Galle - the third town to gain municipal status

It was exactly 140 years ago this week that the Municipal Council of Galle, the Southern capital was established. The date has been recorded as November 20, 1866.

Galle owes its glory to its harbour - the country's first - since the 14th century. It became the island's chief port of call due to its strategic position in relation to the sea routes. Traders from many parts of the world landed in Galle with their merchandise and it became a trading centre. Bartering of goods was popular at the time and foreign traders were keen to get spice from Ceylon in exchange for their goods.

In 1505 a Portuguese fleet of vessels under the command of Don Lourenco de Almeida bound for the Maldives was driven off their course by winds and landed in Galle. The Portuguese gradually occupied the maritime provinces, but it was not until 1588 that they fortified Galle. That was following the attack by King Rajasinghe I of Sitawaka on Colombo.

The main landmark of Galle is the Fort, which was built by the Dutch in 1663 on a 90-acre block of land. It was considerably strengthened during the administration of Dutch Governor Petrus Vuyst (1726-29). The Ramparts and the Bastions can be seen even today just as they existed during the time of the Dutch.

Most of the buildings in the Fort are of Dutch origin. They are solidly built and are spacious with deep verandahs supported by slender wooden or big rounded pillars. The massive doors usually were in four pieces with iron fittings. There were courtyards at the back of the buildings. The interiors are cool and spacious with thick walls and high roofs.

On February 16, 1796, the Dutch surrendered Colombo to the British. Shortly before this, Galle and other Dutch possessions of the Dutch were ceded to the British.
Galle gained municipal status after Colombo and Kandy.

Ramanna Nikaya is established

The Buddhist clergy belongs to three Sects or 'Nikayas'. They are the Siyam Nikaya (the Siamese Sect), Amarapura Nikaya and Ramanna Nikaya. The first to be established was the Siyam Nikaya which came into existence in 1751 following the arrival of a delegation of monks from Siam (Thailand) at the request of King Kirthi Sri Rajasinghe. It was on the initiative of Velivita Sri Saranankara Thera (he was later appointed Sanghanayaka) that the King invited the delegation to restore higher ordination or 'upasampada' and rekindle the Buddhist faith.

The Amarapura Nikaya was founded in 1802 and takes its name from the town of Amarapura in Myanmar (Burma).

The Ramanna Nikaya was established on December 19, 1864. One of its aims was to free Buddhism from Hindu influences. Ramanna is an old Sinhala name for Myanmar.

Tamil classical scholar

Arumuga Navalar (1822-79) was a famous Tamil scholar who did much to revive Hinduism and resist missionary activities to convert Tamils into Christianity. His birthday falls this week. He was born on December 18, 1822.

Having studied the classical Tamil texts, he systematically exposed the Saivite Hindu doctrine that helped to strengthen Hinduism in the Jaffna Peninsula at a time of strong missionary pressure.

He took steps to set up Hindu schools in every village when the missionaries were busy setting up their own schools. He also laid the groundwork for the establishment of Jaffna Hindu College, the main Hindu English school in the country. He set up a press to print and distribute pamphlets explaining the Hindu doctrine and meeting the criticisms of Christian propagandists.