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Trincomalee (Tamil: திருகோணமலை (Thirukonamalai, hist: Sirigonakanda); Sinhala: තිරිකුණාමළය (Thirikunamalaya)) is a district, a bay and a port city on the northeast coast of Sri Lanka, about 110 miles northeast of Kandy. The town is built on a peninsula, which divides the inner and outer harbours. The Bay of Trincomalee is landlocked; the harbour is renowned for its large size and security; unlike every other in the Indian Sea, it is accessible to all types of craft in all weathers. The beaches are used for surfing, scuba diving and fishing and whale watching. The town also has the largest Dutch fortress in Sri Lanka. It is home to the Sri Lankan naval base and Sri Lankan Air Force base. Indian Navy has access
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Names and Etymology
The name Trincomalee is derived from the Tamil Tiru-kona-malai, meaning "Sacred hill of the Lord". The ancient texts, as well as an inscription unearthed by archeologists, call it Gokarna in Sanskrit [1] or Gokanna in Pali. The word Gokarna comes from the Sanskrit for "the ear of the cow"[2] and suggests a place of Saivite Hindu religious significance. The Vayu Purana refers to a Siva temple on Trikuta hill on the eastern coast of Lanka in the 3rd century[3]. The Mahavamsa documents that the King Mahasena destroyed a Deva temple and built a Buddhist shrine in its stead to expiate for an earlier heresy on his part. [4]. This explains the Buddhist archeological remains in the region. The South Indian Tevaram of Tiru-gnana Sambandar makes mention to the Siva temple in Trincomalee once again in the 6th century[5]. The Hindu temple was also documented in several late medieval texts such as the Konesar Kalvettu[6] and the Dakshina Kailasa Puranam[7]. This became the celebrated Konneswaram Temple. Unfortunately, much of this temple was destroyed by the Portuguese. The rebuilt temple, though smaller than Portuguese colonial sources suggest, has also become famous.
History
Trincomalee which is a natural deep-water harbour that has attracted sea farers like Marco Polo, Ptolemy and Sea Traders from China and East Asia since ancient times. The local name, Tirukonamalai, means "Sacred Hill of the Lord". The Sinhalese and Tamil historians have rival claims on the port city which probably reflects elements of both cultures from antiquity. Trinco, as it is commonly called, has been a sea port since the days of the ancient Kings. Parakramabahu I, circa 12th century, used Gokanna (Trinco) as his eastern port. An English sea captain and historical chronicle writer named Robert Knox came ashore by chance near Trinco and surrendered to the Dissawa (official) of the King of Kandy in 1659. Hence, it was an important trade city between Sri Lanka and the outside world, and one of the British Empire's most important ports in Asia during the second world war. From 1941-45, Trinco was the headquarters of Lord Louis Mountbatten, the Allied Southeast Asia commander. The Koneswaram temple attracted pilgrims from all parts of India. The SriGonakanda Buddhist temple had stood at the site of the Koneswaram temple at one time. Rodney Jocklass, a Sri Lankan underwater explorer rescued many of the artifacts of this ancient Buddhist and Hindu temples, now displayed in the Trincomalee museum. The Koneswaram shrine itself was demolished in 1622 by the Portuguese (who called it the Temple of a Thousand Columns), and who fortified the heights with the materials derived from its destruction. Some of the artefacts from the demolished temple were kept in the Lisbon Museum including the stone inscription by Kulakottan (Kunakottan), the last Tamil king. It has an emblem including two fish and is engraved with a prophesy stating that, after the 16th century, westerners with different eye colours will rule the country for 500 years and, at the end of it, rule will revert back to Vadugus. Trincomalee was next held by the Dutch, and subsequently by them and the French alternately, until the capture of Sri Lanka by the British in 1795. Trincomalee lies close to the region of Sri Lanka where the population is mostly Hindu Tamils in contrast with the island's majority group, which are ethnic Sinhalese and Buddhists. Tamil political parties such as TNA and LTTE criticised the government for bringing many Sinhalese to Trincomalee after the country's independence. The 1981 census shows a population of 86,743 Tamils, 86,346 Sinhalese and 74,403 Moors. After Sri Lanka became independent in 1948, tension between the two groups intensified, culminating with the LTTE insurgency; the heaviest fighting took place in and around the city. Acts of "ethnic cleansing" by Tamil Tiger groups and Government forces have changed demographic patterns in different parts of the district. A cease-fire was negotiated in 2002, but Trincomalee remains underdeveloped, impoverished and weakened by ravages of war. On November 10, 2006 two Tamil boats laden with explosives and suspected of being on a Tamil Tiger suicide mission were destroyed off the coast of the city. Trincomalee was one of the cities hardest hit by the tsunami caused by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake on December 26, 2004.
Hindu and Buddhist historical sites
There is controversy among Tamils and Sinhalese over ownership of Trincomalee. Most of the Tamils and Sinhalese believe that this place is sacred to them and they are the indigenous people of the area. Trincomalee and its environs have both Hindu and Buddhist sites of historical importance. These sites are sacred to the Hindus and Buddhists. Tiriyayi (in Sinhala: Thiriyaya), twenty-nine miles north of Trincomalee, is an example; the ruins of an ancient Buddhist monastery have been discovered. The remains include a Vatadage, a distinctively Sinhalese circular architectural form, occupying an area of about an acre (4,000 m²). In the centre of the site is a ruined stupa. A Sanskrit inscription on a rock gives the name of the shrine, the Giri Kanda Chaiththiya (stupa). The shrine is of great significance to the Buddhists, since it is believed to contain relics of the Buddha. At the four entrances to the shrine are moonstones of high artistic merit. Among the other striking features are the guard stones of the Makara and the Naga. The Kandyan kings built a temple to Siva in Thampalakamam in the 1700s according to the Culavamsa.
