Solo Explorer: November 2020

Trincomalee

Trincomalee, Sri Lanka (Ceylon)

Trincomalee (ත්‍රීකුණාමලය) also known as Gokanna is the administrative capital of the Trincomalee District and major tourist destination of Eastern Province, Sri Lanka. It is Situated 8M (26Ft) above the Sea level and Located on the east coast of the island overlooking the Trincomalee Harbour at a distance of 258 Km (161Mi) northeast of the Colombo City, Sri Lanka. Trincomalee city is home for the famous Koneswaram Hindu Temple and many Historical places such as Velgam Vehera (Velgam Temple), The Dutch Fort, Commonwealth war cemetery etc.

Trincomalee name is a combination of three Tamil words "Triru - Holy , Konam - Name and Malai - Mountain". Trincomalee is located on a small mountain near the sea. This mountain is dedicated to God Shiva and this name is used to call this area.

Brief information about the Historical & Beautiful around Trincomalee:

Girihandu Seya Ancient Buddhist Temple - This ancient Buddhist temple is situated in Thiriyai, Trincomalee which is 47Km (29Mi) north to the Trincomalee town. This temple is supposed to be the first Buddhist Stupa in Sri Lanka and is believed to be constructed by two seafaring merchants Trapusa & Bahalika. The names of these two merchants are recorded in a rock inscription found in the Vihara premises. According to the inscription, Girihandu Seya was built by the guilds of merchants named Trapassuka and Vallika where the names are written as Tapassu and Bhalluka in later Sinhala chronicles. The Stupa in the Temple is highly venerated by the people, as it is believed to contain the hair relics of Shakyamuni Gautama Buddha.

The Dutch Fort - The entrance to the roadway leading to Koneswaram is actually the entrance that was used to be Fort Fredrick. This fort was built in 1623 by the Portuguese and captured in 1639 by the Dutch. It later went through a phase of dismantling and reconstruction and got attacked and captured by the French in 1672. Trincomalee's strategic importance has shaped its recent history. The great European powers vied for mastery of the harbour. The Portuguese, the Dutch, the French and the British, each held it in turn and there have been many sea battles nearby.

Gokanna Natural Harbour (Trincomalee Natural Harbour) - The harbor is the fifth-largest natural harbour in the world and is overlooked by terraced highlands. It’s entrance is guarded by two headlands including a carriage road along its northern and eastern edges.

Nilaveli Beach - Nilaveli (Open Land of the Moon- Shine) is located 16km (10Mi) north to the Trincomalee town. This is very famous and beautiful beach in Sri Lanka. This area is mainly famous for bathing and swimming owing to the relative shallowness of the sea and allowing one to walk out over hundred meters into the sea without water reaching the chest.

Pigeon Island - Pigeon Island marine sanctuary extends up to 471.4 hectares including 9 hectares of landmass and rest encompassing the coral reef. This island is also located 1 km off from Nilaveli Beach. The name Pigeon Island has come after hundreds of endemic Blue Rock Pigeons that inhabit the island. The Pigeon Island Marine Sanctuary is a unique natural phenomenon made up of two Islands called the Large and Small Pigeon Islands. It was designated as a Marine Sanctuary in 1963 and was selected as a National Park in 2003. On entering the Island, visitors can see hundreds of Blue Rock Pigeons, an endangered species nesting and breeding amongst the rocks.

The Large Pigeon Island possesses a 200m long and 100m wide coral reef with over 100 species of exquisite corals making it an unmatched live coral reef unlike any other in Sri Lanka. It is considered as an ecosystem being high in biodiversity and a socio-economically important reef habitat whose vegetation consists mainly of Acropora spp, Montipora spp, and Poritidae coral species including many more coral species alongside. The fish species include juvenile and adult Black tip reef shark in addition to a number of endangered and protected fish species such as Bi-color cleaner wrasse, Raggedfin parrotfish, Humphead Wrasse, Mellon Butterflyfish, Black wedged buterflyfish and Emperor angelfish. Interestingly, there are also visiting sea turtles such as Hawksbill sea turtle, Green sea turtle, Leatherback, Loggerhead, and Olive Ridley amongst other varieties of interesting vertebrates and invertebrates you can see in Pigeon Island.

