Dear Trinco - more than a picture postcard beach town

Photojournalist Juliet Coombe is suprised to discover hundreds of deer have turned Trincomalee into their home and explores the legend that has made these beasts of the forests everyday sights.

Some cities have meandering cows, other Sri Lankan fortified towns wild goats and giant monitor lizards roam in search of fresh water, but nothing competes with seeing hundreds of wild deer, which have turned Trincomalee beach town into their natural wildlife reserve. Whether it’s shopping at the market or sunbathing on one of the many pretty beaches in Trincomalee don’t be surprised to find a deer standing right behind you or even trying on the same beach wear. A big favourite being the hats that don’t just add protection, but also are surprisingly good to chew on.
Trincomalee has been a pilgrimage site for thousands of years and home to all sorts of interesting characters. One of three Tamils, whose families like the shop keeper Anapalakrishina Jayakumari have lived in the temple grounds for generations, are full of fascinating stories about the town’s legendary deer and the awe inspiring Hindu rock temple. A spiritual spot where you don’t just remove your shoes, but also shirts (don’t get too excited, the rule only applies to men!).

Mythical history

Ravanna Gate in the heart of the Koneswaram Kovil (temple) complex, Anapalakrishina explains that her family has been resident in the grounds for hundreds of years. She describes the mythical history of the cliffs: how Ravana, the Sinhalese king was so angry about the death of his mother that he pushed the rocks apart. Her account is so vivid that it seems more like real history than legend. In this grief-stricken state Ravana struck the ground eight times at Kanniyai, which led to the eruption of eight hot springs, which are now known as hot healing wells. Standing nearby, the temple clerk, Nadesan chips in: “you must see them, you must go.” And he’s right! This ancient site is a healing place that is well worth a visit -- and water bucket fight -- after a particularly hot day of sightseeing. There are seven shallow wells from which to draw hot, clean mineral water and throw it over your body.
The sense of history at the temple and around Trincomalee old town centre is tangible: it is a town that was marked on Ptolemy’s maps when Sri Lanka was known by the Roman name of Taprobane, visited by Marco Polo and fought over by the Portuguese, Dutch and British because of its natural deep water harbour.
The highlight is the spotted deer, which roam free inside the Fort, laze in the shade outside the town’s covered fruit and vegetable market and share traffic lanes with rumbling red buses; one even tried to board one whilst I was there. In the 1800s an English family kept a pair of spotted deer as pets, because leopards where increasingly in short supply and probably not the fashion that year. The deer couple bred and the herd escalated over the next two hundred years and has now become a familiar feature of the town.
Anapalakrishina is full of useful information and excitedly also shows me down some steps at the north side of the temple onto a shelf jutting out from the cliff edge. The sound of coconuts being smashed on the rocks and then bouncing 350 ft down into the sparkling Bay of Bengal catches my attention as a group of young boys offer this gesture to Ganesh (elephant-headed Hindu god) in thanks for a prayer that has been answered or in order to prevent a catastrophe from happening. Anapalakrishina explains that this is called Swami Rock and was the site of the original temple in the ‘old age.’ Growing out from the rock face is a frangipani temple tree adorned with ribbons, sari material and flowers that have been tied there in puja ceremonies.

Conducting pujas

Inside the brightly coloured temple, the priest, Siva Sripi Siva Kuka Kurukal, who has been at the site for 12 years, performs religious duties such as conducting pujas. This is when both Hindus and Buddhists offer food, drink and prayers to the gods as part of their daily devotion. He smears red, white and black powder from three silver pots onto pilgrim’s foreheads and necks before tying a piece of colourful braided string around their wrist. This should ensure that the traveller or visitor has good luck and health. Behind him is a sign that reads: “Please remove your shirt before entering in”. During pujas it is not unknown for the resident cow or deer to wander in or the chickens to start flapping and clucking. They are all part of the temple’s makeup and provide fresh milk and eggs for the three permanent residents: the priest, his wife, and Mrs Thrumangam who has religiously devoted herself to cleaning the temple, cooking for its workers, and arranging fresh flowers around the statues that are housed in carved niches. She can often be seen sitting on the steps by the clerk’s desk, plucking green karapincha (curry) leaves from their stems.

Spiritual prayers

Even this remote temple has been affected by the civil war. The Fort continues to be heavily guarded by the army who specifically ask visitors not to take any photos whilst inside without special permission. In recent years, visitor numbers have dwindled to a small trickle even amongst the local population because they dislike being interrogated before going to make spiritual prayers. Anapalakrishina explains that Tamil Hindus normally come on Fridays to worship, whereas tourists and Sinhalese Buddhists tend to visit at weekends. She is passionate about the temple’s history and upkeep and is bringing her sons up in the same vein. Young boys with calculators in their back pockets, help run the small family shop at the foot of the temple pathway. They barter with eager pilgrims over coconuts, bananas, mangoes, nuts, different types of incense sticks and betel leaves to be offered to the gods in puja ceremonies. Laid out on a table is an assortment of cards, each with a copper-coloured symbol and a different Hindu god displayed. They all have individual significance and may bring you good luck depending on what is on your mind: health, fertility, marriage, family problems or death.
Analapalakrishina leaves me at the temple steps and I walk down the rock past pilgrims carrying candles and wonderful views of fishing boats darting in and out of the rocky bay. These hardy sailors can only wonder as they look up at the towering rock face about the many secrets that lie buried beneath this ancient rock site fortress. Its only the spotted deer chewing at my camera bag and trying to steal my hat that remind me that it is the ordinary things in Sri Lanka that make it such an extraordinary island.