For a country whose length and width are merely 435 kilometres and 240 kilometres respectively, Sri Lanka, the tear-drop-shaped Buddhist island in the Indian Ocean has a remarkable variety of coastal towns.

Starting at windswept Galle with its Dutch colonial vibes in the south-west, next in line is the cosmopolitan financial capital Colombo. Then on to Negombo, the sunny Catholic fishing town in the west, to Jaffna in the north which till recently was completely out of bounds to all and sundry. And finally, Trincomalee in the north-east steeped in ancient Tamil culture against the backdrop of surf-worthy waves.

Come along and explore with me Sri Lanka’s five coastal gems, their unique heritages, and what not to miss. ❤

Table of Contents:

• UNESCO-listed Galle: Asia’s largest surviving colonial-era fort
• Cosmopolitan Colombo: Sri Lanka’s financial capital
• Negombo: Catholic churches and a centuries-old fishing industry
• Off-the-radar Jaffna in Sri Lanka’s north
• Trincomalee: Where ancient Tamil culture and colonial rule meet

UNESCO-LISTED GALLE: ASIA’S LARGEST SURVIVING COLONIAL-ERA FORT

Sri Lanka’s most popular coastal town, Galle [pronounced Gaalla] is a romantic windswept UNESCO-listed World Heritage Site on the south-west coast of the country. Considered to be the finest example of a surviving colonial fortified city built in Asia, the 17th Century structure is an impressive amalgamation of Dutch architecture and local traditions. But Galle has been around for much longer. Before the Dutch, the Portuguese had laid an earthen fort here in 1588. And 1,400 years ago, before them, in the 2nd Century AD, Galle was a thriving port trading with Greece, Arabia and China, according to Ptolemy’s world map.

Car-free, the Old Town is lined with columned Dutch buildings replete with gables and verandas, multiple bastions, historic churches, mosques, and a picturesque British-era lighthouse. Come evening, as the sun sets, both locals and tourists alike set out on walks along the ramparts in the company of crashing waves and painted skies.

What not to miss:

Beautifully restored, Galle’s Dutch Reformed Church or Groote Kerk dates to 1755 and is still in use today.

All Saints’ Church was built in 1871 to cater to the Anglican community. Prior to its building, Anglican services were held at the nearby Groote Kerk.

Left: Old Gate’s granite plaque is engraved with the Dutch East India Company emblem and the year 1669 [when the entrance was built]; Right: Lunch at the nearby ‘A Minute By Tuk Tuk,’ an institution of sorts.

Dutch-era cannon guarding Galle Fort’s fortifications. Originally a Portuguese earthen structure, the fort was fortified in 1663 by the Dutch who added 13 bastions made of coral and granite.

The Dutch sea-wall [1729] together with Sri Lanka’s oldest lighthouse [1848] and Meeran Jumma Masjidh [1907] make for a splendid view.

Just outside UNESCO-listed Galle Fort are two attractions well worth a visit: Kosgoda Sea Turtle Conservation Project and the Nichiren Buddhist Japanese Peace Pagoda.

Where to stay:
I stayed at Arches Fort inside Galle Fort, an 18th Century Dutch home turned into a hotel.

COSMOPOLITAN COLOMBO: SRI LANKA’S FINANCIAL CAPITAL

No other city gives one a better opportunity to understand Sri Lanka from a 21st Century Sri Lankan lens than Colombo. Often underrated and sidelined by travellers, Sri Lanka’s financial capital is a microcosm of the country. The difference being its rich heritage has not morphed into purely tourist attractions. They are still a part of indigenous life.

Take for instance Kelaniya Raja Maha Viharaya, the 2,600-year-old temple which Buddha himself is believed to have visited and gifted a gem-encrusted throne to be embedded inside a magnificent snow-white stupa. Or the Gangaramaya Temple funded by citizens across faiths and used as a meditation hub. Then there are ancient Tamil Hindu temples, and colonial churches from Dutch and British eras that are in use to date, with Galle Face Green, the city’s social meeting place laid out in 1859. For the perfect wrap, take a heritage walk in the historical Fort and Pettah districts for loads of quirky stories and unexpected minutiae!

