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:: DOWN SOUTH LK - Professional Travel Guide ::

Welcome to Koggala

Koggala, just a short distance from the capital of the Southern Province, Galle, has become a coastal resort in recent decades, with a string of hotels along the beach.

During World War Two, Koggala became an important base for British Catalina seaplane reconnaissance operations in the Indian Ocean. In 1942, in a little-known episode of the war, the Japanese decided to invade Ceylon as a stepping-stone to

the bigger prize of India. An invasion fleet with several large aircraft carriers approached Ceylon much as had been done at Pearl Harbour just months before. A Catalina from Koggala spotted the fleet and managed to send a radio message before being shot down. Nevertheless, the Japanese bombed the port of Colombo, also accidentally hitting the mental hospital at Angoda.

Some 50 Japanese and British planes were shot down in the battle, many falling into the sea. There was a follow-up raid on Trincomalee in which the British aircraft carrier HMS Hermes was sunk off Batticaloa with major loss of life. However, the Japanese never pressed on with their invasion plans. Churchill considered it to be potentially the most dangerous moment of the whole war.

Just before Koggala as you approach from the direction of Galle is a turning to the left that takes you past the air base and on to Koggala Lake, from where the seaplanes used to take off. This is an excellent place to explore on foot. Across the water can be seen the old-style buildings of the base, and it is not hard to imagine the verandahs crowded with mustachioed RAF officers sixty years ago.

Koggala is the birthplace of the celebrated Sri Lankan author Martin Wickremasinghe (1890-1976) and the Folk Art Museum named after him is worth visiting. Included among the exhibits is a good section on dance (costumes and instruments), puppets, kolam masks, kitchen utensils and carriages (including one built to be pulled by an elephant). Martin Wickremasinghe's house where he lived and worked is open to the public. There is plenty of memorabilia from his life, and some interesting history of the area. All of the houses in the area where demolished to make way for the air base, but Wickremasinghe's was spared.

The stretch of shoreline from Koggala eastwards to Weligama is famous for its so-called stilt fishermen. In fact, these fishermen do not perch on stilts but sit on crossbars tied to forked branches of trees that have been firmly planted in the seabed. Nevertheless, the extraordinary sight of these fishermen on their flimsy seats above the waves has spawned thousands of holiday photographs.

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