Sixty percent of Jaffna Fort restoration complete

by Mohammed Naalir

The restoration of the Jaffna Fort is taking place speedily with almost 60 percent of the work being completed. The Dutch Government has funded the project, according to National Heritage and Archaeological Director General Senerath Dissanayake.

"Visitors to the Fort can now view the full structure. As a result of terrorist activities, the Dutch Church was destroyed and was in a dilapidated state. A decision has to be taken to restore all historical sites damaged during the conflict," he said. The unique landmark, the Queen's House, is being restored and will be completed soon, Dissanayake said. The Jaffna Fort is a major tourist attraction in the North with local tourists too visiting it. It is famous for its archaeological and historical significance. The Fort was built during the Portuguese era in 1618, under the command of Philip de Olivera, he said.

"The Fort was captured by the Dutch in 1658 under Raiclop Van Goins who effected improvements. However, visitors get the impression of an original Dutch building. The Fort houses a number of archaeological monuments with historic value. The Jaffna Fort was under the control of the LTTE between 1986 and 1995. It was recaptured in 1995, following a 50-day siege during Operation Riviresa," Dissanayake said.

He said after the elimination of the LTTE, renovation work commenced in 2009. Numerous antiques had been found at the Jaffna Fort site. Chinese and Roman coins and urns are evidence of a rich cultural history. Gajalakshmee coins of the Anuradhapura era were also found at the site.The Army provided labour to clear the Jaffna Fort canal. Jaffna University Archaeological Department students too worked on the project.