Timeless magnificence of the Calpentyn Dutch fortress

By Ganga Ratnayake

As I stood before this imposing structure, weatherworn and centuries old, I couldn’t help but feel mesmerised by its majestic facade. For centuries it stood there eagerly gazing at the lagoon and the ocean far beyond. It has witnessed many a battles, listened to many a prayers and protected many a lives. This is the historical Dutch fortress of the Calpentyn, today known as Kalpitiya.

The Dutch fortress rests within the premises of the Vijaya Naval Base in Kalpitiya surrounded by contemporary structures, overlooking the picturesque lagoon. One of the Navy personnel guided and enlightened us on the significant events and tales around this fortress, taking us few centuries back in time.

According to him, ancient Kalpitiya was known by some interesting names. The place was referred as Kav Putti by the ancient Tamils while the Portuguese coined it as ‘Kardiv Island’. The Dutch on the other hand called this scenic coastal town as Calpetty or Calpentyn and eventually the name evolved even further until it became Kalpitiya.

At the outset Kalpitya used to be a popular hub for the Arabian merchants. But they soon had to flee from this area in the early 16th century due to the Portuguese invasion.

Thereafter the King of Portuguese bestowed their newly gained territory to their clergy, the Jesuits from the Society of Jesus (a religious order under the Roman Catholic Church). The clergy built a chapel in this area and settled down, guarded by their army.

To free this important harbour from the Portuguese army, King Rajasinghe II sought aid from the Dutch and in 1659 the Dutch army successfully conquered the area. Even though the two nations were in friendly terms, the Dutch stubbornly hogged the harbour and surrounding area without returning it to the king of Ceylon. To guard this strategic harbour from the king’s army, the Dutch built a medium size fortress in 1667 which was completed in 1676. They even topped the entrance with a unique pediment to make it look like a church from a distance.

The pediment has three arched holes where the top one used to house a bell, to be rung during emergencies. The lofty wall of the fortress is 20 feet high and features an arched entrance right beneath the pediment. The fortress walls were built using limestone, extracted from the locality, and for other structures bricks were also used. The old wooden doors of the entrance gate were added nearly a century later, as the inscription on them reads, ‘ANNOD MDCCLIX’, in other words 1759 A.D.

Between the entranceway and the pediment is a relief carving of two elephants with the letters ‘VOC’. It is the logo of United East India Company, a renowned Dutch company which governed the Asian colonies. On our right side adjoining the entrance was a fine bastion, a protruding structure where the artillery was stationed.

The interior wall facing the entrance featured a map on the wall, displaying the important sections of the fortress. Further in was the open area of the lower level surrounded by ancient ruins. Next we climbed a steep stone paved slope to reach the upper level. This slope has been used for transporting artillery including cannons.

As we walked around the top level, we came upon a row of rooms sprawling beneath us. The rooms now in ruins used to be the store rooms of the Dutch where at times some were used as barracks or quarters. Not only the army but the fortress also sheltered a small community of people including officials, devotees of the Dutch church (built outside the fortress) and merchants. To fortify their defence, the Dutch built narrow and low roofed guard posts around the fortress.

They even deployed soldiers from African and Asian slave armies, who guarded the stronghold round the clock.

After climbing down a stairway back to the lower level we came upon the ancient chapel of the Portuguese, which was later converted to barracks by the Dutch. We could still see the niches, partly crumbled, where the ancient statues used to stand near the altar. Next we went on exploring the lower level where we had a pleasant surprise. And that was stumbling upon two underground tunnels tucked away in two ends of the fortress.

They were used as escape routes during emergency, with well concealed passages leading to the entryway. One tunnel led to the sea while the other led to the Dutch church outside. It was a pity we couldn’t explore them further as they were unsafe due to dilapidation. Now this area is infested by bats, as the moist stuffy air is thoroughly saturated with the acrid odour of the bats’ waste.

The Dutch occupied this fortress until the end of 18th century. Yet following the French Revolution the British started invading the Dutch colonies including Ceylon. Meanwhile, the entire Dutch army and officials in Calpentyn were also called to Colombo. So when the British invaded the Calpentyn fortress they found it empty except for the Dutch administrative officer, who peacefully handed over the keys to the British Colonel under the orders of the Dutch governor.Walking back along the tall walled narrow passages we again returned to the open area of the lower level. And there we had yet another surprise, a skeleton of a marine giant. Spreading a good distance the gigantic skeleton of the whale comprised of its skull, jaws, ribs and spine neatly aligned before the entrance of the marine museum set up within the fortress ruins.

This mini museum was packed with interesting artefacts. There were sizable shells and conches of various shapes and hues including the rare spiky conches that were shaped like miniature dinosaurs. Next to them were ancient building materials of the Dutch including roof tiles, bricks and limestone rocks. The walls too were adorned with striking framed posters, highlighting the importance of awareness and conservation of marine life.

Just before our tour came to an end we heard that the department of archaeology and researchers from Netherlands are collaborating to restore the Dutch fortress back to its former glory. Once restored, the Calpentyn Dutch Fortress will undoubtedly become one of the most sought after historical attractions in Sri Lanka in the near future.