Pooneryn Fort Explained

Pooneryn fort
Partof:Kilinochchi District
Location:Pooneryn, Sri Lanka
Map Type:Sri Lanka Northern Province
Map Size:300
Type:Defence fort
Builder:Portuguese and Dutch
Materials:Granite Stones and bricks
Condition:Badly damaged

Pooneryn Fort (Tamil: பூநகரிக் கோட்டை|translit=Pūnakarik Kōṭṭai; Sinhala; Sinhalese: පූනරීන් බලකොටුව Punarin Balakotuwa) is located in Pooneryn, adjacent to the Jaffna Peninsula. It was built by the Portuguese to protect their possessions in Jaffna. The fort was captured by the Dutch in 1658, and subsequently by the British in 1796.[1]

During Dutch possession, the square-shaped fort had two bastions. In 1805, British built a rest house at the fort. The fort was under the control of Sri Lankan Army and LTTE during the civil war but is now fully accessible to the public. The remains of the fort however are currently in a poor state of repair.[2]

References

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Pooneryn fort . 11 November 2014.
  2. Web site: Pooneryn Fort . 15 November 2014.