Burton’s Pillar (Rumassala Survey Tower) in Galle (ගාල්ල රූමස්සල පැරණි බර්ටන් මිනුම් කුළුණ)

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Edward's Pillar (Unawatuna Survey Tower) in Galle — Edward’s Pillar (Unawatuna Survey Tower) in Galle

A trigonometrical tower, also known as a trigonometric station or surveying tower, is a structure used in surveying and geodetic measurements to determine accurate positions and distances on the Earth’s surface. The purpose of a trigonometrical tower is to serve as a reference point for conducting triangulation surveys.

During the period of British colonial rule, survey towers were established in various parts of the world under British control for mapping, land surveying, and other purposes. These towers played a significant role in the British Empire’s efforts to survey and administer the territories it governed.

A survey tower on the Unawatuna Rumassala Hill has been called as Edward’s Pillar, Galle Tower in the past by various authors. The tower under discussion is called Burton’s Pillar obviously due the inscription at the foot of the pillar.

This survey tower is obviously built by W. Burton in 1875 of the Public Works Department which is now called Survey Department of Sri Lanka as per the carving on the bottom. Its a cylindrical masonry pillar made in 2 segments. the bottom segment lies on a square platform built with blocks of rocks.

This structure lacks any due maintenance and a wide crack is reported running running almost from base to top of the tower (Situge, 2001).

A pillar named Edward’s Pillar, Galle Tower has been associated to the same tower. However descriptions of the Edward’s Pillar goes as far back as 1961, 14 years before the Burton Pillar was erected. The Edward’s pillar was at the Watering Point, a rocky bluff to the eastward of the port with a natural red patch on the slope of its western face (The Mercantile Marine Magazine, 1861).

According to Brohier too, the Edwards Pillar has been located at the summit of the Rumassala Kanda mountain and states ;

“There cannot be many readers who have heard of Edward’s Pillar (resembling in the distance the Victory Column in Colombo) which crowns the summit of Rumassala Kanda. Its presence, black with age, has given rise to much speculation by the few who have seen it. Actually it is a masonry column, over sixty feet high, which was erected by a Mr. Edwards of the Survey Department many years ago, to be subsequently used as a trigonometrical station. The writer climbed it, using a series.of ladders, in 1921, to make some observations, and vouches for an exquisite view, from the summit, of the harbour, Galle town, and the surrounding country reaching way back to Adam’s Peak (Sri Pada).

On 6 July 2007, this survey tower was formally recognised by the Government as an Archaeological Protected Monument.

References

Situge, H. (2001) ‘The Galle Tower Or Edward’s Pillar’, Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Sri Lanka , (New Series) Vol 46, pp. 123–126.
(1861) The Mercantile Marine Magazine, VIII(85), pp. 135–140.
Brohier, R.L., 2000. Seeing Ceylon, 4th ed., Colombo 10: Sooriya Publishers.

Also See

Colonial Survey Towers of Sri Lanka

Map of Burton’s Pillar (Rumassala Survey Tower) in Galle

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Traveling Directions to Burton’s Pillar (Rumassala Survey Tower) in Galle

From Galle town to Burton’s Pillar (Rumassala Survey Tower)

Via : Matara Road
Total distance : 5 km
Duration : 15 mins
Driving Directions : View on Google Maps

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References

Also See

Map of Burton’s Pillar (Rumassala Survey Tower) in Galle

Traveling Directions to Burton’s Pillar (Rumassala Survey Tower) in Galle

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