Fort Frederick
During the early stages of their reign, the Portuguese had no interest in gaining control of Trincomalee. However, with the arrival of the Dutch on the east coast and their alliance with the King of Kandy, Constantine de Saa became concerned and took charge of both Trincomalee and Batticaloa.
In 1622, he callously destroyed the Temple of a Thousand Pillars and utilized its stones to construct a fort on the very spot where it once stood. Some fragments of carved stonework and inscribed slabs were incorporated into the walls of the fort in the mid-19th century. (Facsimiles of three inscriptions were published in the Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, Vol. 5)
The fort was constructed by Constantine de Saa in 1624 and was subsequently held by the Dutch and French until the British captured it in 1795. The British named fort FORT FREDRICK in honor of the then Commander-in-Chief, the Duke of York.
In 1960, four centuries after Constantine de Saa razed the temple to the ground...
In 1622, he callously destroyed the Temple of a Thousand Pillars and utilized its stones to construct a fort on the very spot where it once stood. Some fragments of carved stonework and inscribed slabs were incorporated into the walls of the fort in the mid-19th century. (Facsimiles of three inscriptions were published in the Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, Vol. 5)
The fort was constructed by Constantine de Saa in 1624 and was subsequently held by the Dutch and French until the British captured it in 1795. The British named fort FORT FREDRICK in honor of the then Commander-in-Chief, the Duke of York.
In 1960, four centuries after Constantine de Saa razed the temple to the ground...
