The legacy of Unawatuna

A banished Indian Prince was shipwrecked and the Goddess of Earth, Manimekalai, taking pity created a rocky shelf for him to save his life and that subsequently he headed to Unawatuna. The Goddess of Chastity, Pattini, created a wall of fire to prevent him coming ashore, but being a person of some supreme power, he set in motion a tsunami with his foot to extinguish the fire and set foot on the shores of Unawatuna.

It is said that he lived in Unawatuna and helped the people in various ways. Over the years he has been venerated and worshiped, and the Kovil (or Devalaya) on the west end point of the bay which has a history of over a thousand years is believed to be the abode of this Devol deity.

In later years a Buduge, or House of Buddha, and the Swethamalee Chaitiya, or Dagaba, were built on the hillock abutting the Devala. Thousands of pilgrims throng to this place of worship every month of Esala to offer poojas. This festival is a new rice offering so most cultivators bring a share of their crop and pray for timely rain and plentiful harvest.

Some others save a fistful of rice from their daily meal and offer it, still others would purchase a few measures or even full sacks of rice along with coconuts to offer. The rice is pounded and mixed with coconut milk and treacle and made into a porridge which is then offered to the deities at the devala and given as alms to thousands of devotees who trek to the devala for the alms giving or Maha Deva Dana or Kiri Dana. Fisherfolk save and offer part of their earnings called "Goda kotasa" seeking protection on their forays into the ocean.

After defeating the Portuguese at the Fort of Negombo, the Dutch sailed south and landed on Unawatuna in 1640 and marched to Galle. The Portuguese had encountered the Dutch soldiers at Magalle (where Closenburg Hotel is now located), and fierce fighting took place there.

Over 400 Dutch soldiers were killed, and only 49 Portuguese could manage to get back to their fortification in Galle, where they were held in siege for four days before they surrendered.

The Dutch built houses for their officials in Unawatuna. The constructions include the Nooit Gedacht hotel, Unawatuna Hospital and the mansion Maharambe.

UBR hotel is situated on a land called Parangiyawatta, meaning "land of the Portuguese", and the area nearby is known as Jayakotuwa, suggesting there may have been some fortification.

The Galle tower or Edwards Pillar in Rumassala Hill is believed to have been a fake lighthouse built during World War I, and the area is shown as property of the British Admiralty in old survey maps. Unawatuna is rich in its biodiversity.

Unfortunately, its greatest potential attraction for eco-tourism was the marsh land or mangrove called Kadolana which was partially destroyed, dredged and filled up to build a chain hotel which never got off the ground. Many locals believe it to have been cursed for being built at the doorstep of the Wella Devala.

Over 60 species of endemic birds, including terns, egrets, herons, sandpipers, kingfishers, as well as rarer species such as the Lesser Whistling Duck, the Asian Palm Swift, the White Breasted Waterhen, the Turnstone Loten's Sunbird, and the Black Bittern have been sighted in the locality by ornithologists.

The birds are mostly sighted in the remaining marshy area and Rumassala Hillock.

Off the coast of Unawatuna, beneath the Indian Ocean lies a number of coral reefs, shipwrecks, and a great variety of fish and turtles. The turtles still wade onto the shore to lay their eggs, and at times, as if to lay first claim to the sandy shore now invaded by the tourists and dotted by restaurateurs, even go right into the beach front restaurants.

The Rumassala coral reefs at the east end of the Galle Harbour attract rivers, but are now endangered due to possible port development. Eco treks in the shrub jungles of Rumassala are also available.

-Internet