Forts and fortifications in Sri Lanka date back thousands of years with many being built by Sri Lankan Kings, these include several walled cities. With the outset of colonial rule in the Indian Ocean, Sri Lanka was occupied by several major colonial empires that from time to time became the dominant power in the Indian Ocean. The colonists built several western-styled forts, mostly in and around the coast of the island. The first to build colonial forts in Sri Lanka were the Portuguese, these forts were captured and later expanded by the Dutch. The British occupied these Dutch forts during the Napoleonic wars.
Most of colonial forts of Sri Lanka were garrisoned up until the early twentieth century. The coastal forts had coastal artillery manned by the Ceylon Garrison Artillery during the two world wars. Most of these were abandoned by the military, but retained civil administrative officers, while others retained military garrisons, which were more administrative than operational. Some were reoccupied by military units with the escalation of the Sri Lankan Civil War, Jaffna fort for example came under siege several times.
Full list of Forts of Sri Lanka
Mystic Sigiriya Lion Rock Fortress Sri Lanka (සීගිරිය)
Remains of the Keppetipola Wilson Fort
Ruins of the Ancient Fort on Hunnasgiriya Mountain in Medamahanuwara
Dutch Fort of Tangalle (තංගල්ල බලකොටුව)
Ruins of the Kiriella Portuguese Fort
Chilaw Fort of the Portuguese (හලාවත පෘතුගීසි බළකොටුව)
Hakmana Dutch Fort (හක්මණ ලන්දේසි බළකොටුව)
Welanhinna Ancient Fort (වෙලන්හින්න පැරණි බළකොටුව)
Manthuvil Ancient Kalvalai Fort Ruins in Jaffna
Point Pedro Fort in Jaffna
Thuntota Portuguese Fort in Holambuwa
Arandora Portuguese Fort
Menikkadawara Fort of the Portuguese
Kayts Island Fort in Jaffna
Malwana Fort (මල්වාන බලකොටුව)
Delft Island Fort – Jaffna (ඩෙල්ෆ් බලකොටුව)
Fort Fredrick at Trincomalee (ත්රිකුණාමලය බලකොටුව)
Portuguese Black Fort of Galle – අතීතයේ සැඟවුනු ගාල්ල කළු කොටුව (ස්වාට් බලකොටුව)
Ruins of the Ancient Kaduruwela Vijithapura Fort (කදුරුවෙල විජිතපුර බලකොටුව නටබුණ්)
Etampitiya Kotugodella Fort (හාලිඇල ඇටැම්පිටිය කොටුගොඩැල්ල බලකොටුව)
Ratnapura Dutch Fort (රත්නපුර ලන්දේසි බලකොටුව)
Arippu Fort in Mannar (මන්නාරමේ අරිප්පු බලකොටුව)
Dutch fort at Mullaitivu (මුලතිවු බලකොටුව)
Star Fort of Matara (මාතර තාරකා කොටුව)
Sitawaka Fort and the Palace of Rajasinghe I (සීතාවක මාලිගාව සහ බලකොටුව)
Fort of Ruwanwella (රුවන්වැල්ල බලකොටුව)
Ratnapura Portuguese Fort (රත්නපුර පෘතුගීසි බලකොටුව)
Pooneryn Fort (පූනරීන් බලකොටුව)
Negombo Fort
Matara Fort (මාතර බලකොටුව)
Martello Tower at Hambantota
Mannar Fort (මන්නාරම් බලකොටුව)
Koddiyar Fort (කොඩ්ඩියාර් බලකොටුව)
Katuwana Dutch Fort (කටුවන බලකොටුව)
Kalutara Fort (කලුතර බලකොටුව)
Dutch Fort of Kalpitiya (කල්පිටිය බලකොටුව)
Jaffna Fort (යාපනය බලකොටුව)
Hanwella Fort (හංවැල්ල බලකොටුව)
Fort Ostenburg at Trincomalee (ඔස්ටන්බර්ග් බලකොටුව)
Fort Macdowall at Matale (මැක්ඩොවල් බලකොටුව)
Hammenhiel Fort in Jaffna (හැමන්හිල් බලකොටුව)
Haldummulla Portuguese Fort (හල්දුම්මුල්ල පැරණි බලකොටුව)
Dutch Fort of Galle (ගාල්ල කොටුව)
Fort Pyl & Fort Beschutter of Jaffna
Dutch Fort of Elephant Pass
Historic Colombo Fort (කොලඹ බලකොටුව)
Batticaloa Fort (මඩකලපුව බලකොටුව)
Balana Fort (බලන බලකොටුව)
Mapagala Fortress in Sigiriya (මාපාගල බලකොටුව)