The port city of Trincomalee
The port city of Trincomalee
Trincomalee is a famous port city situated on the east coast of Sri Lanka. It boasts one of the largest natural harbours in the world which has long been of major strategic importance throughout the islands history, being held by the Portuguese, the Dutch, the French and the British.
The port city of Trincomalee is one of the oldest known cities in Asia and has a recorded history spanning more than two and a half thousand years.
We get lots requests from our travellers who would like to visit Trincomalee during their Sri Lankan holiday– many of which had parents who were stationed here. We specialise in tailor-made holidays to Sri Lankaso please get in touch if you’d like to visit Trincomalee or any other Sri Lankan locations.
Places to visit in Trincomalee
The Koneswaram Temple sits high above the bay, overlooking one of the world’s largest natural harbours. The temple is beautifully ornamented in rich colours and is dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva.
Dating back to as early as 400 BC, the Koneswaram Temple is a religious pilgrim centre and was once one of the grandest Hindu temples in Asia. Unfortunately parts of the temple were torn down and thrown into the sea by the Portuguese in the 17th century. Since then a lot of the old building has been reclaimed and restored, with many discoveries of ancient pieces of the temple in and around the bay as well as many objects that had been buried by priests during the Portuguese occupation to ensure the scared items remained safe.
Ravana’s Cleft (or ‘Lovers’ Leap’) at Swami Rock is another popular site for travellers visiting Trincomalee. The name of this natural rock formation stems back from the legend of King Ravana who when moving the colossal rock dropped his sword because of god Shiva, which fell and created the dramatic parting in the rock.
Fort Fredrick is another popular place to visit in Trincomalee, first built in 17th century by the Portuguese and shortly after captured by the Dutch. Today the fort is occupied by the military of Sri Lanka but travellers to Trincomalee are free to walk around much of the fort and learn about its rich history.
