Fort

Jaffna Fort is a fort built by the Portuguese at Jaffna, Sri Lanka, in 1618 under Phillippe de Oliveira following the Portuguese invasion of Jaffna. The fort is located near the coastal village of Gurunagar. Owing to numerous miracles attributed to the statue of the Virgin Mary in the church nearby, the fort was named as Fortress of Our Lady of Miracles of Jafanapatão. It was captured by the Dutch under Rijcklof van Goens in 1658, who expanded the structure. In 1795, it was taken over by the British, and remained under the control of a British garrison until 1948. As the only large military fort in the country, because of the presence of only government and military buildings within its ramparts, it was garrisoned by a detachment of the Ceylon Army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edirimanne Corea Family Union</span>

The Edirimanne Corea Family Union (ECFU) is a group set up to 'foster interaction' among the members of the powerful Corea family in the island of Sri Lanka. The Corea family is one of the leading families of Sri Lanka. They trace their ancestry to Dominicus Corea also known as Edirille Rala who was crowned King of Kotte and Sitawaka in Sri Lanka - Dominicus Corea was born in Colombo in 1565.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Hammenhiel</span>

Fort Hammenhiel is a fort built around a small island between the islands of Kayts and Karaitivu of Jaffna Peninsula in Northern Sri Lanka.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christian Reformed Church in Sri Lanka</span>

The Christian Reformed Church of Sri Lanka is the oldest Protestant church on the island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sinhalese–Portuguese conflicts</span> 1527–1658 conflict in Sri Lanka

Sinhalese–Portuguese conflicts refers to the series of armed engagements that took place from 1518 AD to 1658 AD in Sri Lanka between the native Sinhalese and Tamil kingdoms and the Portuguese Empire. It spanned from the Transitional to the Kandyan periods of Sri Lankan history. A combination of political and military moves gained the Portuguese control over most of the island, but their invasion of the final independent kingdom was a disaster, leading to a stalemate in the wider war and a truce from 1621. In 1638 the war restarted when the Dutch East India Company intervened in the conflict, initially as an ally of the Sinhalese against the Portuguese, but later as an enemy of both sides. The war concluded in 1658, with the Dutch in control of about half the island, the Kingdom of Kandy the other half, and the Portuguese expelled.

Mannar Fort is located on Mannar Island, Sri Lanka. It was built by Portuguese in 1560 and christened São Jorge. The fort fell to the Dutch in 1658, and they rebuilt the fort in 1696. In 1795 the British occupied the fort following the surrender by the Dutch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Negombo fort</span> Fort in Negombo, Sri Lanka

Negombo Fort was a small but important fort in Negombo, approx. 30 km (19 mi) north of Colombo, that was built by the Portuguese to defend Colombo.

Ratnapura Portuguese fort was built by the Portuguese in Ratnapura, Sri Lanka.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kalutara fort</span>

Kalutara fort was built by the Portuguese in 1622. It was located in Kalutara, Sri Lanka.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hanwella fort</span>

Hanwella fort was located in Hanwella, Colombo, on the banks of the Kelani River. Hanwella, which means 'skin sands', was the site of an ancient ferry route across the river. Malwana fort was situated about 15 km (9.3 mi) on the other side of the Kelani River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bibliography of Sri Lanka</span>

This is a bibliography of works on Sri Lanka.

References

  1. Senaveratna, John M. (1997). The story of the Sinhalese from the most ancient times up to the end of "the Mahavansa" or Great dynasty: Vijaya to Maha Sena, B.C. 543 to A.D.302. Asian Educational Services. pp. 125–128. ISBN   978-81-206-1271-6.
  2. "Hanwella Fort". Amazing Lanka. Retrieved 2023-12-07.
  3. "Balana". Amazing Lanka. Retrieved 2023-12-07.
  4. "Medamahanuwara Hunnasgiriya Kanda". Amazing Lanka. Retrieved 2023-12-07.
  5. "Welanhinna". Amazing Lanka. Retrieved 2023-12-07.