Galle
Derived from the Latin word ‘Gallus’
meaning a cock, Galle the present capital of
the South is a town filled with monuments of
the past combines with the best of the sand
and the sun Sri Lanka has to offer. Situated
115 kilometers away from the capital of Colombo
it could be accessed by train in 5 hours and
by private bus or hired transport an hour less.
Galle was an ancient port and Sri Lanka’s
still functioning ancient cities and first international
commerce and trade centre. It is a town where
you will be sure to find both exploring the
past and sun bathing on white sandy beaches
over shadowed by the Galle Fort a haven.
The National Museum of Galle occupies the oldest
extent building built by the Dutch in the 17th
century. The Fort is the heart of Galle's
history. The old Dutch 'Star' fort
covering 36 hectares, the well-preserved Groote
Kerk (Dutch Church), Dutch Government House,
the New Oriental Hotel (built in 1684) old bell
tower and a tide-based Sewage-System, also introduced
by the Dutch. In Galle they still make the Dutch
'pillo-lace' and do fine ebony-carving and gem-polishing.
Galle is the excellent sea bathing spot.
It is famous for its lovely Unawatuna
Bay, where the sea is reef protected and therefore
safe for swimming and snorkeling.
In the town you will find the buildings are
bigger, newer and taller than what they had
been. Yet Galle will always be Galle, with its
beloved slumbering homeliness. Towers may fall,
wars may end, but in the middle of the town
the Galle Fort, will continue to stand almost
as it had done at the end of the 18th century.
The bastion overlooks the wide expanse of the
esplanade, a former racecourse, which now features
a cricket ground with test match status. A much
more interesting passage into the fort, is the
Old Gate. The British coat of arms tops the
exterior of the entrance, while the interior
has the letters VOC, which stands for Vereenigde
Oost Indische Compagnie, or the Dutch East India
Company. These letters are
flanked by two lions and topped by a cock, and
bear the date 1669. Just beyond the gate is
the Zwart Bastion or Black Fort, which is believed
to be oldest of the fortifications and site
of the original Portuguese citadel.
The Utrecht Bastion features the lighthouse,
which dates from British times. The lighthouse,
said to be the oldest in the island which was
also earlier known as "pigeon post",
was the place where the carrier pigeons carrying
news brought from Europe and America by streamers,
were released from the top. Between the Utrecht
and Triton Bastions there is a rocky point called
by the Dutch, Flag Rock, and close to it is
Pigeon Island on which the Dutch had their signal
post. On the Triton Bastion there used to be
a windmill that drew up seawater to be sprayed
from carts to keep the dust down on the city
streets. You will also encounter many more before
your tour ends.
The clock tower erected in 1881 stands strong
and might remind you of the towers you find
at chess board. Across the street you will find
the Queens House now known as New Oriental Hotel,
built in 1684 to first house the Dutch troops
and then the British. Most of the older buildings
within the fort date from the Dutch era while
many of streets still bear their Dutch names
or their direct translations. The Dutch Groote
Kerk, or Great Church, built in 1640, was the
first Protestant church to be established in
Sri Lanka. The interred remains of the Dutch
were moved to the present Church in 1853 and
thus you will find as evidence floor paved with
gravestones and coats-of-arms covering the walls.
The old bell tower stands opposite the church.
Galle, the main city and port on the south coast,
retains a romantic, old-world atmosphere within
its Dutch fort. The harbor is strewn with rocks,
a factor that made it quite dangerous for shipping
in earlier time and until the construction of
breakwaters at the Colombo port was completed
in 1875, Galle remained the island's major port.
Situated on the southern seaboard of Sri Lanka,
Galle first rose to prominence at the dawn of
navigation as a natural focal point on the ancient
sea routes between the Middle East and the Orient.
Possibly more than 2,000 years ago, the trading
vessels of distant maritime powers had commenced
loading precious cargoes at Galle, and over
the centuries many a fighting fleet has anchored
there for replenishment, repair and recreation.
Although the Portuguese can be said to have
discovered Galle on behalf of the European colonial
powers, much credit must go to the Dutch for
securing its place in more recent history. Over
the years the Dutch constructed a more substantial
36-hectare fort, bestowed with a fine appearance
the town located inside, and installed a sophisticated
drainage system that was flushed out twice daily
by the tides. Galle and its palm-fringed coast
often provided western eyes with a first glimpse
of the exotic East in its entire luxuriant splendor.
It has been estimated that as many as 700 passengers
would land at Galle on a busy day. The streets
and bazaars must have been thronging with sightseers
from all parts of the world, eagerly taking
in the colourful sights as well as the fabulous
merchandise on offer. The steady filter of passengers
through Galle at its summit as a port has resulted
in an accumulation of intriguing descriptions
which admirably portray the atmosphere of the
period and provide a valuable adjunct to more
conventional history.
The interaction between the indigenous communities
and visiting passengers was such that the inhabitants
of Galle became wealthy and cosmopolitan beyond
any other segment of the population. In addition,
hearing first-hand reports of other lands and
other opportunities induced a number of the
young men of Galle to dream of making their
name and fortune outside the shores of Ceylon.
The fort's state of preservation makes it one
of the best of its kind to be found anywhere
in the former Dutch colonies of the East. In
1988 this wonderful legacy was recognized by
UNESCO with Galle's inclusion as a living monument
in the World Heritage List. But Galle is redolent
of history far beyond the confines of physical
appearance. Using a little imagination, this
testament in stone can yield up a corridor into
the past, a journey down which evokes images
of remoter times, and which reveals the full
glory of Galle. No traveler will ever part with
the impression left by the first gaze upon tropical
scenery as it is developed in the bay and the
wooded hills that encircle it. The feeling of
admiration and wonder called forth by its loveliness
remains vivid and unimpaired.
