Galle’s unique cultural heritage

by W.T.J.S. Kaviratne, Ambalangoda Special Cor.

A tour to Sri Lanka is incomplete if the heritage city of Galle on the Southern Coast is not included in the travel plan as a destination.

The entrance to the Galle Fort

Galle is a unique city in the island, rich in diversity. It is an ideal destination for those who seek adventure, beach holidays and exploration. Historical, archaeological and literary evidence proves that inter-religious harmony and multiculturalism had existed in Galle as a direct influence of the visits of travellers and traders.

In the wake of the tsunami, all religious dignitaries and citizens of Galle helped each other as a gesture of solidarity. Recovery was speedy and Galle emerged out of the tsunami debris like the phoenix from the ashes.

Ancient ports all over the world, since prehistoric times, had played key roles in transforming the cultural, political, religious and socio-economic aspects of civilisations.

The Port of Galle played a key role in shaping the political, cultural, social and educational revival in the entire island. The fame of Sri Lanka and its exotic scenic beauty, chiefly as a treasure trove of gems, ivory, peacocks and spices spread through every nook and corner of the ancient world. The natural harbour there, before the artificial port was created, was a much sought after destination of seafarers since ancient times.

Arrival of the Portuguese

On November 15, 1505 during the early hours of the morning, a fleet of Portuguese ships led by Lorenzo de Almeida, bound for the Maldives, or when they were chasing Moorish ships blown off course, was forced to take shelter in the Galle Port.

The museum at the Galle Fort

Galle was known by different names among seafarers. There are different legends about these names. On the day of the arrival of the Portuguese, they had heard a cock crowing. In Portuguese, a cock is known as Galo and the name Galle is thus believed to have originated. Point de Galle (Puncto de Galle) was another name given by the Portuguese.

Some historians believe that the name Galle is derived from the Sinhala word for rock (Gala) or the cattle fold. In the bygone era, all merchandise including cinnamon was transported in bullock carts to Galle.

The well-known Arabian traveller Ibn Batuta, who came from Morocco during his sojourn in Sri Lanka in 1344 AD, had mentioned in his book Rihlah that a Muslim captain of a ship called Ibrahim had entertained him at his residence in Galle or Quali.

In 1587, the Portuguese, having realised the strategic importance of the location of Galle, was successful in negotiations between Prince Dharmapala of Kotte in obtaining a limited extent of land for the construction of a fort by the Galle harbour.

Simple structure

The fortress was a simple structure according to the book on Galle by Portuguese writer Rubeiro. A moat was constructed in front of the present day main entrance and a small bridge over the moat facilitated movement. King Rajasinghe captured this fortress in 1581 -1593, but the Portuguese forces recaptured it.

The Fort overlooking the Indian Ocean

In 1619 AD, the Portuguese, preparing for future invasions, built a fortress of great strength which was known as the Black Fort. More than 26 Portuguese families lived in this fort including provincial Catholic priests, captains of Portuguese battalions, the manager in charge of the stores and workers employed by Portuguese masters.

After 53 years of Portuguese reign in the maritime provinces, on March 8, 1640, under the command of Wilhelm Jacobsz Coster, the Dutch landed in 12 ships with a battalion of 2,000 soldiers and the Portuguese fortress was captured in a siege which lasted four days.

A harrowing anecdote reveals how a group of Portuguese women and children were locked up for safety in an underground vault of the fortress beneath St. Antonio, while fierce battles were in progress.

All the Portuguese who knew of the whereabouts of the women and children were killed in battle. There was no one to rescue the women and children and they died in the chamber due to starvation and suffocation. After many days, the Dutch invaders discovered the corpses inside the vault.

After capturing Galle in March 1640, the Dutch maintained the trade activities in the maritime provinces until 1796 AD. The VOC (Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie) Dutch East India Company started fortifications covering 87 acres. In the 17th and 18th centuries, VOC enjoyed a reputation as the largest trading and shipping company in the world with a fleet of over 150 ships.

Special attention

During the fortifications done in 1667 AD, the Dutch paid special attention to the land-side and constructed the Sun, Moon and Star bastions. They were fully aware of the heavy competition among the seafaring European nations of the British, French, Danish, Spanish and Portuguese to capture countries surrounded by the Indian Ocean.

A section of the Fort

On the seaside, Aurora, Utrecht, Triton, Neptune, Klippenburg, Aeolus and Akerloot bastions were constructed and by 1729, these defences were completed. The ramparts with watch towers of the fort gradually became popular promenades for visitors.

The oldest Protestant Church of Sri Lanka, famous for its unique Dutch architecture is in the Fort known as Groote Kerk, constructed by Casparus de Jong in 1752 AD as an offering of thanks for the birth of a daughter. The Bell Tower constructed in 1701, old Dutch Government House (Queen’s House) dating back to 1683, the New Oriental Hotel, the oldest hotel in Sri Lanka originally constructed in 1684 and first used as an administrative office of the Dutch and later registered as an inn in 1863, and the library set up in 1871 are some of the other attractions.

Diplomatic ties

The American Colonel Henry Steele Olcott and Russian H.P. Blavatsky set sail in a ship known as Ethiopia and reached the Galle Port on May 17, 1880.

Inspired by the Panadura Debate, Colonel Olcott came to Sri Lanka and embraced Buddhism at the Wijayananda Buddhist Temple, Galle and revived Buddhist education in Sri Lanka.

Diplomatic ties between Sri Lanka and the USA originated in Galle. In 1850, the first American Commercial Agent John Black began trade between the two countries. References have been made on Black in Galle and the trade activities in American documents and journals.

The view from the road

The Galle Port lay on the ancient sea route and trading vessels from China, Rome, Arabia and Europe called at the Port. In the late 19th century, steamships from America and Europe travelling to the Far East stopped at the Galle Port to gather the produce of the island. Ice from New England ponds was used to chill beverages in Colombo in the era of sailing ships before the American Civil War.

The arrival of Arabians, Chinese, Portuguese, Dutch and British in Galle paved the way for a cosmopolitan atmosphere which caused an indelible impact on the culture, socio-economic conditions, attitudes and lifestyles of the citizenry. Traces of this influence can be felt even today in Galle.

Galle was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1987. In 1976, the Municipal Council of Velsen City in the Netherlands approved a twinning arrangement with the city. The Galle Municipal Council is responsible for this arrangement in Sri Lanka in close co-operation with the Netherlands Alumni Association.

Various development projects have been implemented in Galle including the preservation of Dutch period artefacts in the Fort with the assistance of the Galle-Velsen Twin City Program.