Batticaloa

A laid-back east-coast city of lagoons, islands and Dutch-era history, famous for the mysterious 'singing fish' heard from Kallady Bridge.

Overview

Batticaloa is the main city of Sri Lanka's east coast, spread across islands and peninsulas within one of the country's largest lagoons. Its old quarter on Puliyanthivu island is anchored by a compact Portuguese-Dutch fort, a whitewashed cathedral and busy markets, while the Kallady Bridge links the city to long, quiet beaches. The city is best known for the 'singing fish' of its lagoon, a faint musical hum said to rise from the water on still full-moon nights. A mix of Tamil, Muslim and Sinhalese communities gives Batticaloa an easy, unhurried character, and its dry-zone climate keeps it sunny while the west coast is under monsoon.

History

Batticaloa grew around its lagoon as a Tamil trading and fishing settlement long before the colonial era. The Portuguese built a fort here in 1628, which the Dutch captured in 1638 and rebuilt, and the British took over in 1795. Through the 20th century the city was a quiet provincial capital of the Eastern Province, but it suffered heavily during Sri Lanka's civil war and again in the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, which devastated its low-lying coast. Since the end of the conflict in 2009 the city and its beaches have slowly reopened to travellers.