We Indians have been associated with Galle more because of the cricket, as it had been one of the three major centres of cricket in Sri Lanka, besides Colombo and Kandy. More recently, we felt the pain of an insulting defeat just on the eve of the Independence Day in first test match at Galle. Well, but to Sri Lanka Galle is more than just cricket, a slice of its colonial past and a monument of its cultural heritage, even listed in UNESCO World Heritage sites. Being surrounded by sea from three sides adds to its beauty. Galle Fort is robust and even withstood 2004 Tsunami which caused a catastrophic devastation in the area. Built by Portuguese, it was later on fortified by Dutch. Still, many Dutch people own properties inside fort. A 18th century Dutch mansion is now a very popular luxu...
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The famous stilt fishermen of Sri Lanka, unmoved by strong monsoon. Fishermen in Sri Lanka use stilts to catch a fish. Stilt Fishing is an old tradition practiced by around 500 fishing families in Galle, in southwestern-most Sri Lanka, especially around the towns of Koggala,Kathaluwa, and Ahangama. They usually fish during sunset, noon and sunrise, with each one taking their elevated position and balancing about 2 meters above the water. There is a vertical pole engrafted into the sea bed, attached to it is a cross bar, called petta, on which the fishermen do the balancing act. So with one hand they hold the stilt and the other hand they have a fishing rod or a line to catch spotted herrings and small mackerels, which are then kept in a plastic bag tied around their waist or the pole. They
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