The harbour
Trincomalee's strategic importance has shaped its recent history. The great European powers vied for mastery of the harbour. The Portuguese, the Dutch, the French, and the English, each held it in turn, and there have been many sea battles nearby. The harbour, the fifth largest natural harbour in the world, is overlooked by terraced highlands, its entrance is guarded by two headlands, and there is a carriage road along its northern and eastern edges. Trincomalee's location, in a less well developed and sparsely populated area, has in the past hampered its own development. Nevertheless plans are under way to develop Trincomalee as a commercial seaport.
The hot springs
There are the seven hot springs of Kanniya (Kal = stone; niya = land), on the road to Trincomalee. The original Sinhala name Unudiya [hot=unu, water=diya] may have been tamilzed to Kanniya and refers specifically to the hot springs. A high wall bounds the rectangular enclosure which includes all seven springs. Each is in turn enclosed by a dwarf wall to form a well. The water is warm, the temperature of each spring being slightly different. The use of the springs for bathing is controlled by the neighbouring Mari Amman Kovil, who holds the lease of the wells. The springs are on state land.
The Dutch Fort and Naval Museum
The entrance to the roadway leading to Koneswaram is actually the entrance to what used to be Fort Fredrick. The fort was built in 1623 by the Portuguese and captured in 1639 by the Dutch. It then went through a phase of dismantling and reconstruction and was attacked and captured by the French in 1672. On January 8 1782 the fort was captured by the British, only to be recaptured by the French on August 29 of the same year. In 1783 the French ceded it to the British and subsequently Britain ceded it the Dutch. In 1795 the British recaptured and held it until Sri Lanka's independence in 1948. The importance of Fort Fredrick was due to Trincomalee's natural harbour. Through Trincomalee, it was believed a strong naval force could secure control of India's Coromandel Coast. Today it is home to the SLNS Tissa naval base of the Sri Lankan Navy. The Navy Base is home to a naval museum called The Hoods Tower Museum. The name of the museum refers to a watchtower built on a hill commanding a 360-degree view of the harbour and the bay.
The British in Trincomalee
Until 1957 Trincomalee was an important base for the Royal Navy and was home to many British people who were employed by the British Admiralty. One of the places inhabited by the British was Fort Fredrick which is now occupied by the Sri Lankan Army. Although some of the old buildings in the fort were used as residences, the British Government built groups of bungalows in the early 50's specifically for their employees. These bungalows still exist and provide accommodation for soldiers of the Sri Lankan Army. One of the groups of bungalows was named Edinburgh Terrace.
Deutsche Welle Relay Station
There is a Deutsche Welle Shortwave and Mediumwave Relay Station in Trincomalee. It was not adversely affected by the Tsunami of 2004 because of the sea terrain around Trincomalee. Deutsche Welle started broadcasting from Trincomalee Relay Station in 1984.
Universities of Trincomalee
The Naval and Maritime Academy of the Sri Lanka Navy is situated in Trincomalee as well as the Trincomalee campus of the Eastern University of Sri Lanka, which has its main campus in Batticaloa.
Maps
See also
- Place names in Sri Lanka
- HMS Trincomalee - a British sailing frigate built in India.
References
- ^ Professor K. Indrapala, Early Tamil Settlements in Ceylon. PhD Thesis, University of London, 1965.page 331
- ^ Go=cow; karna=ear, MacDonell, A Practical Sanskrit Dictionary, Oxford University Press, 1969
- ^ H.N. Apte, Vayupurana, Chapter 48 verses 20-30, Poona, 1929
- ^ Mahavamsa. Chapter 35. Verses 40-47
- ^ Thirunanacamptanta Cuvamikal Arulicceyta Tevarattiruppatikankal, Saiva Siddhanta publishing works Ltd, Madras, 1927
- ^ S.Pathmanathan, The Kingdom of Jaffna, Colombo, 1978. pages 135-144
- ^ C.S. Navaratnam, A Short History of Hinduism in Ceylon, Jaffna, 1964. Pages 43-47
External links
 Sri Lankan Cities |
Sri Lankan cities |
|---|---|
| Colombo (Commercial Capital) | Sri Jayewardenapura (National Capital) | Anuradhapura | Trincomalee | Jaffna | Kandy | Polonnaruwa | Galle | Batticaloa | Boralesgamuwa | Nuwara Eliya | Negombo | Kurunegala | Badulla | Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia | Moratuwa | Matara | Maharagama | Ratnapura |
| Provincial Capitals Of Sri Lanka |  |
|---|---|
| Colombo | Kandy | Galle | Jaffna | Trincomalee | Kurunegala | Anuradhapura | Badulla | Ratnapura |
 Cities of North and East Provinces of Sri Lanka |
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| Trincomalee | Jaffna | Vavuniya | Batticaloa | Mannar | Kilinochchi | Ampara | Mullaitivu | |
