Trincomalee (Trinco)

This historic city is old almost beyond reckoning: it’s possibly the site of historic Gokana in the Mahavamsa (Great Chronicle), and its Shiva temple the site of Trikuta Hill in the Hindu text Vayu Purana. Within its grounds, the grand Koneswaram Temple stands on Swami Rock cliff, the holy complex contains ornate shrines and a massive statue of Shiva. Nearby Gokanna Temple has a panoramic view over the city and the coastline.

Most people just pass through the city on their way to the nearby beaches of Uppuveli and Nilaveli, but the town has some charm, plenty of history and an interesting melange of people. It’s easy to spend a day or more exploring the ins and outs of the myriad waterfronts and the fort and its famous temple.

Things to do in Trincomalee:

Nilawali – Beach

Nilaveli is located north-west of the Island. It is one of the most beautiful beaches in Sri Lanka renowned for its soft white sand and breath-taking bays. For years Nilaveli has been considered one of Sri Lanka’s best beaches. Trincomalee is the gateway to a few of the finest beaches in the eastern coast of Sri Lanka, namely Uppuveli and Nilaveli located 6km and 16km away from the town area. Nilaveli, the furthest north of the Trinco region’s two beach resort areas, is more intimate than Uppuveli.The beaches with knee deep shallow waters that runs hundreds of feet into the sea, afford ample opportunities for surfing, scuba diving, snorkelling, fishing and Whale Watching.

If you’re looking for some serious beach time, then Nilaveli could be just the ticket, for the sands are golden and the ocean inviting. It certainly has that feeling of paradise-island remoteness, with plenty of bending palms swaying over the golden sand. It’s about 4km long, with modest resorts dotted along the shore. Hotels are scattered up and down little lanes off the coast highway (B424) – it’s around six kilometres from one end of the village to the other. Looking east, Offshore, you can see Pigeon Island beckoning you to snorkel.

 

 

Pigeon Island

Pigeon Island – Located floating in the great blue 1km offshore of Nilaveli a coastal town in Trincomalee. This island was used by British army as a place for shooting practice in early world war time. The islands were declared a sanctuary in 1963 for the purpose of protecting these birds. In 2003 this area was upgraded to the status of a National Park and the boundaries were extended to include coral reef around them. The Pigeon Island Marine Sanctuary is a unique natural phenomenon consists of two Islands called the Large and Small Pigeon Islands. It is extends up to 471.4 hectares in total of which 9 ha cover the landmass and the rest encompass the coral beds which is the border line of the Marine National Park. Pigeon Island is one of the several protected areas affected by the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004.

Pigeon Island, with its powdery white sands and glittering coral gardens, tantalizes with possibilities. A nesting area for rock pigeons, the island is beautiful enough, with rock pools and paths running through thickets, but it’s the underwater landscape that’s the real star. This Pigeon Island National Park has one of the best remaining coral reefs with high live coral cover in the country and is an ideal location for scuba diving and snorkeling. Sri Lanka is home to two Marine National Parks, one of which is the Pigeon Island Marine Sanctuary as well as one of the few marine national parks in the world and surely the most attractive marine national park.

The huge Pigeon Island possesses a 200m long and 100m wide coral reef with over 100 types of beautiful corals making it an unmatched live coral reef, unlike any other in Sri Lanka. It is careful an ecosystem high in biodiversity and a socioeconomically significant reef habitat whose vegetation consists mainly of Acropora spp., Montipora spp., Faviddae, Mussidae and Poritidae coral species; this is in addition to soft corals such as Sinularia, Lobophyton, and Sarcophyton.

 

 

Fort Frederick

Occupying the neck of a narrow peninsula, Fort Fredrick has been a defensively important site for centuries. A fortress was initially constructed here by the Portuguese in 1623 and later rebuilt by the Dutch. The British took over in 1782 (look out for royal insignias crowning the tunnel-like gateway that pierces the fort’s massively stout walls).

HOT Spring

Kanniya Hot Water wells have now developed into a popular attraction for those who visit Trincomalee now that the LTTE Terrorists which controlled this area has been completely wiped out. It is also believed the water from the wells have therapeutic healing powers and can cure many aliments. However due to the spirituality of the surroundings, many come here to calm their mind, body and soul. Further, to have bathed at the hot water springs in Kanniya are important and is much talked about after visitors return home.A visit to Trincomalee will not be complete without a sojourn to the Kanniya hot water springs.

According to the notice board put by the Pradeshiya Saba at the wells, this well goes back to the times of King Ravana who ruled the country over 5000 years ago. According to the Hindu Legend Ramayana, there are many tales surrounding these hot water springs, one being that Lord Vishnu created the wells so that King Ravana could perform the last rites for his mother Kanniya upon hearing of her alleged demise. An additional is that King Ravana struck the rock with his sword seven times and thus the springs appeared. But now it has been accepted that these wells belonged to an great Buddhist monastery which span vast area. Experience everyday local tradition and take a bath in the holy waters of Kanniya Hot Springs.

