Old Dutch Fort, Batticaloa, Sri Lanka.

Seeing clockwise The Fort, the ferry landing site, a sentry point on the corner of the rampart and the bell tower are seen.

Old Dutch Fort, Batticaloa, Sri Lanka.

Looking clockwise the Fort, its front entrance on the lagoon side, the rampart on the wall of the fort and covered air-vents on the rampart are seen in this picture.

British guns on Batticaloa Fort.

 You can see the British Coat-of-arms and other markings on the artillery piece of those days.

The ghost in the Fort.

In the 1970s when I was Resident Surgeon at the General Hospital, Batticaloa I heard the following story. Inside the old Dutch fort connecting the rampart with the commanders quarters there was a metal - wooden floored bridge.
A night watcher inside the fort had heard someone walking on the wooden floor in the dead of the night. He had gone to investigate. He had seen a man dressed in metal armor and wearing a metal cap walking to and fro on this bridge. The metal ramp is now converted as a concrete bridge. I took this picture recently.

Rev.Ault, landing site, Puliyanthivu, Batticaloa

The place where the Rev. William Ault landed at Puliyanthivu in 1824, is remembered by the monument called the 'Batticaloa Gate'. There is a statue of the reverend close by. You can get a lovely view of the 'Kottamunai bridge from this site. I have included a photograph of same.

Wild elephants on the road to Somawathy Chaithya, Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka.

We were on the road to Somawathy Chaitya when we spotted these wild elephants by the side of the road. I am attaching a report from the Sunday Times of Sri Lanka, of the 4th September 2011, on an the results of an elephant count done in SL recently.

The Dutch Fort and the Rest-House, Batticaloa, Sri Lanka.

 The Star shaped Dutch Fort is next door to the Rest House in Puliyanthivu, Batticaloa. It is an idyllic spot where the breeze from the lagoon takes away all the stresses of a day.

Kathankudy, Batticaloa, Sri Lanka.

 Kathankudy has boomed economically in the past decade. It is largely populated by Muslims. There are date-palm trees planted in the center isle of the highway passing through it. I took the picture of a bullock cart having rubber tired wheels. The palm trees have 'drip feeding' of water and some trees are already bearing fruit.The town certainly seems to have an Arabic look.

Dead elephant, Manampity, Sri Lanka

Driving along the road paralleling the railway track at Manampitiya we saw this elephant's dead body. It had been struck by a train and had fallen down and died.
'The count conducted last month in forests and wildlife parks found 5,879 wild elephants, of which 122 are tuskers and 1,107 calves'.