Trincomalee

Trincomalee, a brief history

The historic Sri Lankan port of Trincomalee has been known by various names throughout its convoluted history however today you’ll hear locals more commonly referring to this northeastern town simply as Trinco. The town today is a rather sleepy, mid-sized, regional capital with a predominantly Tamil population yet Trinco’s rich and complex history goes back well over 2000 years.

Trincomalee’s impressive natural harbour would have been the principal departure point for traders and adventurers heading across the Indian Ocean to Southeast Asia as far back as the Anuradhapura period while in more recent times the rocky promontory that protects the harbour was fortified by a bewildering succession of colonial powers including the Portuguese, Danish, French and Dutch in the 17th century. The Dutch asserted control again in the 18th century before the British took Trinco in 1782. This was followed by a second brief French interlude after which the port was retaken by the British who immediately ceded it back to the Dutch, (for a third time). before eventually regaining control in 1795.

The British, who subsequently governed Trinco until Sri Lankan independence in 1948, appear to have had a soft spot for the ancient port with several prominent figures waxing lyrical. Horatio Nelson himself is said to have declared it the ‘finest harbour in the World”, while Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger went as far as saying it was “the most valuable colonial possession on the globe” and explorer Samuel Baker stated, “…few things surpass the tropical beauty of this port”. (Incidentally, one of Nelson’s fleet, HMS Trincomalee, built in 1812, is now preserved as a museum in Hartlepool.) Even more surprisingly, two of Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes tales are reportedly set in Trinco, (A Singular Affair at Trincomalee and Scandal in Bohemia), Jane Austen’s brother is buried in the local cemetery while more recently Arthur C Clarke apparently based parts of 2001: A Space Odyssey on his experiences in Trinco. (Can’t imagine which bits but that’s what Wiki says.)

However, even the briefest of descriptions of Trinco’s history wouldn’t be complete without a mention of Easter Sunday 1942, when the Japanese aircraft carrier fleet, returning from Pearl Harbour, attempted to inflict a similar blow on the British navy and attacked the port with waves of dive bombers. (Fortunately for the British – and indeed the Asian campaign of WW2 – the British had prior notice and had hidden their fleet away in a Maldives atoll.)

As large sections of the town were given over Sri Lankan military installations after independence – army, navy and air force –  (as they still are today), Trincomalee fortuitously avoided some of the excesses and destruction of the war with the LTTE, (The Liberation Tamil Tigers of Tamil Eelam). Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for east-facing Trinco during the 2004 tsunami although, with an end to fighting in 2009, the town has seen a rapid turnaround in fortunes and foreign visitors are today returning in numbers to its spectacular nearby beaches.

Trincomalee today

Although plenty of foreign visitors are now heading back to the resorts of Nilaveli, many, sadly, don’t seem to give the town more than a cursory glance. Despite such a chequered history, surprisingly few ancient vestiges remain today; however, there are still sites to be seen and, in our opinion, Trinco makes for a fascinating half-day tour, especially if accompanied by a well-informed guide who can bring some of this rich history to life.

The successive colonial powers tended to simply demolish and build on top of, or modify, pre-existing fortifications while most of the British-period port is now a Sri Lankan naval base and off-limits to the public. The principal remaining structure, on the promontory, is the largely intact, Dutch period Fort Fredrick which is also still a Sri Lankan army base but does allow visitors. (And apparently, deer, as a herd of friendly spotted deer has now taken up residence within the fort’s walls.)

The fort also allows access to the town’s most prestigious Hindu temple, Koneswaram, constructed amid granite boulders, overlooking the sea, at the peak of the headland. The temple is actually mentioned in both the Ramayana and Mahabharata epics although, the original sanctuary was destroyed by the Portuguese who simply tipped everything off the edge of the cliff into the ocean. Underwater vestiges remain today and are described by Arthur C Clarke in his book The Reefs of Taprobane.

Before entering the fort’s main gate, facing what is still known today as Dutch Bay, an impressive, white-painted neo-classical mansion, (the former Dutch governor’s residence), has been converted into the Maritime and Naval History Museum. What it makes up for with limited exhibits is more than made up for by some particularly friendly and enthusiastic staff and a troop of entertaining langurs in the museum gardens.

China Bay forms the town’s southern and eastern limits while to the east, long straight sandy beaches stretch the short distance north from the Fort Frederick headland towards the popular resort town of Nilaveli. Trinco’s town centre and commercial district then lie on the narrow neck of land, between the bay and the ocean, which connects the Fort Frederick promontory to the mainland.

On our tours

Both of our small group tours to Sri Lanka, as well as our Sri Lanka Family Tour, come in seasonal variants, reflecting the eastern and western monsoons, with Trinco and the northeast featuring on our April to October version, Island of Serendipity. (Our November to March itinerary, Sri Lanka World Heritage, as well as our family tour, swap Nilaveli for Tangalle on the south coast which is more sheltered at that time of year.)

Our 1/2 day Trincomalee tour includes Fort Frederick, the Museum, Koneswaram Temple and China Bay as well as a wander around the town’s lively fresh market.