Mannar

A remote, sun-baked island town linked to the mainland by a causeway, famous for its Dutch fort, giant baobab trees, wild donkeys and vast flocks of migratory flamingos.

Overview

Mannar is the main town of Sri Lanka's north-west, set on Mannar Island at the neck of the Gulf of Mannar and joined to the mainland by a long causeway. Long overlooked by travellers, it rewards those who make the journey with a wonderfully offbeat landscape of salt pans, palmyra palms, wind turbines and wetlands alive with waterbirds. The town itself is small and dusty, gathered around a well-preserved Dutch fort and a scatter of ancient baobab trees brought centuries ago by Arab traders. Wild donkeys roam the streets, and the surrounding lagoons and sanctuaries draw huge numbers of migratory birds, including greater flamingos, between the northern winter months.

History

Mannar has been a gateway between Sri Lanka and India for over two thousand years, tied to the legend of Rama's Bridge and to the ancient pearl fisheries of the Gulf of Mannar. It was an early landing point for traders, missionaries and invaders, and the Portuguese fortified the town in 1560; the fort was later taken and rebuilt by the Dutch and held by the British. The district long had a substantial Tamil and Muslim population and was heavily affected by the civil war, which held back development and tourism until after 2009, since when the town and its causeway road have steadily reopened to visitors.