Trincomalee (Trinco) sits one of the finest natural deep-water harbors in the world is located 257 km north-east of Colombo, capital city of Sri Lanka. Trincomalee superb deep-water port has made it the target for all manner of attacks over the centuries: by the British takeover in 1795, the city had changed colonial hands seven times. Trincomalee is a port city on the northeast coast of Sri Lanka. Set on a peninsula, Fort Frederick was built by the Portuguese in the 17th century.

 Trincomalee harbor during the Second World War, The British and the Allied Powers chose it as the chief naval base for the entire South East of Asia and Far East Command during World War II, The Japanese attack at Trincomalee’s harbor in 1942 wasn’t successful in spite of a suicide attack on the Trincomalee fuel tanks. Sri Lanka, then called Ceylon, did not face a real threat of an invasion by the Japanese at any point during the war.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Swami Rock and Koneshwaram Kovil

Trincomalee’s ancient history is more mystery and legend and sometimes highly debated. On the eastern promontory is the famous Swami rock on which stands the celebrated Koneswaram temple. Thirukoneswaram, or the Holy Koneswaram Temple, is a Hindu temple in Thirukonamalai (Trincomalee) on the east coast of Sri Lanka. The temple lies on a high rocky promontory surrounded on three sides by the sea. It bears a history of over three millennia with its records indicating its roots in 1580 BC. This, still beautiful, historical monument is what remains of what once was a sprawling temple city equal to the ancient city of Madurai, India. According to one Hindu legend, Shiva at Koneswaram was worshipped by Indra, king of the gods. King Ravana of the epic Ramayana and his mother are believed to have worshiped Lord Shiva in the sacred lingam form at Koneswaram circa 2000 B.C.; the cleft of Swami Rock is attributed to Ravana’s great strength. According to this tradition, his father-in-law Maya built the Ketheeswaram temple in Mannar. Ravana is believed to have brought the swayambhu lingam in the temple to Koneswaram, one of sixty-nine such lingams he carried from Mount Kailash. Ravana is also supposed to have created the hot springs of Kanniya as part of Thirukoneswaram, for the last rites of his mother. King Ravana was a legendary emperor of Sri Lanka who is believed to have lived over 5000 years ago. If this legend were to be true, then that would indicate that the temple was alive and thriving for over 5000 years.

 

This coral rich habitat surrounded by a maze of smaller islets and rocky outcrops in the vicinity of the Small Pigeon Island has made it a favorable feeding and breeding ground for over 300 species of coral reef fish creating a colorful underwater symphony. The fish variety include juvenile and adult Black tip reef shark, in addition to a number of endangered and protected fish species such as Bi-color cleaner wrasse, Raggedfin parrotfish, Humphead Wrasse, Mellon Butterflyfish, Black wedged butterfly fish, Moorish idon, Blue ringed angelfish and Emperor angelfish.

Interestingly there are also visiting sea turtles such as Hawksbill sea turtle, Green sea turtle, Leatherback, Loggerhead and Olive Ridley amongst other varieties of interesting vertebrates and invertebrates.

The reef here is shallow, making snorkeling almost as satisfying as diving, and its home to dozens of corals, hundreds of reef fish (including blacktop reef sharks) and turtles. A small boat ride will let you to this awesome piece of nature’s creations. The sun, sea, beach, corals, singing birds and the sea breeze will give you an experience of a life time.

Pigeon Island is also a well known birds’ sanctuary. The island is colonized by a large number of rock pigeons and the island gets its name from Blue Rock Pigeon, a native endangered bird that lives within the rocks in these islands. On entering the Island visitors can see hundreds of Blue Rock Pigeons, an endangered species nesting and breeding amongst the rocks.

The reef here is shallow; this underwater fantasy is a piece of heaven for those interested in scuba diving, snorkeling, & surfing and its home to dozens of corals. A small boat ride will let you to this awesome piece of nature’s creations. The sun, sea, beach, corals, singing birds and the sea breeze will give you an experience of a life time.

The busiest times to visit are May to September.

Dutch Bay

Right in the centre of Trinco is the attractive and picturesque Dutch Bay. Swimming is possible despite sometimes dangerous undertows. However, it’s more a place for ­strolling, and ice-cream sellers cater to the evening passeggiata.

 

 

At times a current of bubbles can be seen rising from the bottom, giving you and feeling of a pot of water being heated. The hot water springs are said to be surface manifestations of subsurface hidden energy sources, however their origins are yet a mystery and is intricately linked with the history of this country.

Today, locals who wish to advantage from the water’s medicinal properties visit the wells. Step onto the tile floor and find seven man-made square-shaped wells, each no more than waist-deep. Grab a bucket, scoop out some water, and take a bath the local way. However, whatever their origins and archaeological import the hot water springs offer their waters to all nationalities and religions and are visited by hundreds of travelers a day who are strong-minded to soothe their bodies and mind with the warmth of the spring water.

Each spring is enclosed by a stone wall to form seven individual wells, which in turn are covered by a wall to provide privacy to those who bathe. Notice that each of the wells varies slightly in temperature. The size of each well varies. The bottom of the well is formed of quartz, sand and gravel and thus the water is clear and not muddy. The temperature of each well varies and due to its mineral composition the water is said to cure skin ailments and arthritis.