Matara
Matara, situated on the south coast of Sri
Lanka, is an old fort town built on the banks
of the Nilwala Ganga, literally the Blue River.
It was an ancient settlement long before the
Portuguese raised a stockade here in the early
16th century. The present main fort, which cuts
off a section of land between the sea and the
river was erected by the Dutch. Within the fort
lies most of the old town, which still exhibits
some fine examples of colonial architecture.
For instance, visit the fine old Dutch church,
built in 1769, which is still in use. Furthermore,
Matara's resthouse incorporates portions of
what were once elephant stables, for the town
was where elephants were brought for export
to neighbouring countries.
Matara is blessed with not one but two forts.
After the main fort was seized and badly damaged
by a Kandyan army in 1761, the Dutch Governor,
Baron Van Eck, constructed a small but remarkable
star fort, with six points. It is a fine example
of military architecture, with double walls
and a moat between them. Look for the coat-of-arms
of Van Eck on the gateway. The town is the only
one left in Sri Lanka which still uses an old
form of conveyance called a hackery, a sideless
wooden cart drawn by bullocks.
The Matara district is well known to mineralogists
as a prime location of zircon, a comparatively
soft stone that has a brilliance and fire approximating
that of a diamond. For several centuries these
stones have been marketed as Matara diamonds,
a term that is even found in the Oxford English
Dictionary.
Matara town has multiple attractions such as
historic forts, buildings and temples to keep
the visitor engaged. However, there are also
interesting places that can easily be visited
nearby and some activities to be enjoyed in
the surrounding area.
The district of Matara, situated half in the
wet zone (west) and half in the dry zone (east),
is made up of many agricultural plantations.
The large and important river, the Nilwala Ganga,
which runs through the district, is responsible
for irrigating much land on its way from the
hill country, such as tea, paddy and rubber
estates. Voyages up the Nilwala Ganga can be
arranged from Matara. They are thoroughly worthwhile
for the gentle glide along this broad swathe
of unspoilt water, which takes you past leafy
trees, thick strands of palm, and little riverside
houses, while giving you glimpses of the agricultural
landscape beyond. The tours usually last three
hours, so you can do some crocodile-spotting
further upstream where they are found. Their
log-like appearance floating down the side of
the river with raised beady eyes makes for an
exciting sight, especially when you are in a
boat. Other wildlife to be seen include water
monitors, small mammals and plenty of birds.
To arrange a tour, try Sunil’s Guesthouse
in Polhena.
Although Matara sits beside a long stretch of
coastline and has some sandy beaches, the best
place to soak up the sun for a few hours is
at Polhena Beach, a few kilometres west of town.
While this is no beach resort it is a great
place to stay and pass some time. The beach
here is quite wide with soft white sand, flanked
on either side by rocks. Sunbeds do not litter
the beach, so it’s a case of throwing
your towel on the sand. You may need an umbrella
as there is little shade.
Polhena is best for swimming and snorkelling
as there is a semi-circle of reef, home to a
colourful variety of fish and plant life, with
some live coral that protects the bay. The water
is very calm and safe. There are signs placed
in the sea, positioned boundaries to warn you
of any dangerous areas, and a lifeguard post.
Heading out of Matara to the southeast by the
New Tangalle Road, or the more scenic Sea Beach
Road along the coast, you will go past Ruhunu
University. Matara has many students milling
about its streets giving it a youthful vibe
and this attractive university complex perched
on the hill is the reason why. With tiled, Kandyan-style
roofs and neat playing fields it is a nice sight
with good views out to sea from the university
itself.
About three kilometres on from the university
you will arrive in Dondra, also known as Devi
Nuwara or the ‘City of Gods’. There
are two attractions here: the British built
lighthouse that stands on the southernmost point
of the island, and the Sri Vishnu Maha Devale
Temple, an important site respected and worshipped
by Buddhists. You may notice the tall Buddha
statue, in the style of Dambulla’s Aukana
Buddha, from the road. This temple
is a shrine dedicated to the Hindi god Vishnu.
Though there used to be an ancient temple here
it was destroyed by the Portuguese in 1588.
Only the Galge shrine survived. Thought to date
from 660AD, it is one of the oldest stone buildings
on the island. Now it is enclosed within a structure
built mid-19th century, which is oddly bright
blue in colour and designed in the style of
a pagoda with tiled roofs and balconies. Other
evidence of the temple’s ancient roots
are in the stone pillars along a walkway, two
small carved stone elephants by one of the doors,
and some miscellaneous stone objects at the
entrance to the image house. Large annual festivals
are held at the time of the Esala full moon
in July/August.
About two kilometers down a side road is the
Dondra Lighthouse. This 50-metre bright white
structure built by the British in 1889 is kept
within a couple of acres of immaculate and peaceful
land by the sea, and is shaded by coconut palms.
Dondra is thought to be the tallest lighthouse
in southern Asia.
Climbing through a little doorway onto the circular
metal walkway at the top you have a 360-degree
panoramic over the endless swathe of palms as
far east as Tangalle, west towards Matara, inland
as far as the hill country, and far out to sea.
Closer by you can admire the small secluded
rocky bays, sandy coves full of catamarans,
and water so clear it is possible to see colourful
blue parrotfish swimming in its blue to green
translucent midst.
Then take the inland road from Pallimulla to
visit the Weherehena Temple. This 19th-century
temple complex features a massive encased Buddha,
39m tall, in the seated position. The temples
and the Buddha were actually built on the site
of hidden underground temples dating from the
17th century constructed for Buddhist pilgrims
to escape the evangelical attentions of the
Portuguese. Along the underground corridors
that connected the temples are many paintings
depicting Jataka stories. A guide will show
you the site of the underground vault at the
base of the statue from where you can look through
the mirror glass and see buried stone Buddhas
and gold.
