Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
PEARL ISLAND
The shallow seas around Mannar have been associated with
pearls
since antiquity. An-
cient Greek and Roman texts mention pearling here, and the Chinese monk Fa-hsien
(Faxian) documented Mannar's exceptional pearls in 411, as did Marco Polo. Arab sailor
Ibn Batuta (who passed by in 1344) reported seeing precious collections of pearls in the
Mannar royal treasury.
The British also benefited substantially from pearl profits. Between 1796 and 1809,
£517,481 (a vast sum in those days) was credited as revenue into the Ceylon treasury
from pearls. Over 200 pearling boats would set sail each day to comb the shallow waters
of the Gulf of Mannar, each boat containing a government-employed 'shark charmer' who
would perform ceremonies to safeguard divers against underwater attack.
Profits from pearling declined steeply in the late 19th century, possibly due to dredging,
over-exploitation and the emergence of cultured pearls. The last pearling season in Sri
Lanka, in 1906, was a commercial failure.
Around the Island
The island is not endowed with beautiful dream-style stretches of sand, but attractive
Kiri
beach
has good swimming, though no shade. Expect some trash. It's fringed by a small
palmyra palm forest that's home to monkeys. It's located 6km west of Mannar Town.
Mannar's one main east-west highway is paved and in good condition. Heading west
from Mannar Town you pass a cluster of
baobab trees
after about 3km. Around the 8km
marker is
Our Lady of the Martyrs
, a church and huge meditation hall where many hun-
dreds gather to pray and meditate (Thursdays, 4-7pm).
Continuing west you pass a vast lagoon (look out for flamingos in February) and the
small town of Pesalai before approaching the port of
Talaimannar
, 38km from Mannar
Town. Until 1990 ferries departed from here to Rameswaram, India, and it's hoped connec-
tions might again resume when the rail track across the island is completed, perhaps in late
2014.
The island's western extreme is marked by a lonely lighthouse on land occupied by the
navy. Offshore is
Adam's Bridge
- a chain of reefs, sandbanks and islets that nearly con-
nects Sri Lanka to the Indian subcontinent. In the Ramayana these were the stepping
stones that the monkey king Hanuman used in his bid to help rescue Rama's wife Sita