Hot springs - There are the seven hot springs of Kanniya (Kan = stone; niya = land) on the road to Trincomalee. A high wall bounds the rectangular enclosure which includes all seven springs. Each is in turn is enclosed by a dwarf wall to form a well. The water is warm and the temperature of each spring is slightly different.

Climate:

Trincomalee features a Tropical wet & dry climate. The city features a dry season from March through June and a wet season for the remaining year. The city is seen on average roughly 1570 MM of precipitation annually. The average temperature in Trincomalee ranges from around 26 °C (79 °F) in December and January to approximately 30 °C (86 °F) during the warmest months of the year from April to September. Extreme temperatures in the city were ranged from 18.2 °C (64.8 °F) on 28 February 1947 to 39.8 °C (103.6 °F) on 13 May 1890.

How To Reach Trincomalee:

Ø By Train:

Only one direct train runs on daily bases: Colombo to Trincomalee. If you are planning to travel during the daytime then you have to catch Udaya Devi Batticaloa Train and then depart at the Gal Oya station. From here, You have to wait till 3.30 pm for Gal Oya - Trincomalee Train to come. This train will reach Trincomalee at around 5.30 pm.

Colombo To Trincomelee Train Timetable:

Train No	Train Name	Available Class	Departure Time	Arrival Time
7083	Night Mail	2nd & 3rd Class	9.30pm	5.30am
6011	Udaya Devi	2nd & 3rd Class	6.10am	5.30pm

From Trincomalee to Colombo also only one train travels per day but you can catch Gal Oya train at 7.00 am and it reaches Galoya around 9.00. From there, you can catch a Colombo train at 10.15am. This train will reach Colombo at around 3.30pm.

Trincomalee to Colombo Train Timetable:

Train No	Train Name	Available Class	Departure Time	Arrival Time
7084	Night Mail	2nd & 3rd Class	7.00pm	4.00am
		2nd & 3rd Class	7.00am	3.30pm

Ø By Road:

To reach Trincomalee, one of the easiest and the best road is, Colombo to Ambepussa (A1 Road /Colombo - Kandy Main road) till Ambepussa clock tower junction & then you have to turn left at Ambepussa - Trincomalee Road (A6 Road) to reach Trincomalee. This road takes approximately 6 hours and 30 Minutes to reach Trincomalee.

Things To Do In Trincomalee:

Ø Pigeon Island Tour- This island is amazing place to see the coral reef and you can dive & snorkel in the sea area to see beautiful underwater coral reef and fish.

Ø Bath at Nilaveli Beach- Almost 100 m you can walk on the sea without reaching the water level of 5ft (1.5M) and This is one of the safest beach in Sri Lanka. If you are planning to visit Trincomalee, Don't forget to bath there and enjoy the evening.

Ø Worship at Girihandu Seya Ancient Buddhist Temple- This Temple is believed to comprise of the hair relics of Shakyamuni Gautama Buddha. This is a spiritual place to do your Buddhist practice and is one of the main places you can visit during your Trincomalee tour especially if you are Buddhist practitioners.

Ø Worship at Koneswaram Hindu Temple- This Hindu temple also has a long history. It is dated to 1580 BC & this is a shrine dedicated to God Shiva. This is very famous Hindu Temple is Sri Lanka and it’s a holy place in Trincomale town. If you are planning to visit the Trincomalee then Koneswaram Hindu temple must be added to your itinerary list.

Ø Take Hot Water Bath at Kanniya- This place is located at Kanniya and is 6.4KM (3.9MI) away from the Trincomalee town. The average temperature of these wells is 42 °C (107.6 °F) and is slightly different to one another. This is a very famous place in Trincomalee. People in this area believe that this hot water is good for skin deceases and has healing power for some illnesses.

Ø Enjoying Fresh Seafood- If you are a Seafood lover then Trincomalee might be a heaven for you. Seafood is a delicacy here for obvious reasons. Fried cuttlefish, prawns curry & variety of fishes Cuisines can tempt your taste buds.

Places To See In Trincomalee:

· Dutch Bay Trincomalee

· Girihandu Seya Ancient Buddhist Temple

· Gokanna Ancient Buddhist Temple

· Green Bay Beach

· Kanniya Hot Springs

· Koneswaram Hindu Temple

· Kuchchaveli Ancient Buddhist Temple

· Nilaveli Beach

· Pigeon Island

· Sweat Bay Beach

· The Dutch Fort