Galle Fort
As
the train from Colombo reaches Gale in three hours & one leaves the
precincts of the station, the look of the town does not appear to justify any of
the historical importance attached to it,To discover that one has to enter the
little town within Galle fort.The ancient town has seen many changes &
upheavesl during the last few centuries, but perhaps none like quiet one that is
presently
experiencing.
The Portuguese captured Galle from the Sinhala kings in 1587,only to succumb to the Dutch in 1640.The Dutch considerably enhanced the Portuguese fortifications, says Nora Roberts, a long time resident of Galle who spent ten years researching its history, Ken Bastains on the ramparts enclosed the quaint town. The concepts of 45 towns in Ceylon had been introduced earlier by the Portuguese, but without success in their case. All Dutch possessions in Ceylon passed to the British by treaty in 1796,including the legacy of Dutch style tropical houses & grander administrative buildings within Galle fort, The British continued to use Galle as Ceylon's chief port, until Colombo superseded it, around 1880(Robert's 1993).When the British moved from Galle fort to Colombo, the Muslim community began to establish a presence there, Though there had remained until as
relatively
recently, as the end of WW2,a sizable Dutch burger community,
Today,
reports indicate that the Muslim community accounts for 80 % of Galle fort's
population, while the majority sinahlese community account for the remaining 20
% Nora Roberts notes that "Inside the fort surrounded by Dutch ramparts,
life still moves leisurely at dusk when the offices & schools are closed
& kindly ghosts moves up& down in Galle fort town..." in her
appropriately titled book,Galle as quit as sleep (1993).And so it appeared to me
during my recent visit there though I must confess I did not come across any
ghosts while waiting through the little town & atop the wide grass covered
ramparts surrounding it the latter been also the recreation area for residents,
A
combination of historical & architectural significance had led Galle fort to
be declared a world heritage site. This attracted World bank funding for
renovations completed to the court complex. The existence of justice & other
Govt. Depts. located within the Fort is the main reason why people outside the
Fort disturb its otherwise tranquil atmosphere. Consequently the authorities are
constructing a multi storey building in the town outside the Fort & are
apparently aiming to move all government Departments within the fort out within
one to five years, There are reportedly also plans in the future to make the
Fort town a pedestrian only zone, apart from access to residents vehicles.
However this is not the quiet upheaval I mentioned at the start, since
1998 in formation received indicates that local owners of
Dutch colonial period houses numbering over 300, has sold at least to 30
to foreigners, Sabri Khalid who is one of the two main brokers reasoned that a
combination of the high purchasing power of the buyers, the lack of funds by the
residence to renovate their houses to the approved historical standards &
the changing economy circumstances that see key members of family working
outside Galle had let to these changes. Sabri who offers his foreign buyers a
package which includes re-construction & management of the property said
that he had sold 8 houses to foreigners since October of
The
highest value sale in Galle fort was reported to be 20 million Rupees, most are
which are between 10 to 15 perches in land area.I sold a 7 perches property with
a sea view in November 2002, for 7.5 million Rupees.said Sabri. Also showing me
the business card of his buyers who are mostly British expatriate top executives
based in Singapore or Hong Kong, though a couple were from the UK,A young
British expatriate couple Jack & Jo Eden, who were the first foreigners to
buy a property in Galle Fort now run a property management company in Sri
Lanka,for foreign buyers & recently had three properties within Gale Fort
available to let included in their web site http://www.villasinsrilanka.com
A
visitor to the website can view images depicting to the high standards to which
the foreign owners have reconstructed their properties, prices start at
USD.150-250 per night for a house, this website was also mentioned with regard
to the availability of houses to buy & rent in Galle Fort, in an article on
the tourism potential of Sri Lanka which appeared on Nov, 27 th,2002 in the UK's
Daily Mail news paper.
Meanwhile
the overwhelming Muslim community within Galle Fort town is according to Sabri
Khalid divided on the issue of foreign purchase of their houses, considering
whether it will lead to the end of their community that included Muslim
Schools.Sabri though is keen to keep selling houses,but not hi parents
house,& confidently predicts if there is sufficient supply, there will be
demand to see 50% of these historical Dutch colonial period houses fall to
foreign buyers within 5 years & possibly 90% within 15 years.
This
scenario will probably also see a local private school for the children of the
foreign buyers, if in the future they choose to reside there, rather than
as at present spend a few weeks on vacation amidst safety & historical
tranquility of Galle Fort town. In effect a new foreign colony, albeit armed
with the power of rather than arms of old. If so will it prove to be the final
chapter in the long history of Galle Fort?
Another
development to be undertaken within the Fort is the reported conversion of the
New Oriental Hotel into one of the most luxurious hotels in Sri Lanka
& the region. Whether in the future, tourists who stay there or visit, will
appreciative of these winds of change within Galle Fort, that may result in a
largely British community living in seclusion, in place of the present
indigenous population, remains to be seen, Moreover, would tourists be allowed
to view the admittedly fine restoration work on the houses purchased by
foreigners, or will access be granted only to those who rent these properties,
when available to let? These colonial- era houses irrespective of new foreign
buyers, are part of Sri Lanka's history!