Today, while negotiating
Colombo's increasingly congested roads or witnessing the latest example of
brash architecture, it is difficult to realize that just three decades ago the
main vehicles plying the virtually empty roads were double-decker buses and
Morris Minor taxis, and that the buildings were spacious. Colombo was a relaxed
city where time stood still. But then that was how it had been for centuries,
since its accidental creation by foreigners.
Colombo, it has been said, is an accident
of alien design inflicted on the islanders. Its establishment and initial
growth had little to do with the indigenous population, something unusual with
capital cities. Instead, it was an array of foreign merchants and mariners,
colonizers and proselytizers, administrators and military men, who really
created Colombo and gave it an identity, first as a fort town and later as a
garden city
The islanders at last had a chance to
impose their own on the capital city after independence in 1948. More recently,
Colombo has had to grapple with modernity and globalization, which has largely
diluted its former charm. Regrettably, to many visitors nowadays it is a
necessary evil that must be endured as a stopover, or in order to change
airline reservations and extend visas. Nevertheless, colorful and chaotic
Colombo has much to offer historically.
Arab mariners traders were the first to use
the shelter of the bay here during storms. However, they preferred to moor
their vessels a little farther north at the mouth of the kelani Ganga(river),
where it flows into the Indian Ocean. This was because the river provided
access to inland areas that could not be reached on foot due to the marshy
terrain and thick jungle about Colombo. Indeed, even today the city is still
surrounded by wetlands, and though home to over two million people, it is still
very green.
A Chinese trader named Wang-Ta-Yuan visited
Colombo early in the 14th century and was one of the fist to refer
to the place, calling it kao-lan-pu. The Moroccan adventurer lbn Batuta arrived
several decades later and remarked: "Calenbou, one of the finest and
largest cities of the island of Serendib. It is the residence of the Wazir Lord
the Sea(Hakim-ai-Bahr), Jalasti"
In the early 16th century the
Portuguese happened upon Colombo and established an outpost. Twelve years later
they returned and requested the King of Kotte to allow them to construct a
small factory on the coast for baling cinnamon. Despite considerable
apprehension, the king acceded. He had every reason to be concerned, for the
Portuguses immediately erected a fortress and later built a long rampart
cordoning of the area covered by today's Fort and Pettah
The Dutch wrested Colombo from the
Portuguese after much bloodshed and a seven-month siege in 1655-6. They then
set about reconstructing the war-damaged fort. It was such a massive
undertaking that after twenty years the fortifications were still incomplete.
Work was curtailed for financial out to be only one-third size its predecessor.
Even though no enemy forces breached the
Dutch defences of Colombo, an elephant once crossed the Beira Lake and entered
the fort through one of the gates, having torn off the arm of one sentry and
dashing another to death. The elephant proceeded to terrorize the sea near
Galle Face. Hemmed in by jungle on three sides, the fort was an intrusion not
recognized by the wild animal population
After the British expelled the Dutch in
1796 Colombo was transformed. The fort was demolished, streets widened, parks
created. The city became an important centre of the Indian subcontinent, as
Robert Percival reveals in An Account of the Island of Ceylon many different
languages are spoken, or which contains such a mixture of nations, manners, and
religions."
During the 19th century, Colombo
enjoyed a growth that mirrored the expansion of the island's economy after the
introduction of coffee then tea. This growth was accelerated once the new
breakwater was inaugurated in the 1870s. Passenger arrivals increased
considerably, resulting in a hotel boom. Colombo was a pleasant place for first
class passengers who could afford to drift into the likes of the still-
functioning Grand Oriental Hotel. Advertised as the "largest and
best-equipped hotel in the East," the GOH boasted a gymnasium, a resident
orchestra, and a twice-weekly "cinematograph performance" on the roof
garden.
Of course, conflict has bedeviled Colombo
in the last 20 years. We have witnessed unimaginable horrors that have done
nothing to attract visitors to our very special city. With any luck, however,
the days of bloodied streets and smoke-blackened skies are over Now, perhaps,
Colombo can forge a new identity yet still be mindful of its past
If you
are in Colombo and tired of shopping watching cricket or restaurant-crawling.
There are a few places of historical interest worth visiting, such as the belfry
of kayman's Gate and the cell of the last King of Kandy. In
addition, the National Museum and adjoining Natural History Museum,
Dutch Period Museum, Bandaranaike Museum and Municipal
Museum, are all remarkable in their own way.
