The Colombo Lighthouse, Chaitya Road
As Colombo gets further from war, one can explore further into Colombo. There is, for example, an undiscovered lighthouse at the end of Galle Face Green, in view of the port, a hovering stupa and a bunch of alien spindles. Undiscovered by me at least, and probably you. At the end of Galle Face green you can go right into hotel row or straight to the Central Bank. After the LTTE bombed the latter, that road became high security and a third road (heading left along the coast) became entirely closed. Now it is open. If you go left along the coast you get to a large lighthouse with a stunning view out onto the sea and the port.
View of port and the hovering stupa
The most notable sight is the famous hovering stupa. I have viewed this in gasps but it may as well have been in Area 51 for as close as I could get to it. Cerno has a similar photo, yet he was questioned by the military for taking it, as that was at the height of the war. Now the military is there, but it’s just one Navy chap who’s quite nice. According to Cerno this place also apparently has a name. Jayanthi Chaitya. The road itself is called Chaitya Road.
View of the city over silenced guns
This area is the heart of Colombo, which is precisely where the LTTE tried to strike. To protect itself Colombo simply shut down and fled to the suburbs, away from the port. But it’s starting to open up again. They’re expanding the port again, using the unidentified fallen objects below.
You can view more photos of the Colombo Lighthouse here. It’s down Chaitya Road, a long walk or short drive from Galle Face Green.
Beautiful stuff man. Should go that way. I’m falling in love with this old city again after the war ended. :)
Are the cannons still there?
Man, it’s been at least 15 years since I saw that lighthouse. There is a little bay pushing in to the sea somewhere close to that, where back in the day you could park a few cars and enjoy a more “private” galle face when I was a little kid. There was also a small children’s park further up the road that could be accessed walking past the lighthouse, or along a very narrow path that leads along the edge of the lighthouse itself above the sea. A friend of mine who went that way sometime last year told me the park is no more, with only the remnants of some swings in shoulder high weeds indicating there was even anything there. Good to see there’s open access to the area now.
Incidentally, my aunt tells me the beam from that lighthouse was visible all the way up to where she lived in a very undeveloped Nawala back in the 1950s, as they had not blocked glass facing the city end of the lighthouse at one time. I don’t even know if there’s a functioning light in there anymore. And what of the clock tower/lighthouse at Fort? (near central bank). Is the clock even working, let alone the light?
You can see it from mount beach. at least from where buba is.
Those Port Thingies are dolos (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolos) used for shore protection.
Those Port Thingies are named dolos (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolos) are used for shore protection.
It’s nice to see things that have been out of bounds for ordinary folks because of Tamil terrorism. Tamils need to realise that their violence, racism and anger are obstacles to development.
I think we should thank Racially-stereotyping tards like you for making it all possible.
Never been there, thanks Indi, will make an effort next time.