Batticaloa Fort is an old fort situated in Batticaloa. The Portuguese constructed it in 1628 for their commercial and administrative activities.
Batticaloa Fort B atticaloa Fort (Sinhala: මඩකලපුව බලකොටුව; Tamil: மட்டக்களப்புக் கோட்டை) is an old fort situated in Batticaloa, Sri Lanka. Built at the tip of the tortoise-shaped Puliyantheevu island, it is the first Portuguese fort in the country captured by the Dutch. History The history of the Batticaloa Fort runs back to the 17th century. The Portuguese constructed a Fort in the Batticaloa harbour in the East Lagoon area in 1628 for their commercial and administrative activities and for security (Anuzsiya, 2021; Mandawala, 2012). Although the eastern region
was under control of the Kandyan Kings at the time, much of the cinnamon trade was carried out with concessions by the Portuguese (Anuzsiya, 2021). By that time, several wars happened between the Portuguese and Kandyan rulers as the Portuguese attempted to capture the Kandyan Kingdom several times, to bring the entire island under their rule. When King Senarath (1604-1635 A.D.) was succeeded by his son Rajasinha II (1635-1687 A.D.) in 1635, the D…
