This island was called by the Portuguese ilha das Vacas, had a fort built
by them. The Dutch called it Delft Island. The tamils call it the Neduntheevu
or Neduntivu. This is the largest island in the Palk Strait, northern
Sri Lanka.
Very little of the fort remains today. but the book "Romantic
Ceylon: its history, legend, and story"
By Ralph Henry Bassett describes the fort and the island in detail
" ... Traces of the Portuguese administration of Delft remain in
the ruins of a fort which was undoubtedly built by them, as Dutch military
architecture was of a more modem type. It is a very strongly fortified
two-storied dwelling, covering an area about fifty yards square, with a
double centre wall of immense thickness. This wall completely cuts the
fort in half at Ground-level, the only means of communication being on
the first floor-a common precautionary measure in defensive structures
of that period. As a result, it is a very complicated edifice, full of
long narrow and little square rooms.
The stairs run in the double walls. and lead out on to what must have
been a flat roof, judging from the marks of the rafter sockets in the masonry.
In one corner is the dungeon, a small square room, with a floor below ground
level. Without any door, and having only one small window about two feet
square, leading into the interior of the fort. The unfortunate prisoners
must have been pushed in through this little aperture, or let down through
a trapdoor in the floor above, and could have got out only by means of a
rope; a good many must have met their death in this little chamber.
There is one large room which has the appearance of a mess-room, and a
large number of small sleeping-rooms connected by corridors.
The Dutch built a barracks about a quarter of a mile from the fort,
arid within their premises is a fine large Residency, now in use as the
Government bungalow. The barracks were surrounded by a wall, a great part
of which still stands, enclosing an area of about two hundred square yards.
One of the barrack rooms is still in existence, although part of the wall
has fallen almost to ground level. The most striking building is
the Dutch dovecot, still in a state of perfect repair. It is made of coral
stone, with a solid base about eight feet square.... "
