A virtual tour of Kotte

This page hopes to take you on a virtual tour of the remains of Kotte. It is not an exhaustive analysis of the place, but a virtual glimpse of the main features remaining to be seen by a visitor today.

We start our journey from the entrance to present day Athul Kotte ( which was it’s northern entrance years ago) and proceed along the road to Pita Kotte, visiting the places of historical importance on the way.

The Kotte Museum situated midway along this road is a good place to further you knowledge on Kotte, and the references sighted at the bottom of this page.

The images below compares a map of Kotte, found in Sir Paul E. Pieris’s book, ‘Ceylon: The Portuguese Era’, with a  present day map from Google Maps, and provides a guide to the changes that have taken place over the years. The development of the parliament complex and Waters Edge hotel has altered the water bodies considerably. Land filing by individual owners has reclaimed most of the marsh land that provided security to the walled city of old Kotte.

Ceylon: The Portuguese Era
The Modern Map of Kotte

Reference:

(1) Kotte: The Fortress, Prasad Fonseka, (2015,). An excellent resource for anyone who likes to explore Kotte and link the past and present in depth. The book is available at leading bookshops and at The National Trust, 407, Bauddhaloka Mawatha, Colombo 7.

(2) Kotte (Sinhala): Department of Cultural Affairs, Battaramulla. Available at the Kotte Museum. 

(3) Kotte: Cradle of Christianity in Sri Lanka, I. V. Cabral

(4) Personal recollections of a Guide