Trincomalee

Trincomalee

The administrative center of the Trincomalee District and a major resort port city in the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka is Trincomalee, also known as Gokanna and Gokarna. Trincomalee has been one of the main centers of Sri Lankan Tamil language-speaking culture on the island for more than two millennia. It is on the east coast of the island, overlooking the Trincomalee Harbour, 237 kilometers north of Colombo, 182 kilometers south of Jaffna, and 111 kilometers north of Batticaloa.
The city, which has a population of 99,135 and is built on a peninsula with the same name, separates its inner harbor from its outer harbour. Trincomalee Urban Council serves as the local government, and Trincomalee residents are referred to as Trincomalians. The well-known Koneswaram temple in Trincomalee is where the city got its start and its historic Tamil name, Thirukonamalai. The Bhadrakali Amman Temple, Trincomalee, the Trincomalee Hindu Cultural Hall, and the Trincomalee Hindu College, which opened in 1897, are also located in the town. In addition, the Trincomalee railway station and an old ferry service to Jaffna and Muttur’s south side are located in Trincomalee.


Trincomalee has been documented for more than two and a half thousand years, beginning with a pre-modern civilian settlement connected to the Koneswaram temple. It is one of Asia’s oldest cities and has been a major maritime seaport throughout the island’s international trade history with South East Asia.
The architecture of the city is one of the best examples of how native and European styles interact. The city and district were impacted after Sri Lanka gained independence in 1948 when the political relationship between Tamil and Sinhalese people deteriorated and civil war broke out. The attack was part of the Japanese raid on the Indian Ocean in 1942. The Trincomalee Garrison is where the major naval and air force bases are located. Additionally, the city houses the island’s largest Dutch fort.

Places to visit in Trincomalee

The Kanniya Hot Springs, as well as the beaches at Uppuveli, Salli, and Nilaveli, which are used for surfing, scuba diving, whale watching, temple visits, and surfing, are popular with tourists. Trincomalee, which is served by a campus of Eastern University in Sri Lanka, has provided poetry, films, music, and literature from all over the world with inspiration for many centuries.
The Salli Muthumariamman Kovil of Uppuveli beach in the Trincomalee suburb of Sambalativu, as well as the Koneswaram temple compound and its Bhadrakali temple on Konesar Road, are notable locations.