Kalutara Fort | AmazingLanka.com

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Remains of Dutch Fort in Kalutara in Colombo in 1908 Source : Book of Ceylon by Henry W. Cave

The city of Kalutara is first mentioned in Sri Lanka’s ancient chronicle, the Culavamsa. Following the capture of King Mahinda V (982–1029), the last monarch of the Anuradhapura Kingdom, by the South Indian Cholas, the kingdom fell. The Culavamsa describes the period of Chola occupation before King Vijayabahu I expelled them from the island.

Thereupon the Damilas took the chief treasures, such as the diadem and the like and sent them to the Monarch of the Cola land. The only son of the Prince (Mahalanakitti) known by the name of Vikkamapandu, had through fear left his kingdom and was sojourning in the Dulu country. But when he had tidings of the events jn Lalika, he betook himself to the province of Rohana and, dwelling in Kalalittha, carried on the government there for a year.
Then a powerful prince of the line of Rama, known by the name of Jagatipala, a Sovereign’s son who had come from the town Ayojjha slew Vikkamapandu in battle and ruled as a mighty man in Rohana four years. Him also the Colas slew in battle and sent the Mahesi with her daughter and all the valuable property to the Cola kingdom.
Then King Parakkama, son of the Pandu King, reigned two years. The Colas slew him also when fighting with him.
(Culavamsa: cha LVI: ver 10-16)

This account suggests that Kalutara served briefly as the administrative capital of Ruhunu Country and that both Jagathpala and Parakum may have governed from there.

The Culavamsa also notes that during the reign of King Parakramabahu II (1236–1270), his chief minister Devapathiraja oversaw major development projects in the south, including the construction of a bridge over the Kalu Ganga, measuring eighty cubits in length—an impressive engineering feat of the time.

The Kalutara Fort: A Chronicle of Colonial Rule

The Kalutara Fort was built by the Portuguese in 1622 on the site of the ancient Gangathilaka Viharaya. It was soon captured by King Mayadunne of the Sitawaka Kingdom, with the attack led by his son, Prince Tikiri Rajjuru Bandara, who later became King Rajasinha I. The Portuguese eventually recaptured the fort, but in 1655, they surrendered it without resistance to the Dutch.

In 1635, the Portuguese chronicler and geographer António Bocarro included a map and detailed description of the fort in his work Book of the Plans of all the Fortresses, Cities and Towns of the State of Oriental India. His “Description of Ceylon” section was translated into English by T.B.H. Abeyasinghe in 1996.

1635 දී අඳිනලද කළුතර බලකොටුවේ සැළැස්මක් - A plan of the Kalutara Fort drawn in 1635 — A plan of the Kalutara Fort, drawn in 1635.
Source: Description of Ceylon in the in the Book of the Plans of all the Fortresses Cities and towns of the State of Oriental India by ATNONIO BOCARRO Dedicated to the Most Serene Royal Majesty Philip IV of the Spains and III of Portugal our Lord the King February 17, 1635. . Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Sri Lanka

According to Bocarro, before King Mayadunne’s assault, Kalutara was a square fort with four bastions. Each side was about 30 paces (roughly 23 meters). The ramparts rose to a height of 4 fathoms (about 7.3 meters) and were around 6 spans wide (approximately 1.4 meters). Inside the fort stood a Franciscan church and residential buildings. After retaking the fort in the 1630s, the Portuguese reinforced the stone walls with coconut logs. The fort housed 25 soldiers, with some of the bastions used as their quarters.

In February 1642, the fort was ceded to the Dutch through a treaty. However, they abandoned it the following year, and the Portuguese reoccupied it until 1655. In October of that year, the Dutch launched an operation from Beruwala beach, marched inland to Kalutara, and successfully reclaimed the fort.

A decade later, in 1667, Schweitzer, a German soldier in the Dutch army, was stationed there. He recorded that the fort had been fully restored with new ramparts, moats, and a drawbridge, with construction taking place during the day and guard duties maintained at night.

In 1796, the British, under General Stuart, seized the fort from the Dutch. It served as a military camp until shortly after the fall of the Kandyan Kingdom in 1815, after which the British abandoned it. In 1915, the site was repurposed as the residence of the Kalutara Agent.

During the early 1960s, the fort premises were transferred to the Kalutara Bodhi Trust, and the present Kalutara Dagoba was erected on this historic ground.

