Twilight on the Wall #2

The southwestern ramparts of the Galle Fort, from the Flagrock Bastion. The unsightly block on the horizon, beyond the Triton Bastion, is the new Oceanfront Condominiums building at Dadalla which, along with the Araliya Resort on Rumassala, blights the view both up and down the coast. Sri Lanka, January 2022.*

^{*Shot on a Canon EOS 5DMkIV & EF 24-105/f4L, courtesy Canon/Metropolitan.}

Morning on the Ramparts #4

The 17th century Galle Fort’s New Gate which faces the modern city of Galle, with the Sun Bastion beyond, and Galle Bay in the distance. Shot from the Moon Bastion in September 2016.

The Vaharala Inscription

Inscribed across the threshold of the 5th century Pidurangala Monastery’s image house (below), the Vaharala Inscription includes a mention of the freeing of slaves in exchange for land and money. Shot for my photo story on “Sigiriya & Pidurangala” which ran in the April 2018 issue of Serendib magazine.

The Ravelin, Festung Ehrenbreitstein, Koblenz, Germany

The Ravelin is a pentagonal bastion at the centre of the Ehrenbreitstein Fortress’ main wall. Shot from the top of the guardhouse in summer 2018.

Morning on the Ramparts #7

A panoramic view of Galle Bay, with the harbour in the far distance, from the Moon Bastion of the Galle Fort. In the foreground are the northern ramparts, stretching away to the Sun Bastion which overlooks the bay.

Walking the Ramparts #7

Morning over the walls of the 17th century Dutch fort of Galle, in Sri Lanka. Shot from the Triton Bastion in May 2015. The rampart on the left stretches to the Vlagklip Bastion in the distance. Inside the walls is the old town. The Vlagklip Bastion (also known by its later English name, Flagrock) is the southernmost point of Fort Galle and, beyond it, the Indian Ocean stretches 8,000km, almost unbroken, to the Antarctic.

Morning at Point Utrecht #2

Named after Utrecht, in the Netherlands, the hometown of the first Dutch Reformed priest to arrive in Galle in 1641, this bastion dominates the approaches to Galle Bay and its harbour. By 1760, it had six cannons installed, and also protected a gunpowder magazine which can still be seen today. The building on the left is the Meeran Jumma Masjid or Mosque, built in 1904 in the style of a Portuguese Baroque cathedral. The lighthouse was erected by the British in 1939, after the original one — the first lighthouse in Sri Lanka, built in 1848 — was destroyed in a fire. The fort itself is a UNESCO heritage site and dates back to original fortifications built by the Portuguese in 1505. It was then captured by the Dutch East India Company in 1640 and extensively expanded and reinforced over the next century. In 1796, the fort was captured by the British 70th Surrey Regiment of Foot under Capt Lachlan Macquarie who would later, as a major general, become the fifth governor of New South Wales. Shot in September 2016 from the Vlagklip Bastion. For more on the Galle Fort, including photographs, see my cover story, Climbing the Walls, in the January 2016 issue of Serendib, the inflight magazine of SriLankan Airlines.

6D+EF24-105/4L@28mm,1/500,f/11,ISO100

Posted in cityscapes, conservation, creations, explorations, issues, journalism, landscapes, life, seascapes, tourism, urban, water, waterscapesTagged 24-105mm, 6D, bastion, British colonial period, Dutch colonial period, exploration, fortress, Galle, Galle Fort, Galle Harbour, history, Indian Ocean, landscape, legacy, lighthouse, Meeran Jumma Masjid, morning, Point Utrecht, Portuguese Baroque architecture, ramparts, sea, seascape, seaside, Sri Lanka, stone, sunrise, tourism, travel, Vlagklip Bastion, walls

Morning on the Ramparts #3

This photograph was shot facing west from the Galle Fort’s Sun Bastion, clearly showing the massive Moon Bastion — the fort’s largest — with the Anthonisz Clock Tower — built in 1885 — on it. Directly below the tower is the New Gate, and to the right is the Galle International Stadium. The fort’s ramparts are a favourite spot from which to watch cricket matches. Sri Lanka, September 2016.

Wall & Canopy

Villa Sulanga, on the shores of the Bolgoda Lake, Sri Lanka. November 2014.

600D+EFS18-200/3.5-5.6@18mm=1/100+f/3.5+ISO100

Posted in explorationsTagged black & white, Bolgoda Lake, jungle, Sri Lanka, trees, Villa Sulanga, walls

Walking the Ramparts (b/w) #1

Shallow water, reefs, and rocks protect the Vlagklip Bastion, Fort Galle’s southernmost point. Sri Lanka, May 2015.

600D+EFS18-200/3.5-5.6+polariser@90mm+1/250+f/5.6+ISO100

Posted in explorations, landscapes, seascapes, water, waterscapesTagged 18-200mm, 600D, beach, black & white, Galle Fort, Hoya, Indian Ocean, morning, ramparts, rocks, sea, seashore, Sri Lanka, Vlagklip Bastion, walls, water, waves