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town of Medawachchiya (25km south of Vavuni-
ya) will soon open up rail travel to Mannar Island,
scheduled sometime in late 2014 or 2015.
Anuradhapura 3rd/2nd/1st class rs
50/90/160, one hour, six daily
Colombo 3rd/2nd/1st class rs 265/410/680,
seven hours, six dailyMannar Island & Around
% 023
Sun-blasted Mannar Island is a dry near-
peninsula with lots of white sand and palm
trees, gulls and terns, wild donkeys and fish-
ing boats. Culturally, it’s an intriguing place:
dotted with ancient baobab trees (native to
Africa and said to have been planted by Arab
merchants centuries ago) and crumbling co-
lonial edifices built by the Portuguese, Dutch
and Brits.
Once a prosperous pearling centre, today
Mannar is one of the poorest, least fertile
and most isolated corners of Sri Lanka. The
island was hard hit by the war: it was a ma-
jor exit and entry point to India, just 30km
away, and continues to host many refugees.
Thousands of Muslims were driven out by
the LTTE in 1990.
In many ways the island still feels like it’s
in recovery mode, with dusty streets, a slightly
forlorn appearance and more than its share of
trash and mosquitoes. That said, the people
are welcoming and there’s a good choice of
budget accommodation.Ma n n a r Tow n
Reached via a 3km-long causeway from
the mainland, Mannar Town is a some-
what scruffy transport hub. There’s not that
much for tourists, but as virtually all accom-modation is based here, this is where most
travellers gather.Star Fortress forT
An imposing Portuguese-Dutch construction,
this star-shaped fortress is situated right by
the causeway to the island and ringed by a
moat. It’s desperately in need of renovation,
but the ruins are atmospheric and contain
the roofless remains of a chapel, dungeon
and Dutch belltower. Climb the ramparts for
an impressive perspective of the town and
Gulf of Mannar.
The Fort was built in a quadrangular lay-
out by the Portuguese in 1560, but captured
in 1658 by the Dutch, who rebuilt it in 1695,
adding four bastions. A century later, the co-
lonial merry-go-round turned again as the
British, drawn to Mannar by the pearl banks
offshore, occupied the structure.Baobab Tree lANDMArK
(Palimunai Rd) An offbeat attraction, this an-
cient baobab tree was allegedly planted by
Arab traders. It has a circumference of 19.5m
and is believed to be over 700 years old. In
Africa the baobab is sometimes called the up-
side-down tree (because its branches look like
roots); locals in Mannar refer to it as the ali
gaha (elephant tree) since its tough, gnarled
bark resembles the skin of an elephant. It’s
1.2km northeast of the town centre.Around the Island
The island is not endowed with beautiful
dream-style stretches of sand, but attractive
Kiri beach has good swimming, though no
shade. Expect some trash. It’s fringed by a
small palmyra palm forest that’s home to
monkeys. It’s located 6km west of Mannar
Town.PEARL ISLAND
The shallow seas around Mannar have been associated with pearls since antiquity.
Ancient Greek and Roman texts mention pearling here, and the Chinese monk Fa-hsien
(Faxian) documented Mannar’s exceptional pearls in 411, as did Marco Polo. Arab sailor
Ibn Batuta (who passed by in 1344) reported seeing precious collections of pearls in the
Mannar royal treasury.
The British also benefited substantially from pearl profits. Between 1796 and 1809,
£517,481 (a vast sum in those days) was credited as revenue into the Ceylon treasury
from pearls. Over 200 pearling boats would set sail each day to comb the shallow waters
of the Gulf of Mannar, each boat containing a government-employed ‘shark charmer’
who would perform ceremonies to safeguard divers against underwater attack.
Profits from pearling declined steeply in the late 19th century, possibly due to dredg-
ing, over-exploitation and the emergence of cultured pearls. The last pearling season in
Sri Lanka, in 1906, was a commercial failure.