Balana Fort (Kandy)

Balana Fort is an ancient colonial-era fort of the Kandyan Kingdom situated on a hill named Balana Kanda near the Alagalla Mountain Range in Kandy.
Balana Fort (Kandy)
Balana Fort (Sinhala: බලන බලකොටුව) is an ancient fort of the Kandyan Kingdom situated on a hill named Balana Kanda near the Alagalla Mountain Range in Kandy District, Sri Lanka. History Balana Pass Located on the southern edge of the Alagalla Mountains, the Balana Pass was a key accessway to the hill country (Uda Rata/Kandyan Kingdom) for those who come along the old Colombo-Kandy road. In the Sinhala language, Balana means "Look-Out" and this place was used as a checkpoint on the approach to Kandy and also as a strategic point of defence against invasions (Rajapakse, 2016). Balana is mentioned in the Trisinhale Kadaim Potha as the boundary line which separated the Four Korales from the hill country. Fortification Balana was fortified several times due to several wars that had taken place there. The war between Konappu Bandara (reigned as King Wimaladharmasuriya I: 1591-1604 A.D.) and King Rajasinha I (1581-1591 A.D.) was one such event (Abeywardana, 2004). The first description …