Kayman's Gate Bell Tower is an old belfry located in Pettah in Colombo. The name Kayman's Gate has come from the Dutch word Caiman, meaning crocodile.
Kayman's Gate Bell Tower Kayman's Gate Bell Tower (Sinhala: කයිමන් දොරකඩ ඝාණ්ඨාර කුළුණ) is a historic belfry located at No. 205 on Fourth Cross Street in Pettah, Colombo District, Sri Lanka (Welandawe & Weerasinghe, 2016). The bell, evidenced by the Latin inscription engraved on it, belongs to the Portuguese period of the island (Pieris, 1913). History
According to the account given in John Capper's book titled " Old Ceylon ", there were two fortifications in Colombo during the Portuguese period (1505-1656 A.D.) and during the period of the Dutch occupation (1658-1796 A.D.). Among the two, the inner fortress was located at the place where the present Fort ( Kotuwa ) is situated. The other fortress which had been bounded by an outer rampart made of laterite and lime, had extended as far as the Saint John's River. Its rampart stretched along the river bank till the sea coast to form the present Pettah ( Pita Kotuwa ).
The entrance gate and the bell tower located at the eastern approach to the…
