Galle Fort
The Galle Fort, located on a
south-facing promontory at the eastern edge of the town of Galle, is
one
of the remnants of the island's storied age of exploration. With its
wall largely intact, the Portuguese fort houses a working town within
its walls. It is a lovely place to spend an afternoon exploring and
taking in views of the Indian Ocean. Visitors enter the town through a
set of walled gates, and make their way past the administrative
buildings to the seawall, which offers the most scenic route for
navigating the fort. The photo to the upper right shows the western seawall at the most convenient point of entrance,
looking north toward the town of Galle. The photo to the upper left
looks in
the other direction
along the same seawall, out onto the Indian Ocean. The photo at the
bottom left shows a cricket game taking place on the southern part of
the fort, just below the seawall. Cricket, of course, is the Sri Lankan
national pastime, and it is rare to 
see an open space that does 
not
include a cricket field. The photo to the lower right is a view of the
southern seawall, looking eastward. At the four corners of the seawall
as well as midway between them, defensive tower are built, jutting out
into the water. While they once held canons, today they offer a great
vantage point for photographers. The fort itself is a magnet for local
and tourists alike; at sundown and on weekends it is bustling, as
families picnic and socialize on the seawalls and surrounding greens.
The
southern seawall offers the best views of the fort. The photo to the
right shows the view from the southwest corner of the seawall, looking
eastward. Visible from the battery area (shown in the photo to the
left) is a good view of the Galle Forte's famous lighthouse, as well
as an old Portuguese church, now used as a mosque. A better view of the
mosque is shown in the photo at the bottom left. Following the seawall
up toward the town of Galle brings one into contact with its colonial
heritage. Near the top of the eastern coast, the seawall gives way to a
harbor, filled with fishing
craft. At that point, our tour of the Galle Fort moved inward, toward
the town center and the crumbling
colonial hotel.
The photo at the bottom right
shows a bell tower located about a block in from the seawall, next to a
Dutch Church, and the Episcopalian All Saints Church, shown in
the photo
below. These points of interest are presented in the virtual tour below.
] from the menu at the bottom of the screen. You may view the tour in full-screen mode by clicking on the "full-screen" icon [
]
on the menu at the bottom of the page. If you are using an older
computer and experiencing some "jumpiness" in the panorama, click on
the compass icon [
]from the bottom menu to smooth things out.