Arippu Fort ( ta, அரிப்புக் கோட்டை, translit=Arippuk Kōṭṭai; si, අරිප්පු බලකොටුව, translit=Arippu Balakotuwa; also known as Allirani fort; ta, அல்லிராணிக் கோட்டை, translit=Allirāṇik Kōṭṭai) was built by the

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

and was handed over to the Dutch in 1658. The small bastion fort is located in Arippu, which is away from

Mannar Island Mannar Island ( ; ta, மன்னார் தீவு, Maṉṉār tīvu; si, මන්නාරම් දූපත, Mannāram dūpata), formerly spelt Manar Island, which lies off the north-western coast of Sri Lanka, is part of Mannar D ...

. The fort is nearly square in shape, with two

bastions A bastion or bulwark is a structure projecting outward from the curtain wall of a fortification, most commonly angular in shape and positioned at the corners of the fort. The fully developed bastion consists of two faces and two flanks, with fi ...

Robert Knox Robert Knox (4 September 1791 – 20 December 1862) was a Scottish anatomist and ethnologist best known for his involvement in the Burke and Hare murders. Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, Knox eventually partnered with anatomist and former teache ...

, English sea captain and famous British prisoner of the Kandyan King

Rajasinghe II King Rajasinghe II, also known as Rajasingha II (pre coronation, Prince Deva Astana), was a Sinhalese King, reigned 1629 – 6 December 1687; third king of the Kingdom of Kandy in Sri Lanka. Rajasingha requested Netherlands, Dutch aid to help exp ...

, and his companion escaped after nineteen years of captivity and reached the Arippu Fort in 1679. The first

British Governor of Ceylon The governor of Ceylon was the representative in Ceylon of the British Crown from 1795 to 1948. In this capacity, the governor was president of the Executive Council and Commander-in-Chief of the British Forces in Ceylon. The governor was the ...

, Frederick North, constructed his official summer residence at the beach front, now known as '' The Doric'' and converted the fort into accommodation for the officers, who operated the pearl fisheries in the area. The fort building was subsequently converted to a guest house but was abandoned when the civil war spread to the area.

History

A legend says the

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia ** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nati ...

Queen

Alli Raani Alli Rani (), also known as Alli arasi , is a legendary Tamil queen of the Sangam period, who is thought to have ruled the whole western and northern coast of Sri Lanka from her capital Kudiramalai. According to folklore, her fort, Allirani fort, ...

ruled in Mannar region. It believes that her fortress was located where the ruins of fort can be seen today. Further, the legend says that

Kudiramalai Kudiramalai (, ) is a cape and ancient port town on the west coast of Sri Lanka. On the Gulf of Mannar near Silavaturai, the town shares a history with nearby Karaitivu Island, the ancient port town of Mannar and the Ketheeswaram temple. Kudiram ...

area was her palace, and Queen Alli ruled where

Kuveni Kuveni(කුවේණි / குவேணி) also known as Sesapathi or Kuvanna or Leelawathi, was a Yakshini queen in Sri Lanka mentioned in the ancient Pali chronicles Mahavansa and Dipavansa of the Sinhalese people. The primary source for ...

subsequently ruled.

References

* {{Forts and fortresses of the Portuguese empire, state=collapsed British forts in Sri Lanka Dutch forts in Sri Lanka Forts in Northern Province, Sri Lanka Portuguese forts in Sri Lanka 1658 establishments in the Dutch Empire