The Official Website of the Royal Family of Jaffna (Sri Lanka)

THE FORT FREDRICK IN TRINCOMALEE

Fort Frederick also known as Fort of Triquillimale was originally constructed by the Portuguese in 1624. The Koneswaram temple (Temple of Thousand Pillars) were despoiled and was razed to the ground by the Portuguese soldiers led by General Don Constantino de Sa de Noronha. After destroying the Hindu temple complex the stones and its carved pillars from the foundation were removed in order to construct the Fort in Trincomalee. The Portuguese built a triangular fortress on the spot where the temple stood, which was named the Fort of Triquillimale.

Near the main gate of the Fort Frederick, a stone slab engraved with the "Double Carp Fish" royal insignia of the Pandyan Dynasty appears on it.

The fort was captured by a Dutch fleet under Admiral Westerwold in 1639 and it was dismantled and rebuilt in 1665. Later the fort was attacked and captured by the French in 1672.

In 1782 the British captured the fort and the French recaptured it in August of the same year. In 1795 the British recaptured the fort and it remained a British garrison till 1948. The British who named it Fort Frederick in honour of Frederick, the Duke of York (1763-1827).

The Trincomalee Harbour is a large natural deep water harbour in Sri Lanka. Trincomalee is one of the most beautiful natural harbour and it is ranked as the 5th largest natural harbour in the world.