The city of Batticaloa is located just over 320 km from Colombo, on the eastern coast of Sri Lanka. Popularly known as “Batti”, this town is surrounded by picturesque lagoons and palm trees and is dotted with colonial buildings, places of worship and more.
The eastern coast showcases over 120 km of gorgeous, sandy beaches and is the best in Sri Lanka. Resorts such as Theme Resorts & Spas offer luxurious accommodation while placing you within close proximity to the attractions in Batticaloa as well as spectacular beaches such as Kallady, Pasikudah and Kalkudah.
A feature unique to Batticaloa is the ‘singing fish’ near Kallady Bridge. During full moon nights, between the months of April and September, you can hear distinct musical sounds arising from the lagoon waters. These serenades of the fish are heard when there is a minimal wind. As a result of this phenomenon, Batticaloa is also known as the ‘Land of the Singing Fish’.
Another unmissable attraction is the Dutch Fort dating back to 1628, when Batticaloa was the trading and administrative centre of Ceylon. Today, what’s left is the rectangular shaped fort with four bastions which used to house canons. ‘VOC’ the insignia of the Dutch East India Company can still be seen at the entrance of the fort. The lagoon borders the northern side of the fort, while moats surround the east, west and south sides. Within the fort there are quite a few local government offices and also the monument stone of the original Dutch church that was built in the 18th century.
Batticaloa also is home to beautiful places of worship. The Methodist Church built in 1838, the Mexican-influenced St. Anthony’s Church, St. Mary’s Cathedral, Anipandi Sitiwigneswarar Temple with its gorgeous entrance tower, Thiruchendur Murugan Temple and Jamis-Us-Salem Jummah Masjid are all important attractions in the town.
Shehera Fioni is a travel writer who writes under the pen name Catalina Forbes. Her content is based on many thrilling escapades offered to travellers across the world.