New look in Matara

Nilwala Ganga, which flows through Matara town, is said to be infected with crocodiles. During a recent visit to Matara, we were pleasantly surprised to see a fully grown crocodile with its huge mouth open on a little rock in the ditch surrounding the Star Fort in the heart of the town. Though giving us a lazy look, it gave the impression that it was expecting prey any time.

Right now, it seems to be the star attraction at the Star Fort. The museum that is housed in the fort is closed for repairs, although one of several plaques at the entrance indicates it has been opened recently by the National Heritage Minister after renovations by the Netherlands Government. Another plaque mentions that the place had been renovated by the same party and opened by the then Cultural Affairs Minister not so long ago.

The female in charge of the museum was on leave that day and the two or three other staff members didn’t know much about the place. The security guy, however, was happy to open up one room and show us the exhibits.

Through curiosity, we asked him about the crocodile. He said it had been brought as a tiny little baby about eight years ago and since then grown to be a big one, having being fed by the staff that treated it as a pet! He said it can now be a dangerous customer and that they were planning to catch it and hand it over to the zoo. He was not sure when it would happen but warned everybody to be careful, particularly with children. Tortoises seem to be the croc’s friends.

It was after a few years that I went to Matara. What a busy town it is today. Tall buildings have come up along the main street. People move about briskly. Parking a vehicle is not so easy. You name any bank – there is a branch. We counted at least nine offices of stockbrokers in the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) branch office. In fact, after a market survey, Matara was selected for the first outstation branch of the CSE due to business potential there. That was in 1999. Recently, the CSE office was shifted to a more spacious building so that a larger number of customers could be accommodated. I missed the old style bridge which has been replaced with a brand new one – more broad and smart but with no old world charm. Matara is fast becoming a central spot in the South, even more than Galle, because of its strategic location, where it is convenient for people in the deep south to travel. Once the Expressway is extended, hopefully later this year, Matara will really take off.

As for the Star Fort – named because of its shape – it is one of the landmarks of the town preserved from the time of the Dutch who built this fort as a precautionary measure after the first fort they built was attacked in 1761 by Sinhalese forces and they had to flee. They returned in a year and built the Star Fort in 1763. Named ‘Redoute van Eck’, the gate carries the VOC crest and the Arms of Governor van Eck.

After the British took over, the Star Fort was the residence of a government official until it was handed over to the Matara Urban Council for use as a library. By the time the UC took over, it had cadjan over the roof. The Archaeological Department took over in 1974. By 1986, the buildings were renovated following the original plan on the initiative of Commissioner Roland de Silva. It is now a provincial museum.

The entrance is 200 feet long. On either side are remnants of a rampart. Near the gate is a wooden bridge divided in two. The second section closer to the gate can be folded using a lever from inside the fort. Once folded it serves as a protective door. Then no one can enter the fort. Right round is a glacis 25 feet in width. The ditch is 10 feet deep and the width is around 20 feet. Above the rampart, which is 14 feet thick and 13 feet high, is a parapet. There had been 12 openings right round the fort where guns were installed as protection from any possible attack.  The Star Fort is well worth a visit for anyone going to Matara. Not many know about it since everyone talks about the other fort close to the coast. Except for the Dutch Reformed Church, the other buildings there are mostly recent ones. Incidentally, the rest house inside the fort has got a facelift.