Jaffna Fort of Sri Lanka

 

 The original Portuguese fort, where the remaining Portuguese had assembled after the fall of Colombo, had been captured by the Dutch in 1658 after a three and a half month siege. Since 1680 until the takeover by the British in 1795 the fort went though several phases of development. Thus making it one of the strongest forts in Asia. Unlike the Colombo and Galle Forts, which were fortified towns, the Jaffna Fort had an almost exclusively military and administrative purpose. All the civilians lived in the residential town of Jaffna, adjoining the fort. Up till the 1970s the fort and its buildings were in their original state, despite its continuous use by the British and later the Ceylon government. During the Sri Lankan Civil War the fort and the town of Jaffna changed hands several times. Notably the Sri Lanka Army garrison of the fort lead out a siege for months before being withdrawn in the 1980s. As a result of the war much of the fort has been destroyed.The Jaffna Fort which has a special place among archaeological sites in Jaffna was built as a small garrison by the Portuguese in 1618 under Philip De Olivera when the Portuguese invaded Jaffna. Later, on 20th June 1658 the Dutch captured it under Raiclop Van Goins from the Portuguese and expanded its location further.

Jaffna Fort was built as a small garrison by the Portuguese in 1618 when the Portuguese invaded Jaffna. Later, in 1658 the Dutch captured it from the Portuguese and expanded its location further. It was taken over by the British in 1795.

Tamil rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) forced the Sri Lanka Army to withdraw from the fort in 1986 and captured it. Sri Lanka Army in 1996 recaptured the entire Fort surroundings under Riviresa operation and brought it under them.

The first permanent European occupier of Ceylon, the Portuguese built Jaffna (Yapa Patuna) Fort and then it was captured by Dutch in 1658.With the intention of preserving this monumental site which can be turned into a tourist attraction, the Army is to renovate this historic place on directives received from the office of the Northern Province Governor. The historic Fort housed garrison parade ground, queen’s house, sentry points, Police quarters and a few other important points existed during the Portugese era.

Sri Lanka’s Department of Archeology has commenced a two-phased project to restore the historical Dutch fort in Jaffna city, the Ministry of National Heritage and Cultural Affairs announced.

The Rs. 104 million first phase of the restoration project is to be carried out by the newly opened regional office of Archaeological Department in Jaffna.The Ministry of National Heritage and Cultural Affairs says that it expects to complete the ramparts of the Jaffna Fort by November 2012.