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atticaloa
was the chief town of the VOC on the Eastern Coast and lies in the middle of a
lagoon which is over thirty miles long, and it navigable by small boats. The
name is said to be derived from the Tamil “Matta Kalappu, meaning mud-lake: in
Sinhalese, made Kalapuwa a little island on which the fort is built is called
Puliyantivu or the “isle of the tamarind trees”
It
was to the south of Batticaloa that Joris Van Spilbergen the first Dutchmen to
set foot on Sri Lanka, landed in 1602, and then travelled to Kandy to meet the
king. The Portuguese reacted their fort here in 1628. Ten years later, in 1638,
it was the first fort in Sri Lanka to be captured by the Dutch. It was later
handed over to the king of Kandy. It was rebuilt subsequently by the Dutch in
1665. The fort surrendered to the British in 1795 without any resistance. They
garrisoned it until 1836, after which date various buildings were constructed
within for civil administrative use.
In
1984 the fort was in excellence condition, except for its northern bastion
which had sustained some damage from a cyclone some years previously. The main
part of the town was on a small island and the position of the fort is clearly
shown in the map. There have been very few changes since the construction of
the 1660. The fort lies with its longer axis running nearly north-south. The
belfry stands on the south-western bastion, “Colombo” which is the largest.
Some of the old gateways have been blocked up. The main entrance in through the
eastern rampart. This has a flat stone
lintel over which is a stone triangle inscribed with the company’s VOC monogram
and the date 1682. The courtyard is now occupied by government office
buildings.
The
“Singing Fish” of the lagoons are sources, not only of wonderment but also of
much controversy. Especially on full moon hights during April to September, a
multitude of distinct “orchestral” sounds are heard rising from the depth of
the lagoon. Although there are many theories, the origins of the varied musical
motes remain an eternal mystery.
Fort
Of Batticaloa
The
fort of Batticaloa is situated in an isle in extent about two Dutch miles ( A
dutch mile is a little over three English miles) and lies three miles inland of
the mouth of the river of Batticaloa, which has given it is name. it was
fortified with high stone walls ( Bullt Of Coral Stone) and three passable bastions,
upon which were mounted eleven iron & brass cannons, besides some lesser
one, with a suitable store of ammunition. We found in it rice sufficient for
two months, but their fresh water being about a musket- shot without the
fortress, the Dutch had made themselves masters of the spring. Recently built
by the Portuguese, the fort was capture by the Dutch in 1638 & handed over
to King Rajasinghe ii who demolished it in 1643
Valentijn
describes the fort as standing on island three kilometers in circumference and
three kilometers within the lagoons, close to the river, “it was high, strong
stone walls, three strong bulwark on which are eleven metal and iron pieces,
fine metal falconets & some mortars: it is generally occupied by a hundred
men.
The
engraving in Valentijn’s work was probably executed from the drawing in
vingboons atlas. Both views are of the fort as constructed by the Portuguese:
it is scarcely distinguished from the shore-line. Most of the hills in the
background are illusory and it appears that the view attempts to depict Friar’s
Hood, which is a prominent rocky hill 32 kilometers to the south-west of
Batticaloa. It was a land mark well known to mediaeval navigators, seen from
the northwest however it resembles a pyramid.