What not to miss:

Reclining Buddha in the Kelaniya Raja Maha Viharaya. The temple site was consecrated in 580 BC and is associated with Buddha’s third and final visit to Sri Lanka.

Seema Malaka, part of the 19th Century Gangaramaya Temple, was designed by Geoffrey Bawa and funded by a Muslim couple in memory of their son.

Colombo’s Fort and Pettah [Old Town] were first developed by the Dutch and, thereafter, by the British. Left: Jami Ul-Alfar Mosque in Pettah [1909]; Right: Cargills Department Store [1906] entrance in Fort.

A pair of 9th Century bronze sandals, for a [now missing] 3-metre-high Bodhisattva, Colombo National Museum. The museum was established in 1877 and is the largest in the country.

I was here: At the Wolvendaal Church [1757]. Graves of 18th Century Dutch men and women cover the church floor.

Sri Lanka’s emblem at Galle Face Green, a strip of manicured lawns facing the Indian Ocean.

Where to stay and how to explore:
I stayed at the Cinnamon Red [it has awesome views] and explored Fort and Pettah with Colombo Walks.

NEGOMBO: CATHOLIC CHURCHES AND A CENTURIES-OLD FISHING INDUSTRY

Forty kilometres north of Colombo is a sunny sleepy Catholic fishing town called Negombo. The proverbial seaside escape, it is built around a centuries-old fishing industry, which still serves as its lifeline, and a fishing community which converted to Catholicism under Portuguese evangelism in the 16th Century. But it is not its beaches which are its draw-card. Rather, it is the Muthurajawela Wetlands bordering the coast, filled with a prolific birdlife and cheeky Toque Macaques [Old World Monkeys], to which travellers throng to.

Predominantly Sinhalese, Negombo also served as a port of call for Arab vessels from the 9th Century onward leading to the introduction of Sri Lankan Moors into the country’s populace. Tourist itineraries reflect Negombo’s secularism with stops at places of worship across different faiths including the atmospheric Angurukaramulla Buddhist Temple and neoclassic St. Mary’s Church, the vibrant harbour and fish market, followed with a gentle cruise down the Negombo Lagoon.

What not to miss:

One of Negombo’s loveliest churches, the neoclassic St. Mary’s Church was completed in 1922. If you are lucky, you just may get to witness a Sri Lankan catholic wedding in full ceremony.

All that remains of the 17th Century Portuguese-initiated Negombo Fort is a small part of the rampart and a recessed gateway. In the late-19th Century the British demolished the fort to build a prison.

Close to the fort and at the mouth of the Negombo Lagoon is the town’s lifeline: Its fishing harbour and fish market. An industry that has survived centuries.

No trip to Negombo is complete without a boat safari in the Muthurajawela Wetlands, complemented with a fruit spread and Toque Macaques [Old World Monkeys] for company.

Angurukaramulla Buddhist Temple is a riot of vibrant murals and effigies recounting Jataka stories and scenes from Buddha’s life.

Snack stall at Negombo Beach – the local way.

Where to stay and how to explore:
I stayed at the Terrace Green Hotel & Spa and explored Negombo with Capital Tuk-Tuk Tours.

OFF-THE-RADAR JAFFNA IN SRI LANKA’S NORTH

One of Sri Lanka’s best kept secrets is Jaffna, a medieval Tamil city perched on the northern-most tip of the island, defiantly rising above gunned-down homes and buildings. Inaccessible for 26 years to both locals and foreigners, the city was the epicentre of the LTTE-Sinhalese civil war which lasted from 23 July, 1983 to 19 May, 2009. It is only in the last 15 years that normalcy has returned to it, revealing sights from its role as the capital of the once invincible Jaffna Kingdom [13th to 17th Century] and subsequent four hundred years of colonial rule, punctuated with a smattering of odes to its hero-king Cankili II.

