Ratnapura Fort (Sinhala: රත්නපුර ලන්දේසි බලකොටුව; Tamil: இரத்தினபுரி இடச்சுக் கோட்டை) is a Dutch fort situated on a small hillock in the middle of Ratnapura town, Sri Lanka.
History
The Portuguese were the first to invade Ratnapura in the 17 century and built a fort there. Although they destroyed Saman Vehera and Devalaya in 1618, King Rajasinghe II (1629-1687 A.D.) captured the site and reconstructed the shrine again. By 1658 the Dutch had taken control over all the areas previously controlled by the Portuguese (UDA, 2021). They initially used the site of the Portuguese fort at Ratnapura but subsequently built a new fort on a hill in the middle of the town and it is recognized that the design of this fort is similar to the fort at Kalutara (UDA, 2021). This fort was later occupied by the British who took control of the whole island in 1815.
A Protected Site
The ancient Dutch fort and its buildings (National Gem and Jewelry Authority building, SP office, DIG office) situated in Ratnapura town in the Divisional Secretariat Division of Ratnapura are archaeological protected monuments, declared by a government Gazette notification published on 8 July 2005.
References
1) The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. No: 1401. 8 July 2005.
2) UDA, 2021. Ratnapura Development Plan 2021–2030. Urban Development Authority and Ministry of Urban Development & Housing. p.167.