Map of the Kalutara Fort drawn in 1635 from the Plantas das fortalezas da India, de Portugal. Tomo II [Manuscrito] (manuscript of Plants of the fortresses of India, of Portugal. Volume II) by António Bocarro, and João Teixeira Albernaz from the digital archives of the National Library of Spain

කළුගඟ හරහා කළුතර බලකොටුව දිස්වන අයුරු. දිය සායමක්. වසර නොදනී. — Kalutara Fort seen across the Kalu River. A watercolor painting. Year unknown.
Source : Illustrations and Views of Dutch Ceylon 1602-1796

1672 දී කළුතර පෘතුගීසී බලකොටුවේ චිත්‍රයක් — A plan of the Kalutara Fort, drawn in 1672.
Source : Illustrations and Views of Dutch Ceylon 1602-1796

A plan of the Kalutara Fort, Sri Lanka drawn in 1672 - From the National Archives of Netherlands — A plan of the Kalutara Fort, Sri Lanka drawn in 1672 – From the National Archives of Netherlands

කළුතර බලකොටුව 1710 දී දිය සායමක් - a watercolour painting of Kalutara Fort in 1710 — Kalutara Fort in 1710, a watercolor painting.
Source : Illustrations and Views of Dutch Ceylon 1602-1796

1717-1721 අතර රම්ෆ්ගේ දිනපොතන් (ලංකාවේ ලන්දේසි ආණ්ඩුකාරතුමා) වර්ණ ගැන්වූ පින්තූර - කළුතර බලකොටුව - ඊසාන දෙසින් හාවයඹ දෙසින් .- colored paintings from Rumpf's Diary (the Dutch Governor of Ceylon) 1717 -1721 - Views of the Kalutara Fort from North-west and South-west — Kalutara Fort – Northeast and Northwest Views – Colored Illustrations from Rumpf’s Diaries (Dutch Governor of Ceylon) between 1717-1721.
source : Illustrations and Views of Dutch Ceylon 1602-1796

1717-1721 අතර රම්ෆ්ගේ දිනපොතන් (ලංකාවේ ලන්දේසි ආණ්ඩුකාරතුමා) වර්ණ ගැන්වූ පින්තූර - කළුතර බලකොටුව - උතුරු දෙසින් හා දකුණු දෙසින් . - colored paintings from Rumpf's Diary (the Dutch Governor of Ceylon) 1717 -1721 - Views of the Kalutara Fort from North and South — Kalutara Fort – North and South Views – Colored Illustrations from Rumpf’s Diaries (Dutch Governor of Ceylon) between 1717-1721.
source: Illustrations and Views of Dutch Ceylon 1602-1796

1717-1721 අතර රම්ෆ්ගේ දිනපොතන් (ලංකාවේ ලන්දේසි ආණ්ඩුකාරතුමා) වර්ණ ගැන්වූ පින්තූර - කළුතර බලකොටුව සැලැස්මක් - A plan of the Kalutara Fort drawn between 1717-1721 — A plan of Kalutara Fort – Colored Illustrations from Rumpf’s Diaries (Dutch Governor of Ceylon) between 1717-1721.
source : Illustrations and Views of Dutch Ceylon 1602-1796

1744 දී අඳිනලද කළුතර බලකොටුවේ සැළැස්මක් - A plan of the Kalutara Fort drawn in 1744 — A plan of the Kalutara Fort, drawn in 1744.
Source : Illustrations and Views of Dutch Ceylon 1602-1796

References

Abeyasinghe, T. B. H. , 1995, Description of Ceylon in the in the Book of the Plans of all the Fortresses Cities and towns of the State of Oriental India by ATNONIO BOCARRO Dedicated to the Most Serene Royal Majesty Philip IV of the Spains and III of Portugal our Lord the King February 17, 1635. . Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Sri Lanka , new series. 1995. Vol. 39, p. 33-38.
DE SILVA, RAJPAL KUMAR and BEUMER, WILLEMINA G. M, 1988, Illustrations and views of Dutch Ceylon, 1602-1796. London : Serendib Publications.
GEIGER, WILHELM, 1929, Cūlavamsa being the more recent part of the Mahāvamsa, Part 1. London.
GEIGER, WILHELM, 1929, Cūlavamsa being the more recent part of the Mahāvamsa, Part 2. London.
Kalutara, 2020. Voc-sri-lanka.nl [online],
MANUKULASOORIYA, R.C. DE S., 2004, KALUTARA. Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Sri Lanka. 2004. Vol. 50, p. 43-62.
Nelson, W. A. (1984). The Dutch forts of Sri Lanka: The military monuments of Ceylon. Canongate Publishing Limited.
මහාවංශය (සිංහල), 2010. , 1. Buddhist Cultural Center.

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