Mannar fort

Mannar Fort
Mannar, Sri Lanka
Mannar Fort is located in Northern Province
Mannar Fort
Mannar Fort
Coordinates8°58′33″N 79°55′01″E / 8.975864°N 79.917013°E / 8.975864; 79.917013
TypeDefence fort
Site information
Open to
the public
Yes
ConditionGood
Site history
Built1560
Built byPortuguese and Dutch
MaterialsGranite Stones and bricks

Mannar Fort (Tamil: மன்னார்க் கோட்டை, romanized: Maṉṉārk Kōṭṭai; Sinhala: මන්නාරම් බලකොටුව Mannaram Balakotuwa) is located on Mannar Island, Sri Lanka. It was built by Portuguese in 1560 and christened São Jorge.[1][2] The fort fell to the Dutch in 1658, and they rebuilt the fort in 1696. In 1795 the British occupied the fort following the surrender by the Dutch.[3][4]

It is a square-shaped fort with four bastions and is located next to the new bridge that connects the mainland with the Mannar Island.[5]

The fort is currently occupied by the Department of Archeology.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Shihan de Silva Jayasuriya, Jean-Pierre Angenot: Uncovering the History of Africans in Asia, BRILL, 2008, p. 16.
  2. ^ Boletim do Governo do Estado da India, Imprensa Nacional, 1865, p. 641.
  3. ^ "Mannar Fort". 10 November 2013. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  4. ^ "Lost history of Mannar". Archived from the original on 11 November 2014. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  5. ^ "A journey to the island of Mannar". Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  • Nelson, W. A.; de Silva, R. K. (2004). The Dutch Forts of Sri Lanka – The Military Monuments of Ceylon. Sri Lanka Netherlands Association.