Kalpitiya

Kalpitiya (Sinhala: කල්පිටිය, romanized: Kalpiṭiya, Tamil: கற்பிட்டி, romanized: Kaṟpiṭṭi) is located in Puttalam district, North Western province of Sri Lanka. It is known for its natural environment. It consists of 14 islands. It has a total area of 16.73 km². The people of Kalpitiya are mostly fishermen. It is now developing as a tourist destination.

Kalpitiya
Fishery harbour in Kalpitiya
Kalpitiya
Coordinates: 08°10′0″N 79°43′0″E
Country	Sri Lanka
Province	North Western
Area
• Total	16.73 km^2 (6.46 sq mi)
Population  (2009)
• Total	64,908
• Density	3,880/km^2 (10,000/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+05:30 (Sri Lanka Standard Time Zone)

Etymology

Kalpitiya is derived from the Tamil name Kalputti, stemming from the words kal meaning stone and putti meaning elevation.[1] The place was in ancient times also known as Arasadi, meaning in Tamil "place of Arasa tree".[2] The place was in colonial era known as Calpentyn.[3]

History

Records going far back reveal that the peninsula was associated with maritime trade and smuggling escapades since ancient times. It was first colonised by the Portuguese in early 17th Century. The arrival of the Dutch eventually resulted in the ousting of the Portuguese from here and elsewhere in the island. Historical records show that during the Dutch period of the island's colonial history, the northern end of the peninsula was used as a strategic base for a military garrison and naval outpost to monopolise trade supplies to the mainland. A well preserved Dutch-era fort (incorporating an earlier Portuguese-era church) occupied by the Sri Lanka Navy, and a Dutch church remain today. Nearby at Talawila to the south, a vibrant annual festival keeps alive its Portuguese heritage, at the ancient St Anne's church festival, when thousands of Catholic devotees descend upon the tiny village to celebrate St Anne's Day on July 26.[4]

Tourism industry

It is now developing as a tourist destination. It is a marine sanctuary with a diversity of habitats ranging from bar reefs, flat coastal plains, saltpans, mangroves swamps, salt marshes and vast sand dune beaches. It provides nursing grounds for many species of fish and crustaceans. The coastal waters are also home to spinner, bottlenose and Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins, whales, sea turtles, and the elusive dugong.[5] The Sri Lankan government has now formulated a master plan for the development of tourism industry here.[6][7]

Alankuda is a stretch of beach in Kalpitiya that is home to a number of beach hotels.[8] The beach is a starting point for off-shore whale and dolphin watching in Kalpitiya and offers various water related activities.[8][9] Hotels and resorts here include Bar Reef Resort, Palagama Beach, Khomba House, Udekki and Dolphin Beach Resort.[9]

Kitesurfing

Kalpitiya is nominally the best location for Kitesurfing in the country.[10] The summer kitesurfing season is from May to October during the south west monsoon while the winter season is from mid December to mid February during the north east monsoon. Kiteboard Tour Asia held a tour event in Kalpitiya in September 2017.[11]

Islands of Kalpitiya

No	Name of Island	Area
1	Battalangunduwa	145.53 ha
2	Palliyawatta	60.89 ha
3	Vellai I	1.55 ha
4	Vellai II	10.80 ha
5	Vellai III	13.70 ha
6	Uchchamunai	449.30 ha
7	Ippantivu	76.88 ha
8	Periya Arichchalai	45.60 ha
9	Sinna Arichchalai	16.82
10	Eramutivu	101.52 ha
11	Sinna Eramutivu	2.22 ha
12	Eramutivu West	4.53 ha
13	Kakativu	4.53 ha
14	Mutwal(Dutch Bay)	715.14 ha

Allegations of land grab

The area is one of the 15 sites for the country’s Tourism Development Strategy which was formulated as early as 2003. Acquisition of some 4000 acres of land for the project has begun as early as in 2004 pursuant to a Cabinet decision. Since 2003, around 1000 acres of lands which amounts to about 25 per cent of the Kalpitiya islands' total land area have been grabbed in various ways and means from at least 2500 families. Already 16 resorts or hotels and access roads are proposed for construction in the area.

Post-tsunami (2005 onwards), those in the tourism business acquired damaged coastal areas at low prices around the country. Again in 2009, in the post-war period, investors in the tourism industry scrambled to ‘acquire’ potential business sites to capitalise on the reconstruction phase.[12]

Land seizures have also occurred by scrupulously removing the names of the residents from government documents such as the voters’ registry, abusing legal ownership regulations and stipulations of the government and ignoring provisions in the customary law, using coercive means upon the residents who are unable to produce titles to the land they have been occupying and by taking over Beach Seine points and anchorage points by force.

References

1. Branch, Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland Ceylon (1913). Ceylon Notes and Queries. p. 123.
2. Pridham, Charles (1849). An historical political and statistical account of Ceylan and its dependencies. University of Göttingen: T. and W. Bone. p. 644.
3. cyclopaedia, National (1879). The national encyclopædia. Libr. ed. p. 53.
4. "History of kalpitiya". www.dolphinbeach.lk. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
5. "Sri Lanka's tropical beaches: A developmenttrap". colombopage. 25 October 2013.
6. "Kalpitiya Dutch Bay Resort". www,sltda.lk. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
7. "Kalpitiya to develop as a tourist hub" (PDF). www.sltda.lk. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
8. Alankuda Beach. Alankuda Beach. Retrieved on 2015-05-08.
9. Alankuda Beach. Alankuda Beach. Retrieved on 2015-05-08.
10. Roos, Lezaan (23 November 2015). "No, this isn't Bali — Sri Lanka is a paradise that Aussies are missing out on". Newscorp. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
11. "Kiteboard Tour Asia releases 2017 event schedule". SurferToday. 6 February 2017. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
12. "Kalpitiya land grab for tourism". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 11 November 2013.