Page 21 - MDSL Final

UNDERSTANDING MARITIME DOCTRINE
Two well-known travellers who visited Ceylon after the fall of the
Polonnaruwa kingdom were Marco Polo (1233) and Ibn Batuta (1344).
The greatest of the Ceylon ports was Mahatittha (Mantai). The other
important ports of early time were Gokanna (Trincomalee), Sukaratittha
or Huratota (Kayts), Tambapanni (near the mouth of the Aruvi Aru) and
Uravela (at the mouth of Kala Oya). When close ties were established
between the Malays and Sinhalese, the ports on the South and East
coasts, particularly Waligama and Trincomalee, were much used. It
was not till about the tenth century that Galle and Colombo came into
prominence. 8

Ceylon was renowned among many countries as a famed destination for
trade along the silk route of the Asian continent as well as in the Indian
Ocean. Being a trading hub in the past, Sri Lanka had prospered on trade
in a variety of products such as spices, gems, pearl and ivory. One of the
classic examples for Sri Lanka for being as a maritime hub in the Indian
Ocean is that; China had long history on sailing into the Indian Ocean for
trade, commercial and diplomatic missions. In the early 1400, China had
dispatched seven large diplomatic naval expeditions to the Indian Ocean
led by the legendary Admiral Zheng He, who sailed as far as the Persian
Gulf, the Red Sea and East Africa with nearly 300 battle ships and 27000
men on board. Admiral Zheng He, had been a true friend of Sri Lanka
and visited the country nearly six times during 1405 to 1433. Therefore,
historically it is evident that the China has had close ties with the Indian
Ocean Region for peaceful coexistence.

The first Europeans to visit Sri Lanka were the Portuguese, who sent the
explorer named Lourenco de Almeida, in year 1505. He found the island
separated into three different kingdoms, each controlled by a king.

The Portuguese found a port in the area of Colombo and expanded
their control throughout the country in 1517. The outcome was that
the Sinhalese moved their capital to Kandy to prevent further attacks.
Nevertheless, inland warfare continued throughout the 16th century
under Portuguese control.

To Nurture a Stable Environment at Sea 3