Hanwella fort ( si, හංවැල්ල බලකොටුව ''Hanwælla Balakotuwa''; ta, ஹன்வெல்லைக் கோட்டை, translit=Haṉvellaik Kōṭṭai) was located in

Hanwella Hanwella is a town in Sri Lanka, situated about from Colombo, the commercial capital of the country. Hanwella lies on the Colombo-Ratnapura main road, on the banks of the Kelani River. Geography This historic city belongs to the Colombo dist ...

Colombo Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo m ...

, on the banks of the

Kelani River The Kelani River ( si, කැළණි ගඟ) is a river in Sri Lanka. Ranking as the fourth-longest river in the country, it stretches from the Sri Pada Mountain Range to Colombo. It flows through or borders the Sri Lankan districts of Nuwara ...

. Hanwella, which means 'skin sands', was the site of an ancient ferry route across the river. Malwana fort was situated about on the other side of the Kelani River. It is thought that the fort was originally constructed by King

Mayadunne of Sitawaka Mayadunne ( si, මායාදුන්නේ) (1501–1581) was the King of Sitawaka, ruled the kingdom between 1521 and 1581. Mayadunne was a fierce opponent of the Portuguese, who had arrived on the island in 1505. He devoted his early life ...

, to protect the ferry crossing. 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 ...

occupied the fort and under the command of Don Jerónimo de Azevedo rebuilt it in their own style, mostly consisting of earth ramparts, in 1597. It was captured by the

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

, who constructed a star-shaped fort using kabook (a local laterite rock), completing the work in 1684. In 1761 Kirti Sri Raja Singha, the second Nayaka king of

Kandy Kandy ( si, මහනුවර ''Mahanuwara'', ; ta, கண்டி Kandy, ) is a major city in Sri Lanka located in the Central Province. It was the last capital of the ancient kings' era of Sri Lanka. The city lies in the midst of hills ...

, captured the fort and the surrounding district, massacring the garrison at the fort. The Dutch recaptured the fort in the following year. In 1786, the fort fell under the control of the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

. In 1797, shortly after the British occupied the lowlands, a rebellion broke out and sepoys of the 35th Madras Regiment were besieged within the walls of the Hanwella fort and took casualties. In 1803 during the first British-Kandyan War, Kandyan forces, under Pilima Talauva, attacked the fort which was commanded by

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

Charles Mercer on 3 September. The British managed to hold off the Kandyans until reinforcements arrived under the command of Captain William Pollard on 6 September. AMH-7062-KB View of the Hangwelle fort

Little evidence of the fort remains apart from remnants of the fortifications and the moat. A rest house is currently located on the site of the former fort. On 17 December 1875 the then

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...

, Albert Edward, stopped at the rest house and planted a jack tree on the site to commemorate his visit to Sri Lanka. The tree and two stone seats, which were constructed for the royal family, can still be seen at the site. The 1980

Sinhalese Sinhala may refer to: * Something of or related to the Sinhalese people of Sri Lanka * Sinhalese people * Sinhala language, one of the three official languages used in Sri Lanka * Sinhala script, a writing system for the Sinhala language ** Sinha ...

-language film ''

Ganga Addara ''Ganga Addara'' (English : Beside the River) was a 1980 Sinhalese language film directed by Sumitra Peiris and produced by Sumathi Films. The film stars Vasanthi Chathurani and late Vijaya Kumaratunga in the lead roles. Adapted from a novel by L ...

'', directed by Sumitra Peiris, was filmed at the fort's location.

References

{{Forts in Sri Lanka British forts in Sri Lanka Populated places in Colombo District Dutch forts in Sri Lanka Forts in Western Province, Sri Lanka Portuguese forts in Sri Lanka