The town of Batticaloa lies dreaming on the eastern coast of Sri Lanka 313 miles from Colombo. Just outside of this town lies the beautiful Kallady Beach with its golden sands. Other places of interest are the Kallady Bridge, the Batticaloa Light House, Batticaloa Fort and the Unichchai Tank.and the remains of the Thiruchendur Muruga Kovil which was split in half by the Tsunami. Sri Lanka beach hotels of high quality abound on the eastern coast and for those looking for traditional Sri Lankan ambience and hospitality Maalu Maalu Resort and Spa, Passekudah by the Passikudah Bay will be a good choice of accommodation.
The Kallady Beach offers serenity and spectacular sunrises. It is also a somber reminder of the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami devastation that Sri Lanka suffered. Pockets of Tsunami debris are cordoned off with short picket fences and notices exhort people to maintain due respect. A walk of around 4km will bring you to Navalady and the tip of the beach and the estuary where the waters of the Batticaloa Lagoon tumble into the Indian Ocean. Take a stroll along the wooden walkaway and visit the popular area of the beach near Saravana Road.
The turn off to Kallady Beach is near the Kallady Bridge. Built in 1924 and named the Lady Manning Bridge after British Governor Sir William Henry Manning’s wife, the bridge is the oldest and longest iron bridge in Sri Lanka. Today, it lies unused by vehicular traffic while a newer concrete bridge fulfils this need. The Singing Fish of Batticaloa is a phenomenon that attracts many. From April to September and mainly on full moon nights, a sound like the plucking of a base guitar can be heard from the lagoon. It is thought that a species of fish makes the sound but they have never been identified. The best way to listen to the sound is to put an end of an oar into the water and hold the other end to your ear.
Catalina Forbes is a travel writer who bases her content on many thrilling escapades experienced across the world.