Matara Sri Lanka

Matara is the center of where it all happens on this southernmost strip of Sri Lanka’s famed littoral—some of the best beaches in the country, plus a hinterland packed with history and culture.
Dubbed the southern zone’s second city, it lies 160km from the capital Colombo and just 30km east of Galle Fort, itself one of Sri Lanka’s premier tourist attraction.
Like Galle, Matara was fortified by the Dutch in the 18th Century on foundations provided by a former Portuguese garrison, and it combines a hive of commercial activity with all the trappings of a major tourist resort.
It was historically part of Ruhuna, one of the three kingdoms in Sri Lanka, and as such was highly regarded not only a a center of trade but also as an entry port for much of the southern region.
Like much of Sri Lanka’s coastline, it was badly hit by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. But over the years since it has been reborn and redeveloped to take full advantage of its prime location.
As everywhere else in Sri Lanka, Buddhism is much in evidence, including the outstanding Parey Dewa (Rock in Water) or Parevi Dupatha Temple, a relatively modern Buddhist temple built on Crow Island just off the coast.
Other important religious sites include the Weragampita Rajamaha Viharaya and Matara Bodhiya temples, the latter of which is also the site of a sacred Bo tree.
Meanwhile, the fort ramparts, with its commanding views across the Niwala River lagoon and the Indian Ocean approaches, features the Star Fort on the western landward side of the river, built by the Dutch following the 1761 Matara rebellion.