Hammenhiel Fort in Jaffna | AmazingLanka.com

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Hammenhiel Fort in Jaffna
Photo By : Wasana Sampath

Strategically perched on a coral outcrop, Hammenhiel Fort guarded the Jaffna Lagoon. Originally Portuguese, it was captured by the Dutch in 1658 after a water shortage forced surrender. Named for its position on the “heel” of Ceylon’s ham-shaped map, this octagonal water fort now serves as a unique boutique hotel.

Hammenhiel Fort is situated on a small rocky island at the entrance to the Jaffna Lagoon. The fort was constructed by the Portuguese in mid-1618 using quarried coral, and it was originally named Fortaleza Real (Fort Royal).

Portuguese Period and Dutch Capture

In March 1658, after enduring a siege that lasted three months, the Portuguese surrendered the fort to the Dutch. A critical weakness of the fort was its lack of a natural source of fresh water. During the Dutch assault, their attack unintentionally destroyed the fort’s wooden rainwater storage tank. This loss of water supply ultimately forced the Portuguese to surrender the stronghold (Heydt, 1952).

Dutch Reconstruction and Design

The Dutch rebuilt the fort in 1680 and renamed it Hammenhiel, meaning “Heel of the Ham.” During reconstruction, they retained the original Portuguese masonry layout. The fort was designed with eight sides, seven of which were flat, while the eighth side—forming the southern entrance—had a slight concave curve.

Additional modifications were introduced by the Dutch. A small jetty was constructed to improve access, and on the northeastern rocky projection, a triangular extension was added. This feature enhanced the fort’s الدفاع capabilities by allowing flanking fire (Nelson, 1984).

Armament and Later History

Each of the seven flat sides of the fort contains two gun embrasures. The northeastern triangular projection includes one embrasure on each of its sides, while the entrance front has a single embrasure. Altogether, the fort was equipped with 17 guns.

After remaining under Dutch control for 115 years, the fort was handed over to the British in 1795 without resistance (Nelson, 1984).

The April 1940 Journal of the Dutch Burger Union of Ceylon has a detailed description of the fort.

“The strange serenity of the little Dutch water-fort, Hammenhiel, invests this memorial with a sense of departed usefulness which is most striking. It stands on a rock at the entrance to Jaffna lagoon, and is surrounded on all sides by the sea. In those forgotten days of tumult, Hammenhiel served on the north, like Mannar Fort in the south, to guard the passage by water to the Castle or Key Fort at Jaffna.
The fort is octagonal in shape and the base of the ramparts is washed by the surf. It would appear that the walls were originally raised and the place was fortified on the orders of the Portuguese Governor of Jaffna, Antonio do Amaralde Menezes, a few years before the arrival of the Dutch. The historian Baldaeus, who accompanied the Dutch army to the assault on Jaffna, gives a brief description of the blockade, and the attack on Hammenhiel by the fleet, before Jaffna capitulated two hundred and eighty-two years ago, The Portuguese only held out for a fortnight and were obliged to surrender for want of water.

When the Dutch occupied this water-fort they found that the sand bank on which it was built had been undermined by the storms of the north-east monsoon. They remedied this bypiling up a breakwater of stones4 . The Portuguese had built the ramparts hollow, and had roofed the m with beams which supported a floor of stone and chunam, with a view to the space being utilized for storing provisions and ammunition.
Since the beams were liable to decay, and the floor had to support the weight of the cannon without fear of its giving way when the guns were moved about and turned round, the Dutch considered this a mistake and they replaced the roof by an entire stone vault.

