Trincomalee

Trincomalee is a port city on the eastern coast of Sri Lanka that occupies a narrow peninsula enclosing a natural deep-water bay. The city combines a colonial-era military fort, residential neighborhoods along the shoreline, and an active commercial harbor with moorings for fishing boats and larger vessels.

European colonial powers competed for control of the harbor from the 17th century onward, with Portuguese, Dutch, and eventually British forces occupying the fortifications in succession. During World War II, the bay served as an important naval base for British and Allied fleets in the Indian Ocean.

The Koneswaram Temple sits on a cliff edge above the sea and draws Hindu pilgrims from across South Asia who come to make offerings and perform ritual ablutions. Visitors walk through a modern gateway and can see the reconstructed shrines and gopuram towers that emerged after the colonial period.

The city is accessible via a railway line from Colombo that takes several hours through inland and coastal sections. Visitors planning to explore the surroundings should allow time for trips to beaches and temples north and south of the peninsula.

The seven hot springs at Kanniya lie a few kilometers south and each displays a different temperature despite being housed close together in small stone basins. Geologists continue to study why the water in each spring maintains its own warmth, while local people use the site for ritual bathing.