Jaffna’s highlights include the famed Nallur Kandaswamy Temple and Manthirimanai, the ‘Abode of the Minister,’ along with the majestic pentagon-shaped Jaffna Fort. What adds to Jaffna’s charms is that its rich Tamil heritage set against a stark coastline extends beyond the city, into Jaffna peninsula and a string of isles on the Palk Strait.

What not to miss:

Nallur Kandaswamy Temple, Jaffna’s cultural and spiritual hub, dedicated to the Hindu god Murugan [Shiva and Parvati’s elder son].

In memory of Jaffna’s hero: Jaffna Kingdom’s last king, Cankili II, who valiantly fought against the Portuguese in 1619, but lost.

A blend of European and Dravidian architectural styles, Manthirimanai, the ‘Abode of the Minister,’ is part of Jaffna Kingdom’s ruins.

The 400-year-old pentagon-shaped Jaffna Fort is inexorably tied to the city’s colonial and modern history: From the arrival of the Portuguese, Sri Lanka’s first colonial rulers in 1619, to the civil war which ended in 2009.

Many of Jaffna’s fisherfolk are Catholic because of the large-scale conversions carried out by the Portuguese in the 17th Century.

Established in 1933, Jaffna’s Public Library was once one of Asia’s largest libraries with an extensive collection of ancient texts. Though most of these were burnt during the civil war, the library is slowly finding its mojo back.

Where to stay and how to explore:
I stayed at Jaffna Heritage Hotel and explored Jaffna with Dilushan of Elite Travels.

NOTE:
You may also like to read Jaffna: The Unexplored North of Sri Lanka [detailed post]

TRINCOMALEE: WHERE ANCIENT TAMIL CULTURE AND COLONIAL RULE MEET

Trincomalee, the English corruption of ‘Thiru-kona-malai’ meaning ‘Lord of the Sacred Hill,’ refers to the Hindu Shiva temple which stood in the city since the 6th Century. Known as the Koneswaram Temple Complex, ancient texts described it as a “Dravidian-styled temple with a thousand pillars” and “Mount Kailash of the South.” Its edifices were destroyed and used as building blocks by the invading Portuguese in 1622 for their fort, which the Dutch later expanded. Apart from Koneswaram, Trincomalee houses two other sacred temples: the 11th Century Pathirakali Amman Temple decorated with multi-coloured effigies on its columns and ceiling, and the Salli Muthumariamman Kovil on Uppuveli Beach.

Whilst ancient Tamil culture has always been an integral part of Trincomalee’s heritage, its four-hundred-year-old colonial history is just as much a part of it, even if it was at the expense of the former. The two mismatched warring elements today sit side-by-side against some of Sri Lanka’s best surfing beaches.

What not to miss:

Salli Muthumariamman Kovil facing the famed Uppuveli Beach is dedicated to Amman, the Hindu goddess of rain.

Filled with amazing colourful effigies from Hindu mythology, Pathirakali Amman Temple or the Kali Kovil was enlarged by King Rajendra Chola I of Madurai in the 11th Century. Don’t forget to look up!

Trincomalee’s oldest temple, the 6th Century BC Koneswaram Temple, was attacked and destroyed by the Portuguese in 1622. With its debris, the colonial rulers built Fort of Triquillimale [later renamed Fort Fredrick by the Dutch].

Left: Dutch-era gateway inside Fort Fredrick [1675]; Right: Statue of Shiva at the entrance of the restored 1952 Koneswaram Temple inside Fort Fredrick.

Trincomalee War Cemetery with graves of the British soldiers and their allies who died during World War II.

Velgam Vehera aka Natanar Kovil, a 4th Century BC Buddhist temple on the outskirts of Trincomalee. The temple has historically been worshiped by both Buddhists and Hindus alike.

Where to stay:
I stayed at the Trinco Blu by Cinnamon. Its chalets are right on the beach, and the breakfast spread is fab.

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Tempted to now travel to Sri Lanka’s coastal towns? Wishing you happy travels, always. 🙂

Note: I used Visit in Lanka for my transport arrangements.

[This blog post is part of a series from my solo independent travels to Sri Lanka. To read more posts in my Sri Lanka series, click here.]