Hammenhiel Fort — From the “Journal of the Dutch Burger Union of Ceylon” of April 1940

Finally, profiting by the error of their predecessors, the Dutch took special pains to ensure a satisfactory water supply. On the northern side of the fortress they built a huge reservoir, paved with ” Dutch Bricks” to collect and preserve the rain water. This reservoir had, however, been built so high that it reached above the parapets and was, therefore, exposed to the fire and possibility of ruin by the enemy. The defect was pointed out time and again at subsequent inspections of the fortress, but since it was a new work, it was allowed to remain until such time as alterations could be effected. It nevertheless stands as originally constructed and to this day conserves a supply of clear, fresh water.
A low vaulted gateway, not more t h a n seven feet in height, is the only entrance to this water-fort. The living quarters consist of three or four rooms in the courtyard. The vaults under the ramparts were doubtless used as store rooms. The Dutch invariably maintained a garrison of thirty men under the charge of a Lieutenant or Ensign on this spot, and the early Dutch Governors make very special mention in their memoirs that Hammenhiel must be carefully guarded, ” none but Dutch being stationed there “

From the "Journel of the Duch Burger Union of Ceylon" of April 1940 — From the “Journal of the Duch Burger Union of Ceylon” of April 1940

Not the least of, the many appealing features of Fort Hammenhiel and its pleasant surroundings, is the popular theory how it got its name. The Dutch, when they pictured the shape of Ceylon, saw in it a resemblance to a smoked ham. Hammenhiel means ” the heel of the ham “, and with a little imagination the picturesque little water-fort might very well be placed at the point where the shank bone projects.
How strangely are place-names derived! In more recent years this seagirthed spot, about half a mile from Karativu and one mile from Kayts, was used as an infectious diseases hospital. Its isolation and breeziness could hardly have been put to better purpose. Thus, on these ramparts, where in the past Dutch sentries scanned the horiaon for’ hostile craft or private vessels which had to be searched before they were permitted to proceed down the fairway, convalescents from plague or small-pox, drawn from that stream of humanity whioh crossed over from India to open Central Ceylon in Tea, bemoaned a fate which had stalled their efforts to brave the perils of their long journey.”

Modern Use and Transformation

During the 1980s, this fort was utilized as a public health isolation station for immigrants arriving from India. Following the end of the 30-year separatist war involving the LTTE, the fort was subsequently converted into a boutique hotel by the Sri Lanka Navy.

A plan of the Hammenhiel Fort in Jaffna, Sri Lanka drawn in the 17th century - From the national archives of Netherlands — A plan of the Hammenhiel Fort in Jaffna, Sri Lanka drawn in the 17th century – From the national archives of the Netherlands

References

Baldaeus, P. (1672). A True and Exact Description of the Most Celebrated East-India Coasts of Malabar and Coromandel and Also of the Isle of Ceylon (1st ed.). Janssonius van Waasberge en van Someren.
Heydt, J. W. (1952). Heydt’s Ceylon : Being the Relevant Sections of the Allerneuester Geographisch- Und Topographischer Schau-Platz Von Africa Und Ost-Indien Etc. Etc – 1744. (R. Raven-Hart, Trans.). Ceylon Government Information Department.
Nelson, W. A. (1984). The Dutch forts of Sri Lanka: The military monuments of Ceylon. Canongate Publishing Limited.

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Traveling Directions to Hammenhiel Fort in Jaffna

Jaffna can be reached through two principal routes. The most commonly used approach is via Elephant Pass, which has long served as the traditional gateway to the Jaffna Peninsula.

An alternative route reaches Jaffna from the direction of Pooneryn by crossing the Sangupiddy Bridge. This crossing follows what was historically the ancient route to the peninsula before the construction of modern highways. The route provides a connection between Jaffna and the Mannar region.

Route 01 from Colombo to Jaffna Through Kurunegala (Popular Route)	Route 02 from Colombo to Jaffna Through Puttalam and Pooneryn (Lesser Traveled Route)
Through : Kurunegala – Dambulla – Anuradhapura – Vavuniya Distance: 410 km Travel Time: 7-8 hours Driving Directions: see on Google Maps.	Through: Puttalam – Thantirimale – Mannar – Poonaryn Distance: 408 km Travel Time: 8 hours Driving Directions: see on Google Maps.

Route from Jaffna to Hammenhiel Fort

Distance :24 km
Travel time : 30-40 mins
Driving directions : see on Google map