Trincomalee City Sri Lanka
Trincomalee (Trinco) had an unpleasant time in the war, however the intriguing town is starting to flourish once more. Sitting along one of the world’s finest natural harbors, Although most visitors are drawn to this part of the island by the beaches at Nilaveli and Uppuveli, a day in Trincomalee makes an interesting break from the beach, however the town has some appeal, lots of history and an interesting diversity of people. Trincomalee’s financial trump card is a great eep-water port, which, generally,historically, has made it the target for all manner of attacks , by the British takeover in 1795, the city had changed colonial hands seven times. Today the Sri Lankan armed forces control Fort Frederick, along with the British-built airfi eld China Bay, to the south.
Trincomalee and its environs are sacred to the Buddhist as to the Hindu. Tiriyayi 29 miles north of Trincomalee is a place of Buddhist interest. Here has been discovered the ruins of an ancient Buddhist monastery, with the standing structure of a vatadage, an architectural type, distinctively Sinhalese, occupying an area of about an acre in extent. In the centre of the premises is the ruined stupa. Below the hill extends to the East, the blue sea—the Bay of Bengal and an unbroken stretch of forest on all the other sides. A Sanskrit inscription on a rock gives the name of the shrine, the Giri Kandi Caitiya. The shrine is of great value to the Buddhists, for within it is believed to have reposed the very first relics of the Buddha. At the four entrances to the shrine are moonstones of high artistic merit. Among the other striking features are the guard stones of the makara (Dragon ) and the naga (Snake) .
The town has an understated but distinct charm, with a beautiful setting, a fine colonial fort and, in places, a certain old-fashioned elegance, while its mix of communities lends a multiethnic flavour whose subtle mingling of religions and traditions is unique in Sri Lanka.
Top Sights
- Manayaweli Cove
- Swami Rock
- Fort Frederick
- Gokana Temple
- Kali Kovil
- Kandasamy Kovil
- Koneswaram Kovil
- St Mary’s Cathedral
