Tangalle-small city down in the south

Tangalle is a town on the southern coast of Sri Lanka located in the Hambantota District. It has a mild climate, in comparison to the rest of the district, and sandy beaches.

The name of the town in Sinhala means “projected rock”, a reference to the rocks which form the coastline in the town area, which contrasts with the sandy beach of the surrounding areas.

Tangalle is a regionally important fishing port and a centre of tourism. In the city centre there is an old Dutch fort which is used as a prison today.

The town also serves as a starting point for visits to the rock temple of Mulkirigala.

35km east of Matara, is a pleasant fishing port situated on one of the finest and largest bays in the island, which is protected from the ocean by an enclosing reef. With fine beaches, good swimming and more than reasonable diving, it’s not surprising that it’s been a poular holiday destination for some years.

Tangalla is a popular destination on the south coast. Some say the name is derived from ran-gala or “golden rock,” from a legend that tells of a time when a holy man once partook of a meal there, and the rock was turned to gold. Others maintain that it means “the projecting rock,” because long ago the town was protected from the ocean by a long rocky slab that projected into the sea across the mouth of the bay. Tangalla has spread to absorb former satellite villages, so that it now comprises not just one bay but a series of them.

The most popular day excursion from Tangalla is to the stunning rock temple of Mulkirigala, 20km to the north. You ascend numerous rock steps to reach a series of natural caves with numerous wall paintings and Buddha statues.

One cave houses a library in which a most important discovery was made in 1826 by a British administrator, George Turnour. He found some long-unseen olas (palm-leaf manuscripts) containing the key to translating the Mahawamsa, the ‘Great Chronicle.’ Turnour’s discovery of the tika, or commentary, made it possible for the Mahawamsa to be translated from Pali first into English and then into Sinhala. This translation enabled scholars worldwide to study the eventful and often dramatic history of the island from 543BC to comparatively modern times.