Ruins of the Kiriella Portuguese Fort

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කිරිඇල්ල පෘතුගීසි බලකොටුවේ නටබුන් - Ruins of the Kiriella Portuguese Fort — Ruins of the Kiriella Portuguese Fort

After taking control of the seaside areas of the country, the Portuguese used the Kalu Ganga River to travel inland not to visit the villages, but to collect the spices and to consolidate their power in the interior of the country. As a result, they built small and medium-sized fortifications on the banks of the Kalu Ganga River. Anguruvathota, Nambapana, Allagava, Kiriella, Ratnapura and Batugedara are the fortifications built by the Portuguese along this river.

By the time the Portuguese landed in this country in 1505, the monopoly of buying spices such as cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, saffron, cardamom, pepper and ivory was in the hands of Muslim traders who came from the east via the sea routes. The spices of Sri Lanka were very precious and of high quality.

Trading of these goods also took place between Muslim traders and the Portuguese, and the Portuguese wanted to know the country that brought so many precious spices. But the Muslim traders made sure not to tell them the direction of this island. The Muslim traders avoided trading with the Portuguese due to the suspicion that if the Portuguese came here, they would not only attack the trade monopoly in this country, but also take over the affairs in their hands.

Instead of sailing to Calicut, they sailed to Aden and the Persian Gulf. Enraged by this, Francisco de Almeida, led by his son Lorenzo de Almeida, sent a major naval force to arrest Muslim merchant ships in 1505 AD.

Lorenzo de Almeida’s fleet, which had thus departed, was caught in a severe storm at sea and accidentally docked at the port of Colombo. However, Almeida’s group did not get a good response from the people of this country. In the end, the Sinhalese, frightened by the firing of cannons, unwillingly allowed Lorenzo’s army to land in this country. When Almeida realized that they had accidentally landed in the country they had been looking for – Ceylon. The end result was that arrangements were made to send a mission to the king, Weera Parakrama VIII (1484 – 1508) of the Kotte kingdom.

This accidental visit by the Portuguese raised fear among the Muslim traders who realised that they would lose their business in the country and when they met the king, they told him not to enter into alliances and agreements. The Portuguese who met the king asked him to permit them to trade in Seylan, just like the Muslims. In return, they promised the king that they would protect all the country’s seaports. Deceived by this captain’s talk, the king not only agreed but also agreed to give a stock of cinnamon annually as a ransom. The primary requirement of the Portuguese was to obtain cinnamon from Ceylon.

Portuguese, who accidentally found the island of Sri Lanka, first built a fort near Colombo Port. Thereafter they gradually built their forts around the coastal ports, defying the orders of the kings. The Portuguese also built small and medium-sized forts in the interior of the country for the protection of the areas under their control as well as storage for the spices they collected.

Kalutara was one of their strongholds. At that time, the Portuguese, who penetrated inwards along the Kalugaga River, collected spices and other trade goods from the interior of the country. It is mentioned in our historical records that forts were also built in Kaluganga Dela to store the goods collected. According to the information, forts were also built at Anguruwathota, Nambapana, Ellagava, Kiriella, Ratnapura and Batugedara, and forts were also built at Delgamu and Teppana towards the top of Kuru Ganga river which is a major tributary of the Kalu Ganga river. Almost all these forts had storage rooms.

The goods collected from the interior of the country were stored in the above-mentioned warehouses and then transported down the respective rivers by boats, barges and Theppams and stored in their main warehouse in Kalutara. Although there is some information about the above-mentioned forts, remains or exact locations are barely in existence.

This old fort of Kiriella is located about one kilometre away from Vidyala Mawatha in the centre of Ilandagoda (Kiriella) under the Kiriella Divisional Secretariat Division. This Portuguese fort, known today as Kotugodella, covers an area of more than half an acre. This historical monument is located on a high plot of land on the south bank of a bend in the Kalu Ganga river flowing from Ratnapura towards Kalutara.

The height of the top of this monument is almost 40 feet from the normal ground level. Due to cultivation, treasure thieves and other human activities, this ancient fort is almost destroyed. It is clear from the scattered stone blocks that this fort is built with huge granite blocks. Also, on the top of the fort, you can see a pit that may have been a well, and there are also several pits dug by treasure thieves. It was learned from the local residents that the remains of a stone staircase leading down from the fort can be seen on days when the water level of the river goes down.

