Ratnapura Dutch fort

Ratnapura Dutch fort
	Ratnapura, Sri Lanka
	Entrance arch of the fort premises
	Ratnapura Dutch fort
Coordinates	6°40′46″N80°24′09″E / 6.679548°N 80.402549°E Coordinates: 6°40′46″N80°24′09″E / 6.679548°N 80.402549°E
Type	Defence fort
Site history
Built by	Dutch

Last updated May 04, 2019

Ratnapura Dutch fort, (Sinhalese : රත්නපුර ලන්දේසි බලකොටුව), was built by the Dutch in Ratnapura, Sri Lanka.

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 Kandyan Kingdom located in the interior of the island. Dutch Ceylon existed from 1640 until 1796.

Ratnapura is a major city in Sri Lanka. It is the capital city of Sabaragamuwa Province, as well as the Ratnapura District, and is a traditional centre for the Sri Lankan gem trade. It is located on the Kalu Ganga in south-central Sri Lanka, some 101 km (63 mi) southeast of the country's capital, Colombo. Ratnapura is also spelled as Rathnapura.

The Portuguese had originally constructed a fort at Ratnapura in 1620 however was later captured and destroyed by Kirti Sri Raja Singha (the second Nayaka king of Kandy). By 1658 the Dutch had taken control over all the areas previously controlled by the Portuguese. The Dutch initially used the site of the Portuguese fort but subsequently built a new fort on a hill in the middle of the town.

Portuguese Ceylon was the control of the Kingdom of Kotte by the Portuguese Empire, in present-day Sri Lanka, after the country's Crisis of the Sixteenth Century and into the Kandyan period.

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

Kirti Sri Raja Singha was the second Nayaka king of Kandy. He was a prince from the Madurai Nayak Dynasty and the brother-in-law of Sri Vijaya Raja Singha. He succeeded his brother-in-law to the throne in 1751.

The design of the fort is similar to the fort at Kalutara, in that it had two bastions. The fort was large enough to accommodate the governor's office and residence, court building, hospital, chapel and barracks for 40 men. It was captured by the British in 1817.^[1]

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

It was declared as an archaeological monument in 2002 and 2005. It was however partially demolished by the local government, who constructed a number of buildings on the site. The fort is currently being used as the offices for the National Gem and Jewellery Authority, together with a number of private offices.^[2]

The site of the fort is now where the Police Station (established 1 January 1864), Public Library and the former Kachcheri (established 1817) are now situated.

A kachcheri or district secretariat is the principal government department that administrates a district in Sri Lanka. Each of the 25 districts has a kachcheri.

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Colombo is the commercial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo metropolitan area has a population of 5.6 million, and 752,993 in the city proper. It is the financial centre of the island and a popular tourist destination. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to the Greater Colombo area which includes Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, the legislative capital of Sri Lanka and Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia. Colombo is often referred to as the capital since Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte is within the urban area of, and a suburb of, Colombo. It is also the administrative capital of the Western Province and the district capital of Colombo District. Colombo is a busy and vibrant place with a mixture of modern life and colonial buildings and ruins.

Matara is a major city in Sri Lanka, on the southern coast of Southern Province, 160 km from Colombo. It is a major commercial hub, and it is the administrative capital of Matara District. It was gravely affected by the Asian tsunami in December 2004.

Negombo is a major city in Sri Lanka, situated on the west coast and at the mouth of the Negombo Lagoon, in Western Province.

Forts and fortifications 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.

Fort is the central business district of Colombo in Sri Lanka. It is the financial district of Colombo and the location of the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) and the World Trade Centre of Colombo from which the CSE operates. It is also the location of the Bank of Ceylon headquarters. Along the foreshore of the Fort area is the Galle Face Green Promenade, built in 1859 under the governance of Sir Henry George Ward, the Governor of Ceylon during British colonial administration. Fort is also home to the General Post Office, hotels, government departments and offices.

The Galle Fort Hotel in Sri Lanka is a 12 room boutique hotel, situated inside Galle Fort, Galle. The building was originally constructed in the 17th century, during the Dutch colonial period, as a private dwelling.

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 Karaiyur. Due to numerous miracles attributed to the statue of 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 it. In 1795, it was taken over by the British, and remained under the control of a British garrison till 1948. As the only large military fort in the country, due to the presence of only government and military buildings within its ramparts, it was garrisoned by a detachment of the Ceylon Army.

Galle Fort, in the Bay of Galle on the southwest coast of Sri Lanka, was built first in 1588 by the Portuguese, then extensively fortified by the Dutch during the 17th century from 1649 onwards. It is a historical, archaeological and architectural heritage monument, which even after more than 423 years maintains a polished appearance, due to extensive reconstruction work done by Archaeological Department of Sri Lanka.

The Batticaloa Fort was built by the Portuguese in 1628 and was captured by the Dutch on 18 May 1638. From 1745, the fort was used by the British.

The Matara Fort was built in 1560 by the Portuguese and was substantially re-built by the Dutch in 1640, following the capture of Galle. The fort, which consists of a large stone rampart, occupies the promontory, which separates the Niwala Ganga (River) lagoon and the ocean.

The Old Dutch Hospital, Galle is one of the oldest buildings in the Galle Fort area dating back to the Dutch colonial era in Sri Lanka. The heritage building has now been developed into a shopping and dining precinct.

Kalpitiya Fort was built by the Dutch between 1667 and 1676. Kalpitiya was important as it commands the entrance to the adjacent bay, Puttalam Lagoon. The surrounding Puttalam area was one of the major cinnamon cultivation areas in Sri Lanka. The Dutch even constructed a canal from Puttalam via Negombo to Colombo to transport cinnamon from the area.

Pooneryn Fort is located in Pooneryn, adjacent to the Jaffna Peninsula. It was built by Portuguese to protect their possessions in Jaffna. The fort was captured by the Dutch in 1658, and subsequently by the British in 1796.

Katuwana Fort, is an inland fort constructed by the Dutch in 1646.

Koddiyar fort was the first fort that was built by Dutch in Ceylon. It was constructed in 1622 and is located on the southern side of Koddiyar Bay.

Ruwanwella fort, was initially a fortified base camp erected by the Portuguese in 1590s at Ruwanwella, Kegalle. It was captured by Dutch in 1665, who constructed a wooden fort (Ruanelle) but abandoned it within a few years. In 1817 the British built a stone fort on the site with two bastions.

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.

References

↑ "Pre-History and History". Ministry of Provincial Roads Development, Rural Infrastructure Facilities and Tourism. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
↑ "Dutch Fort at Ratnapura" . Retrieved 23 November 2014.

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[1] "Pre-History and History". Ministry of Provincial Roads Development, Rural Infrastructure Facilities and Tourism. Retrieved 23 November 2014.

[2] "Dutch Fort at Ratnapura" . Retrieved 23 November 2014.

Ratnapura Dutch fort

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References