Temples, Rains and Ruins: Batticaloa, Sri Lanka

Woman and child with umbrellas in Main Street Batticaloa, Sri Lanka

Shoppers in Main Street, Batticaloa
Every November, the height of the retreating monsoon drops a rainy deluge on the East Coast of Sri Lanka – but everyday life goes on.

“There’s no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothing.”
― Alfred Wainwright

After living in the tropics for many years, I should be used to rain.

But, this past week I’ve been trapped indoors as my portion of East Coast Australia has been battened down against heavy rainfall, gale-force winds, and the threat of severe thunderstorms. Some parts of the state had evacuation warnings. The good news was that the dump of water (temporarily) extinguished all the bush fires that had been burning for weeks.

I closed all my windows against driving, slanting rains, and double-checked the whereabouts of batteries and candles in case of power outages. Unable to hear the tv or radio for the noise of passing squalls, I wondered how people in the tropics cope with this sort of weather yearly – and often twice a year.

Somehow, tropical locals take it in their stride. They wear plastic flip-flops that don’t fall apart in puddles and light clothing that dries quickly once the downpours stop. Whether riding bicycles, walking, or driving motorcycles, they carry umbrellas that – magically – don’t seem to turn inside out. Even at the height of rainy season, vendors display products outdoors, dragging plastic awnings or sheeting quickly across shop fronts each time the skies open.

My last experience of monsoonal travel was on the East Coast of Sri Lanka – in a region so low that within 90 minutes of the beginning of the December 2004 tsunami, it was swamped by a wall of water up to 4.7 metres (15 ft) high. This coast has nothing between it and the north-east monsoon that occurs at the end of every year, bringing heavy rains from October through December.

Naturally, the “best time to visit” sits outside the seasonal monsoons, but my travel dates had been organised to conform with other commitments. How bad could it be?

My stay was in November, and – as you would expect from the forecast averages – it rained every day. Unfortunately, it was a particularly wet year, so it also rained most of the day the whole time I was there.

But, you can’t hide out in a room – even a comfortable room – forever.

After checking maps and the internet, I organised with a local tuk tuk driver to go to the area’s main attraction: the ‘famous’ Batticaloa Fort. “Views across the lagoon are magnificent,” enthused the Lonely Planet.

Of course, the Lonely Planet didn’t factor in the rain!

Traditional boat on a rainy Pasikuda Beach, Sri Lanka

Traditional Boat on the Beach
The rains are sporadic, and the weather is temperate-to-warm: …
(iPhone6)

Pasikuda Beach
… so there is no excuse not to walk along the empty beach in the mornings.(iPhone6)

Crows on the Beach
The wild weather leaves a residue at the high tide mark, and crows explore this for treasures. (iPhone6)

Boat on the Beach (iPhone6)

Footprints on the Beach
My tracks are the only ones I see. (iPhone6)

Selfie in a Tuk-Tuk
The easiest way to escape a rain-locked resort is to hire a local auto rickshaw. Of course, I found it helpful to check the compendium in my room, and the internet, to explore sight-seeing options before negotiating with three-wheeler drivers – especially as their English can be patchy, and my Sinhala and Tamil are non-existent.

Temple Grounds
At my tuk-tuk driver’s suggestion, we stop at one of the many Hindu temples in this predominantly Tamil region.

Hindu Temple
As is the case with most Hindu architecture, the temples here have highly decorative exteriors, covered with layers of carved and painted images of deities.

Hindu Priest
The temple interior is dark. A priest tends one of the shines …

Worshipper
… while a worshipper make her ways around the colourful interior.

Flowers on the Step
Offerings can be found everywhere.

Saris in the Rain
Tucked back into my tuk tuk, at least I can stay mostly dry – ….

Schoolgirls in the Rain
… unlike the poor people walking in the street.

Street Scenes
The rain blurs my view as people on bicycles and motorcycles wrestle with umbrellas and raincoats in the road.

School Girls in White
I can never get my whites that bright!

Hindu Temple
We make a brief stop at another Tamil Hindu temple along the road. While my driver goes to make an offering, …

Beautiful Smiles
… I chat with the young men outside.

Batticaloa Railway Station
My driver was very keen to show me all around the railway station. It is listed as a ‘must-visit attraction’ on local websites, and while it was clean and tidy, I could find no information explaining what made it particularly noteworthy.

A Golden Book
By contrast, the outline of the history of the nearby “Dutch Fort” (built by the Portuguese!) is inscribed in a golden book outside the Batticaloa Fort entrance. As a testament to the colonial history of this region, the original cannon in the background features a Dutch East India stamp.

Old Fort Wall
Batticaloa Fort was built by the Portuguese in 1628 …

Fortress Corner
… and the surrounding walls are impressive. The rain is still falling, and the fortress grounds are uneven and soggy with long grass.

Watch Turret
Even though the fort sits on one of the many islets off Batticaloa, protected by the Batticaloa Lagoon on two sides and a canal on the other two sides, it was captured by the Dutch in 1638, only ten years after being built.

Cannon in the Rain and Mud
From 1745, the fort was used by the British, and an English cannon still looks out towards the Indian Ocean. (iPhone6)

Ruined Bell Tower
The remains of the original bell tower rise out of the wet and unruly grass.

Inside the Fort
Parts of the fort are in reasonable condition …

Women in the Rain
.. and currently house several government administrative offices.

Government Workers
Employees in the administrative offices are not too busy to step outside into the rainy corridors for a chat, a smile, …

Floating Boats
… and to race paper boats in the flooded gutters.

Man in Main Street
The rain continues in Batticaloa …

Main Street
… but the streets are busy with people going about their business.

Motorcycle in the Rain
We start the journey back north. My cameras and I are getting very wet in the back seat of my tuk tuk – the roll-down plastic windows are no match for highway driving! Even so, I feel very fortunate compared with motorcycle riders trying to protect themselves with umbrellas.

Flooded Mangroves
Mangroves, with their multiple aerial roots, are well adapted to regular flooding.

Riding in the Rain

The Colours of Poetry
The rain and the plastic windows render the street scenes almost abstract, and a favourite line from an Al Stewart song comes to mind: “… in a silk dress running Like a watercolour in the rain …”

After being wet all day, I revelled in a nice hot shower.

Text: Keep smiling And, I wondered again how the locals manage it, year after year –