Kalpitiya
Located up north of Colombo 165 kilometers
away is the little coastal town of Kalpitiya.
A predominantly Muslim fishing community strategically
located at the mouth of the Puttalam Lagoon,
the town was a famous port in the late middle
ages of Sri Lankan history. Kalpitiya could be
reached by Bus in 3 hours and an hour less by
private transport.
Having fishing as the main sort of life style,
this small town is a predominant Moors who have
moved in from the North especially from the
island of Mannar displaced by war and had made
this their second town of birth. For a small
town Kalpitiya offers a few attractions the Portuguese
fort, the Dutch Church and the Talawila church
famous amongst local pilgrims.
The fort of Kalpitiya was built by the Portuguese
in the 16th century. This fort was improved
upon by the Dutch in the 1690s, and surrendered
to the British in 1795. Later as history reveals
it became a garrison during the early years
of British rule, which was eventually abandoned
some three decades later. Now roofless, but
otherwise in reasonable condition, the fort
is a four-sided affair, with two whole and two
half bastions. There is no ditch, but then the
scarps are more than 20 feet high.
St Peter's Kerk, about a half-mile west of the
fort, is Dutch in origin although it now displays
the architecture of the British, who rebuilt
the church in 1840. At the nearby fishing community
of Talawila on the Kalpitiya Peninsula there
is a well-known Roman Catholic church. This
is the focal point of a pilgrimage for the Feast
of St. Anne, which is dedicated to the mother
of the Virgin Mary. The church is believed to
have been founded by a 17th century Portuguese
who had a divine vision of St. Anne herself.
The church, while overwhelmed by the number
of pilgrims at the Feast, is a magnet at all
times of the year because of its reputation
as a place of healing.
Kalpitiya is located at the mouth of the lagoon,
beyond which is the Gulf of Mannar. Close to
Kalpitiya there are several largish islands
that can be visited by boat. One, called Ippantivu,
is sometimes occupied by migrant fishermen.
Some miles further north is another, Karaitivu,
a strip of sand eight miles long and half to
three-quarters of a mile wide. In the shallow
waters around these islands and elsewhere in
the gulf lives the dugong, the mysterious and
elusive marine mammal that is believed to have
spawned the legend of the mermaid. The largest
specimens are supposed to come from the Kalpitiya
area, for as James Emerson Tennent remarks in
Ceylon (1859): One of the most remarkable animals
on the coast is the plant eating dugong, numbers
of which are attracted to the inlets, from the
bay of Calpentyn (Kalpitiya) to Adam's Bridge,
by the still water and the abundance of marine
algae in these parts of the gulf. One, which
was killed in Mannar and sent to me in Colombo
in 1847, measured upwards of seven feet in length,
but specimens considerably larger have been
taken at Calpentyn.
Though small in size Kalpitiya is one of the
fastest developing town. There are also many
international aid agencies such as the UNHCR
implementing various community development and
relief activities in order to provide assistance
to those displaced living in this area.
