Land meets Sea

In one of my many excursions around the northern part of the country, I had quite a few memorable days of stay in Mannar. The north western coast of Sri Lanka is known for its rugged shore line, giving rise to many an interesting natural land and seascapes.

Mannar is a very unique town, with its centre located in an island. It connects to the main land through a narrow strip of land comprising the road. The coast line takes a rather twisted course sometimes letting the sea merge with the land so much that one does not know where land ends and sea starts. The dilemma is further complicated by the tide which lets sea water in to low lying land. During high tide, whole areas of parched land come alive with sea creatures and birds when it fills up with sea water. 

As you proceed to the island, one unique creature right in the middle of the town attracts the attention of anyone who had not been to Mannar before. The roads lined by boutiques and shops are busy with vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians. And there stands the mighty donkeys oblivious to all the hustle around them. They appear to be in a different parallel universe altogether, slow, steady and unfazed by the world moving on around them. One may find a donkey standing right in the middle of the road with its head bent deep in thought, while the lorries, tuk tuks, bicycles find their way around it. As (no pun intended) the night falls, the pace of these idle creatures becomes even slower as if they are frozen in time. Mannar doggies, having shared the roads with these lazy cousins for generations seems to have given up on troubling the Donkeys. Dogs themselves happily lie about on the middle of the road. Basically, the cars give way to motor cycles, which give way to push cycles and all give way to donkeys and the dogs. The hierarchy is not to be questioned !

When one manages to find its way around these gentle beasts Mannar has so much to offer. Hidden away in the fringes of the island lies the most beautiful parts only for the eyes of those who dare to stray away from the beaten path. Driving towards the railway station, the large piles of salt neatly stacked, shine white in the setting sun, against a backdrop of fields of sea water drying up to make the next harvest of salt. Driving past the railway station, one comes to a landscape of vast areas of sand with thorny bushes in the shape of summer huts scattered at the fringes of sand planes. There would be a few puddles of sea water trapped from last night’s tide and in them, several opportunistic sea birds making the most of the feast of crustaceans on offer.

Those who are brave enough to wander further will find their way in to a natural strip of land extending from the main island, bordered on both sides with sea. The gravel road winds its way through a line of thatched huts on one side and long strips of coir mats on the other. These are laden with silver shine of drying up fish to make “karawala”, another pride of Mannar which draws people from other parts of the country in for trade.

A Journey through Mannar is not complete without the story of meeting the Baobab, an ancient giant with a width many times its height. No, this is not a mythical being hiding in the island but a tree with a very unique look. It is said to have been introduced several hundreds of years ago by Arabian merchants, but its origins lie in the island of Madagascar. It is a mystery why it was brought here in the first place, but it goes on to add a sense of mystery to the island too. 

Surrounded and invaded with abundant sea water, the creatures of the island are in a constant battle to thrive in the parched land. The irony of sea water prevails !

The rain comes sparingly and only for a couple of months, when the shrubs come alive with new sprouts and flowers.

As the night sets in, a quiet walk on the bridge would bring one to a sanctuary of shallow sea water. The water laps gently on the low lying islands made of mangrows and fleets of boats docked at the pier for the night. The warm wind brings in the smell of the brine, mangroves, mud of the tidal bed and fish, which is why I would know where I am if someone decides to kindnap me to Mannar, blindfolded.