Hi my fellow Architecture lovers,
How are you fellow Hivers? I believe everything are OK for you right now. Yesterday morning, which was Sunday, after two days of tiring sleepless nights, we took the opportunity to visit some other historical places. The last three contents introduced the amazing architecture of the Galle Dutch fort. Here, I hope to present you with knowledge about Taraka Fort located in the city of Matara, which has a similar style of architecture. Matara city is located in the middle of the southern province of Sri Lanka. I had to travel a distance of 40 km from my house to reach this old fort. Due to a holiday, there was heavy traffic on the Galle-Matara road. If you are coming to Matara Fort from Colombo, you can easily reach it via the Southern Expressway.
It must be said that there is no tourist attraction like Galle Dutch Fort. But government offices, religious institutions, old buildings increase the historical importance here. Although it is known as a Dutch fort today, it is mentioned in our history books that it was built by the Portuguese for the first time. But it is also said that the Portuguese were not built as strong as the Dutch at that time. History has it that the Dutch were built strong and secure to ward off invasion.
Sri Lanka is currently providing security around Matara Taraka Fort, so a photo of the Clock Tower had to be taken from a distance. Built during the Dutch colonial period, this fortified wall and clock tower reflect the beauty of the city of Matara as well as its pride and majesty.
A military camp is maintained here by the Gamunu Hewa Battalion of the Sri Lankan Army. The insignia of that battalion is displayed above the nameplate. A strong wall made of black stone surrounds the camp. The army maintains a clean environment near the camp.
Like the Galle Dutch Fort, the Matara Old Fort also has cement bricks laid on the floor. Because of them, Matara Fort has got a new light. Old tiled buildings are built inside the Matara fort. Tourists can also be seen in Matara Fort. Dutch architectural features can also be seen in those buildings. It was clearly observed that the paint was getting discolored. The windows were elliptical in shape at the top and were made of strong wood.
Cement bricks are not seen in every street in Matara Fort. Many ordinary people live on the ground inside the fort. Many old houses are getting dilapidated and many people have built houses according to new architecture. Architectural features like roof shape, door and window shape etc. are made according to modern designs.
While walking inside the Matara Fort, we could see a modern building and a Buddhist temple. Here, a unique feature that came under my observation was the decorative design on the two cement pipes used to fix the entrance gate. Both are similar. Well, when we paid attention to it, it appeared that it is a design belonging to the old Buddhist culture. It is not a problem to have a Buddhist cultural design in the newly built temple. Inside the temple there is a temple like a mandir. The shape of the windows on the ground floor and the other two floors belong to the Buddhist culture. The Buddhist logo was used for the small steel gates inside.
I was attracted to an old Dutch architectural building which is currently being abandoned and dilapidated without being used for any purpose. Its roof structure is built in the old way. The discolored walls have an attractive look because it is an old building. The building has also received an attraction due to the moss growing on the wall built near the road.
Another old building that was crumbling caught my eye. Such places are ideal for taking wedding photos. There is nothing strangely beautiful about the yellow walls. This dilapidated house has been built in accordance with the shapes of old houses in Sri Lanka.
At the next stop, I observed a villa type building that combines modern architecture with traditional architecture. Ornamental plants were planted to decorate the garden. The brown color brings more attraction to the windows that were installed without any carving. Lighting lamps were installed in a hanging manner and brought diversification.
Matara South Provincial Court was located in the old fort area. It can be imagined from the plan that it was also built using Dutch architecture. The first floor balcony area is covered with wood. Wall shapes are also similar to Dutch architecture.
I have seen houses built similar to the architectural design in the photo above in some areas. There is no proper knowledge about that. Sometimes this includes a mixture of architecture from several countries.
Although Christ's faith church was painted blue and given a number, it was closed so it was not possible to go inside. It was difficult for me to get a proper shape photo from the road as the trees were overgrown.
During our walk in Matara Fort, we came across another Catholic church. This church had the architectural features of Catholic churches in many parts of our country. The two front doors of entry and exit had a circular shape at the top, and the shape of two stars was highlighted above it.
Matara Fort is an area of mixed architecture. Many buildings with different architectural techniques were seen in one place. Their colors also differed, and all the houses were different from one another in design.
Matara old Dutch fort showingbhis powerful looks to around Matara city. These fort ver well strengthen and powerful indeed. Thus, after exploring the architecture of Matara Fort, we went out through the entrance.
