Kalpitiya Fort – Dutch Colonial legacy
By Arundathie Abeysinghe
Constructed during the Dutch Colonial Era, Kalpitiya Fort had been designed in 1666 and completed in 1676. The walls of the Fort are approximately 4 meters (13 feet) high constructed with coral and limestone from the surrounding area. The Fort has a single entrance facing the lagoon with a pediment and a belfry above, similar to an entrance of a church, a unique feature. Kalpitiya Fort had been a remarkable icon during the Dutch Colonial Era.
*Kalpitiya had been a renowned trading hub for Arab merchants. In the mid-16th century, the Portuguese had conquered Kalpitiya and renamed it as “Kardiv Island”. King Rajasinghe II (1608 – 1687) of the Kandyan Kingdom (Sri Lanka’s reigning monarch during this period) had sought assistance from the Dutch to secure the land from the Portuguese Colonials. Yet, after the Dutch invasion of the location, the land was not returned to the King, instead, the Dutch had constructed the Kalpitiya Fort as the location was strategically important for the Dutch East India Company to control the external trade of Kandyan Kingdom.
Known as “Calpenteyn” or “Calpetty” by the Dutch and situated approximately 165 kilometers from Colombo, Kalpitiya is a significant geostrategic location as it is the entrance to the adjacent bay, *Puttalam Lagoon. According to scholars, the yellow bricks which comprise the entrance arch had been imported from Holland. According to folklore, the King of the Kandyan Kingdom had granted permission to construct a church at the location and the Dutch had built the arch similar to a church to mislead the King.
The walls of the Fort are massive and built by the Dutch with coral and limestone sourced from the neighborhood. There are four bastions on each corner, each with its own guard post with two smaller bastions facing the lagoon. The buildings of the Fort are located around the periphery with an empty space in the middle. There are walls of a commander’s residence, barracks, a dining hall and a prison. Inside the Fort, there are also ruins of an old church, a Roman Catholic Church. Furniture in the Church had been relocated at the Anglican Church in Puttalam. Adjoining the Church, the large hall had served as the dining hall for the inmates. There is also an old cemetery adjoining the Church with inscribed graveyards. There are also ruins of two old wells. The guard posts above the bastions are extraordinarily small. According to legends, the Dutch had assigned fierce Indian tribals to guard the Fort. The roofs of the building have been replaced. In the past, there had been two tunnels leading away from the Fort with one towards the sea and the other to the Dutch Reformed Church. At present, these tunnels are blocked and are inaccessible.
During the Portuguese Colonial Era, Kalpitiya peninsula had served as a strategic military base, a perfect location to control the lucrative salt and cinnamon trades as well as pearl diving.
*Wilpattu National Park can be seen in the distance from the Fort across the lagoon on the mainland, a mesmerizing foliage…
The best time to visit the location is at dawn when the first rays of sun illuminate the landscape…
Although, the Fort was occupied by the British during the British Colonial Era, they had not altered the features of the building.
- Kapitiya – A flat land barely attached to Sri Lanka’s west coast at *Puttalam and forming a shallow, calm lagoon with the mainland with pristine stretches of golden sand. Kalpitiya is a popular location of kite surfers. In March 2009, British marine biologist Dr. Charles Anderson identified Kalpitiya as a whale watching hot spot in Sri Lanka.
- Puttalam – The largest town in Puttalam District, North Western Province, Sri Lanka.
- Wilpattu National Park – Located on the northwest coast lowland dry zone of Sri Lanka and known as ‘land of the lakes’, the unique feature of the Park is the existence of “Willus” (natural, sand-rimmed water basins or depressions that fill with rainwater). The best period to visit the Park is from May to September during the drought when animals are drawn out to their waterholes. The Park was declared as a National Park in 1938.
Image courtesy – TripAdvisor