The book “Romantic Ceylon” published in 1929, has a detailed description of this fort at that time. It states

Near the road from Panadura to Ratnapura, on the eastern bank of the Kalu-Ganga, at Kiriella, are the ruins of a large Portuguese fort, which, situated on high ground at a sharp bend in the stream, occupied a position combining strength with beauty. Built both to command the water highway and also as a store for areca, cinnamon and spices, it contained a fine residence for the Commandant, below whose windows, on the outer escarpment of the walls, spread a broad terrace overlooking the river and mountains of Kukul Korale. Here in the cool of the evening the Governor and his lady could withdraw from the military atmosphere within the battlements to enjoy the beauties of unrivalled tropical scenery.

Along the river frontage, of some sixty paces, the walls were constructed at the top of the bank, which was strengthened and protected from erosion by a curtain of huge rocks, brought from a distance by elephants, and pushed into the edge of the river until the top of the pile rose above the surface of the water. The stronghold was rectangular, with bastions at all except the south-east corner, whence the road from the gate in the eastern wail led down to the bank of the river, where, close under the wall of the fort, the ferry-boat was drawn in for protection.

To the north-west the parade-ground was artificially levelled, while to the west and east of the fort were two deep elas, formerly joined by a ditch. Since it was the duty of the Commandant of Kiriella to supervise the collection of jaggery and areca, which were obtained in great quantities from Kukul Korale, the fort was of considerable importance, and would, therefore, have contained a garrison kept as far as possible up to full strength : such a complement of men is said by Ribeiro to have amounted to “700 people, which was the usual full number. They were paid on two days in the year at . . . Christmas and at the Feast of San Joio, and the money was meant to supply the soldiers with clothing. For his sustenance. His Majesty allowed each, whatever his position, one pardao the month for extras and one and a half measures of rice a day, both of these being given into the hands of the captains, who gave the soldiers cooked food three times a day Each of them [the captains] had two villages allotted to him for the purpose and . . . the mayorals used to provide the companies with cows, hens, chickens, butter, spices and all other necessaries, the money being supplied them for these articles by the captains.”

“ The soldiers were not obliged to remain in the company more than six months—that is, from one pay-day to another—when . . . . they were free to join any company they selected, and as the captains used to supply the soldiers with their food, and as several of them did not do so in a reasonable fashion, and as, at the same time, it was considered a disgrace to complain about the food supplied by one’s captain, all of them found their remedy in this opportunity which was allowed them. None the less every captain had the same number of soldiers as the rest; for the Captain-General used to revise the lists of the companies and take the total of all and divide them equally among the companies at the rate of thirty-six or thirty-eight each, making them all equal more or less ; but the captain who had the better reputation obtained the better following and the other received the worse.”

Probably owing to the fact that the Captain of Kiriella had the handling of valuable merchandise he was a very wealthy man, and so acquired an exceptionally stalwart garrison. His house was furnished with gold beds and plate, carven tables, chairs of costly timber, and magnificent ornaments looted from the temples he had sacked. When the Dutch approached Colombo the Captain of Kiriella had to retire to aid in the defence of the capital, leaving the fort to the mercy of his enemies. Before going he caused all his priceless belongings, including a golden “ punawa ” (vessel surrounded with twelve hooded-cobra heads), to be cast into the pool below the fort, where the water was so deep that three reels of thread could not reach the bottom.

Colour is lent to this story by the fact that a brass Portuguese canrjon was found wedged in the rocks at the water’s edge when the river was exceptionally low. The treasures have never been recovered, but at night, in the dark of the moon, the heads of the twelve cobras may sometimes be seen glimmering above the surface of the river, while the hollow sound caused by the curved palms of bathers beaten upon the water echoes from the rocks below the fort, where the ghosts of long-dead Portuguese soldiers play among the deep shadows. Occasionally, too, in the darkness the highest palm-trees are shaken by these warriors of old, who, rather than wait for nuts to be plucked, shake the trees with their giant strength until the ripe fruit falls to the ground.

References:

Bassett, R.H., Laws, E.J. and Murdoch, K. (1929) Romantic Ceylon: Its History Legend and Story. London: Palmer.
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Map of Kiriella Portuguese Fort

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Driving Directions to Kiriella Portuguese Fort

Traveling Directions from Colombo to Kiriella Portuguese Fort

Via : Kaduwela – Bandaragama – Ingiriya – Kiriella
Total distance : 80 km
Duration : 2 hours
Time taken: About 20-30 minutes
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References:

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Map of Kiriella Portuguese Fort

Driving Directions to Kiriella Portuguese Fort

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