Mannar Fort | AmazingLanka.com

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Walking along the walls of the Mannar Fort

Mannar Island is part of Mannar District, Sri Lanka. It is linked to the main island of Sri Lanka by a causeway. It has an area of about 125 square kilometers, mainly covered with vegetation and sand.

At the entrance point where the current road over the causeway connects to the bridge lies the ancient Fort built by the Portuguese. The Portuguese chronicler and geographer António Bocarro who served as chronicler-general of the Portuguese State of India, has provided a map and a description of the Portuguese Fort as in 1635.

It was built by Lopo Soares de Albergaria in the year 1518 and is square-shaped, as can be seen in the plan which is a very rough drawing of the island and the fort (see below). The stretches of ramparts which run from one bastion to another between the three bastions, with which this fort is equipped are of little importance, being less than two fathoms (3.6 meters) in height, but with the parapets and the thickness of the wall being six spans (1.4 meters) and each stretch of rampart being eight fathoms (14.6 meters) long and each of the two sheltered bastions being taller than the rampart. The bastion on the bay side is still lower than that facing the mainland.(Abeyasinghe, 1995)

Bocarro also states that the fort was at one time very wealthy and earned much revenue from the seed pearl fishery that used to be held within the area coming under it. With the depletion of the pearl oysters, he states what then exists is only a relic of the old grandeur of the fort. (Abeyasinghe, 1995)

The fort was captured by the Dutch in 1658 after much resistance from the Portuguese but other than reinforcing the fort, no significant change was done to the fort.

On October 5, 1795, the fort was surrendered to the British, like all other northern forts, without any resistance. It subsequently became a key strategic location for assembling troops in preparation for the major offensive south towards Colombo (Nelson, 1984).

This fort was inaccessible to the public for decades due to the LTTE Terrorist activities in the area. Once the LTTE was destroyed in 2009 this area was opened to public transport. Now the area surrounding the fort is used by the police department. However, the public is not restricted from visiting the fort.

The Mannar Fort has four bastions and it’s still in good condition although the buildings inside the fort have not been properly maintained. You can roam around the fort with no restrictions. Access to the top of the ramparts is on the left after entering the fort. From here you can walk all around the fort getting a bird’s eye view of the ruined buildings inside.

At two ends of the building’s square, there are two rooms that lack both doors and windows. Their tops are covered by a now-broken concrete slab supported by large iron bars. The only access to these rooms is via small steel steps affixed to one side of the wall. It is likely that these rooms once served as prison cells.

Additionally, among the buildings, you can spot the ruins of an old church. The church features several gravestones from the Dutch colonial era, which are embedded in the floor and walls.

Two watchtowers with barely enough space to fit a human still stand tall at opposite corners.

The map of the Portuguese Fort of Mannar from "Plantas das cidades, portos, e fortalezas da conquista da India Oriental" (Plans of the cities, ports, and fortresses of the conquest of East India) by Albernaz, João Teixeira published between 1600-1650 from the digital archives of the National Library of France. — The map of the Portuguese Fort of Mannar from “Plantas das cidades, portos, e fortalezas da conquista da India Oriental” (Plans of the cities, ports, and fortresses of the conquest of East India) by Albernaz, João Teixeira published between 1600-1650 from the digital archives of the National Library of France.

Map of the Mannar 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

Dutch Fort of Mannar drawn in 1672 from the national archives of Netherlands — The Dutch Fort of Mannar drawn in 1672 from the national archives of the Netherlands

This original rare old antique engraved print from: “Oud en Nieuw Oost-Indiën” by François Valentyn / Valentijn, published in 1724-1726. l source : lankapura.com

The ramp up to the wall o of Mannar Fort

An doorless room with access only from the top. This probably was a prison cell - Walking along the walls of the Mannar Fort

Ruined buildings inside the fort - Walking along the walls of the Mannar Fort

A Guard Post at one of the corners - Walking along the walls of the Mannar Fort

Another Guard Post at one of the corners - Walking along the walls of the Mannar Fort

References

Abeyasinghe, T. B. H. (1995). Description of Ceylon in the Book of the Plans of all the Fortresses Cities and towns of the State of Oriental India by ANTONIO 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 39, 1–83.
De Silva, R. K., & Beumer, W. G. M. (1988). Illustrations and views of Dutch Ceylon 1602-1796. Serendib Publications.

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