Eye-catching
examples of surviving period or colonial architecture include President's
House, General Post Office, Old Parliament Building (now the Presidential
Secretariat), New Town Hall, Independence Memorial Hall and the Clock
Tower.
Alternatively,
if you wish to sample some places of worship, try the Buddhist viharas
of Lsipathanaramaya and Gotami. Both of which have beautiful
frescoes. Then there are Hindu kovils, such as the New kathiresan,
Old Kathiresan, and the Sri Kailawasanathar Swamy Devasthanam,
the oldest in Colombo. The mosques of Jami-ul-Alfar Jummah and Devatagaha
are worthy of a look. Christianity is well-represented too, with the
Garrison Church, Wolfendahl Kerk and St. lucia's Cathedral being of
particular interest
A Guide to Shopping in Colombo
From the no hope
Situation of a decade ago, Colombo has been transformed into one of the most
popular shopping destinations in the region, with a variety of stores and
merchandise that amazes even seasoned shoppers. Such a phenomenal rise is not
entirely fortuitous, for this period has seen a parallel growth in the
manufacture of garments for export. So go on, experience shopping in paradise.
Visitors to Sri Lanka are in for a
delightful experience when they drop in at the many malls and department stores
located in and around the city. Being a world center for the manufacture of
garments, Sri Lanka is able to provide shoppers with the leading international
brands at a fraction of the overseas price. Clothes, shoes, handbags and
accessories – you name it and we have it on this tropical island!
Men go wild at the range of cool and
casual, rich and elegant shirts, and the two and there piece suits cut to
perfection. Polo and Ralph Lauren are just two of the brands found at any
reputed department store. The ladies have a choice that is truly mind –
boggling: the flimsiest lingerie, to trendy embroidered denim jeans, line and
cotton tops, mini-skirts and embroidered evening wear.
Galle
If there is one place in
Sri Lanka indelibly associated with 19th century tourism, that place
is Galle. Due to its strategic position on the world's sea routes, Galle became
one of the great passenger ports of the era and the gateway to the Orient. At
its zenith, up to 700 passengers a day arrived at Galle. But all good things
pass, as they did with Galle when it eclipsed as a port by Colombo.
It shouldn't be surprising that the port of
Galle has been pivotal in Sri Lanka's rich cosmopolitan heritage. The city's
remarkable continuity as an entrepot , its distinctive colonial heritage, and
its blaze of glory as a major port, during the 19th century, make it
one of Sri Lanka's most historically profound cities.
Dambulla
Cave Temples and Cyber Cafes
A visit to Dambulla used
to entail a train journey from Colombo to Matale via Kandy and then a mail
coach ride. The usual objective was to witness the famous elevated cave temple
with its frescoes and sculpture galore,
not to mention the incredible view of the countryside. So it is today,
except that tourists ride in by air-conditioned car or charabanc, and tomorrow
perhaps by plane or chopper
Kandy
The Great City
"Kandy is with many
visitors first favorite among the beautiful places Ceylon cam show. " This
early 20th-century guidebook assessment of the country's hill
capital still holds good, although modernity has somewhat tarnished its charm.
Fortunately it still has enough attractions of the cultural king, such as
temples, museums and the world-renowned Esala Perahera, to make it a remarkable
destination
Nuwara Eliya
Little England in the Mountains
An early 20th century English
writer commented on Nuwara Eliya: " When he looks out of his window in the
early morning and sees the whole world glistening under hoar-frost and the
garden brimming with geraniums, pansies, sweet peas and every English flower,
be wonders if he is really in the tropics at all" there's no need to
wonder. It is the tropics and it's for real
Bandarawela and the health triangle
There is the familiar and
seemingly dangerous Bermuda triangle and Sri Lanka's not so familiar but
positively benign Cultural Triangle. However, the country has another
geographic triangle, the Health Triangle, and the hiss station of bandarawela
has much to do with it. Within this triangle are a number of destinations
waiting to be discovered.
Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage
Sri Lanka has an elephant attraction unique
in the world – an orphanage where abandoned and orphaned elephants are looked
after. Most eventually find homes as working elephants, while some stay on to
swell the resident herd. In recent years Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage has
become a major tourist attraction because it is possible to observe these
magnificent creatures under almost ideal conditions.
The Sri Lanka Leopard
Early travelers to the island wrote of the
woods being infested with 'tygers'-referring to the leopard and other wild
cats. Leopards seldom attacked humans, but often killed villagers cattle. In
turn, the villagers trapped and killed leopards for their skins. Today, these
magnificent felines are of course protected and, although largely nocturnal,
they can be viewed in the daytime in some national parks.
