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Galle
Galle-located 116 km to the south of
Colombo on the southwest corner of the island-was founded in the
16th century by the Portuguese. It is the best example of a
fortified city built by Europeans in South and South-East Asia,
showing the interaction between European architectural styles and
South Asian traditions. Galle has been declared a World Heritage
City by the UNESCO.
According to James Emerson Tennent,
Galle was the ancient seaport of Tarshish, from which King Solomon
drew ivory, peacocks and other valuables. Certainly, cinnamon was
exported from Sri Lanka as early as 1400 BC and the root of the word
itself is Hebrew, so Galle may have been the main entrepot for the
spice.View of the city from the sea sideGalle had been a prominent
seaport long before western rule in the country. Persians, Arabs,
Greeks, Romans, Malays and Indians were doing business through Galle
port. The "modern" history of Galle starts in 1505, when the first
Portuguese ship, under Lourenço de Almeida was driven there by a
storm. However, the people of the city refused to let the Portuguese
enter it, so the Portuguese took it by force.In 1640, the Portuguese
had to surrender to the Dutch East India Company. The Dutch built
the present Fort in the year 1663. They built a fortified wall,
using solid granite, and built three bastions, known as "sun",
"moon" and "star". Galle backstreetAfter the British took over the
country from the Dutch in the year 1796, they preserved the Fort
unchanged, and used it as the administrative centre of Galle.
BEST Attractions in
Galle
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Dutch Fort:
Built in 1663, the fort still retains the atmosphere and charm
of Dutch days. Many old Dutch buildings are still intact inside
the fort. The best way to see the fort is by walking around at
the time of sunset.
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Dutch
Museum:
Located within the Fort of Galle
in a colonial Dutch ware-house with imposing pillars, this
museum displays the fauna & flora of the sea. Artifacts consist
of preserved material and scaled down models of whales and
fishes. Generally, all the resources of the sea are displayed in
this Museum. |
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Silt
Fishing: Home to a unique type of fishing technique.
Silt fishing is a popular fishing method in the area and a very
beautiful scenery to watch especially during sunset. |
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Unawatuna
Beach: Unawatuna is a sleepy fishing village situated
a small distance from the city of Galle. With 2 km of unspoilt
sands. Fringing the beach on the west side are a collection of
beachside bars and restaurants serving drinks and meals. A reef
on the West side of the beach creates a sheltered bay safe for
swimming & snorkelling - equipment may be hired from VIP. |
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Ambalangoda Masks:
Find out about
Ambalangoda, a charming fishing village which is world famous
for the native masks, carved throughout the generations of
professional carvers |
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Coral
Garden:
For more than century, the coral gardens
attracted foreigners to Sri Lanka. Not only mere holiday
markers, but even internernationally renowned marine biologists,
naturalists, conservators and scientists frequently visited the
coral gardens of Hikkaduwa for its breathtaking beauty and
scientific purpose. |
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Anuradhapura:
Anuradhapura,is one of the ancient capitals of Sri Lanka, world
famous for its well preserved ruins of the Great Sri Lankan
Civilization. The city now a UNESCO heritage site, lies
205 km north of the current capital Colombo in the North Central
Province of Sri Lanka.
Polonnaruwa:
The
second most ancient of Sri Lanka's kingdoms, Polonnaruwa was
first declared the capital city by King Vijayabahu I, who
defeated the Chola invaders in 1070 CE to reunite the country
once more under a local leader.
Kandy:
Kandy is the English name for
the city of Maha Nuvara (Senkadagalapura) in the centre of Sri
Lanka. It is the capital of the Central Province and Mahanuvara
District. It lies in the midst of hills in the Kandy Valley
which crosses an area of tropical plantations, mainly tea.
Nuwara Eliya:
The town was founded by Samuel Baker as a hill retreat for the
British during the colonial era, where typical English pastimes
including fox hunting, polo and cricket were played.
Many of the buildings retain features from the colonial period,
and even new hotels are often built and furnished in the
colonial style.
Galle:
Galle is a town situated on the southwestern tip of Sri Lanka,
119 km from Colombo. Galle was known as Gimhathiththa (although
Ibn Batuta in the 14th century refers to it as Qali) before the
arrival of the Portuguese in the 16th century, when it was the
main port on the island.
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