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 and was handed over to the Dutch in 1658. The small bastion fort is located in Arippu, which is away from Mannar Island. 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, English sea captain and famous British prisoner of the Kandyan King Rajasinghe II, 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 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 fo ...

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