Giving history a facelift
Jaffna Fort restored to former glory:
by P. Krishnaswamy
With the renovation work on the Jaffna Fort nearing completion, the
Jaffna Fort will be restored to its pristine glory. Meanwhile, work on
the restoration is going on apace and most of the restoration work is
almost over. The World Bank funded program to transform the Northern
capital to a modern city, is also being carried out simultaneously,
Jaffna Government Agent (GA) Nagalingam Vedanayahan told the Sunday
Observer.
The Jaffna Fort, the second largest in Sri Lanka was one of the
picturesque monuments which contributed to the glory that was Jaffna.
The Fort that stood tall in the city with its historical buildings and
residences was damaged during the long years of the conflict.
Intact
While the Dutch Fort in Galle remains intact, sadly the plight of the
Jaffna Fort was far different. Residents recall the time when the Army
used it as a camp – known as the ‘Fort Camp’ – and later captured by the
LTTE to store weapons. The magnificent Dutch architecture was soon
marred by the pockmarks, war ravaged walls. The X-shaped Dutch Church,
destroyed during the war, is also nearing completion under the Jaffna
Fort Restoration Project.
Besides, the renovation of the Queen’s House within the Fort – spread
across four acres of land– is almost complete. But before all this got
off the ground, the Army Bomb Disposal Squad had to clear the moat where
hidden caches of ammunition and mortars were found. The Fort contained
armoury and the barracks, used by the Dutch and British soldiers during
the colonial era. The Fort had tunnels which connected areas within the
fortress. It remained under Army control and is now being rebuilt with a
massive labour contribution by the Army.
Renewed interest
There is renewed interest in reviving Sri Lanka’s lost heritage and
the Sri Lankan and the Netherlands Governments are keen to restore what
remains in Sri Lanka of the Dutch colonial heritage. Since the early
1990s, there was renewed effort to strengthen cultural ties between the
two countries and rediscover the shared heritage. In this regard, the
Dutch maritime heritage, in Jaffna and Galle was considered significant.
Interestingly, during the restoration, the teams of the Department of
Archaeology and the Department of History of the University of Jaffna
found pre-colonial artefacts including stones from destroyed Hindu
temples and medieval pottery. Roman coins and Dutch period artefacts
were also found indicating the site’s historical significance.
During a much earlier excavation, the Department of Archaeology found
a Chola inscription, believed to have been unearthed from one of the
destroyed temples in the area.
Provincial Director of the Urban Development Authority (UDA), Jaffna
Y.A.G.K. Gunatillake said the Fort is being renovated under the World
Heritage Site concept. The moat that was cleared of artillery shells,
Unexploded Devices and landmines has already been dredged and it has
been linked to the clean water in the lagoon. The clearing of the moat
has facilitated the renovations/reconstruction of the ramparts and
bastions. The Fort is to be developed as a major tourist attraction with
boating and other entertainment facilities with an increased number of
both local and foreign tourists expected to visit it, Gunatillake said.
More than 150 workers are now holed up inside, making artificial
limestone bricks by mixing cement, crushed limestone and sand. They turn
out 300 bricks a day, although thousands are needed to finish the job.
“The biggest challenge we face in carrying out the restoration is
finding coral stone because environmental laws prevent us from quarrying
lime stone so we have to improvise”, official sources said.
The artificial bricks are the nearest they can get to the real thing,
although some stones, salvaged from war-damaged homes, are also being
used, sources said. While dredging the moats, they found of lot of
munitions as well as coral stones and those stones are also being used
in our work, the sources further said.
As Jaffna undergoes a quick and intensive facelift, the
identification of the needs of the people in virtually all sectors is
also met and the renovated magnificent Jaffna Fort will stand tall in
the projected modern city before long, the GA said.
Jaffna’s 19th century, 27-acre Old Park, has been restored to its
former glory. Work on the renovation of the Duraiyappa Stadium is in
progress to bring it to the level of a national stadium and all
buildings and tourist attractions in the vicinity of the Dutch Fort are
being given a facelift, the GA said.
Portuguese
The Fort, originally built by the Portuguese in 1618 following their
invasion of Jaffna, was successively occupied by the three colonial
rulers of the country and, after independence, it was occupied not only
by the Sri Lankan Army but also by the LTTE from 1986 to 1995, during
the 30 decade-long conflict.
It was recaptured by the Army in 1995 after a 50-day siege during
‘Operation Riviresa’.
The renovation work started in December 2009 with an initial
allocation of Rs.’104 million, 40 percent which was borne by the
Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and 60 percent by the government of the
Netherlands - the GOSL contributed Rs 42.2 million and The Netherlands
contributed Rs 62.2 million. The project was due to be completed by
2020, with 78 percent work already completed (Upto the end of August
2015) and the rest of the work was completed in 2020 phased over next
five years. The total expenditure that will be incurred for the complete
restoration is estimated to be about Rs.546 million, according to
official sources.Buildings inside the Fort include the Governor’s
residence, Queen’s House, the Garrison Parade Grounds, police quarters
and several buildings are from the Portuguese era. Another significant
landmark in the Fort is the Dutch Church,or Kruys Kerk, that was built
in 1706. Had it survived, it would have become the oldest Dutch Church
in Sri Lanka. It was built using imported Dutch bricks and was well
preserved even after 350 years. |
