The Dutch Reformed Church of Kalpitiya is one of the oldest Protestant churches in Sri Lanka. It’s a very simple structure, with tombstones carved into the floors and a magnificently tall stone one in its back yard.
The church front – you can see the tall tombstone in the backThe church was built in 1706 in Kalpitiya. The town was then strategically very important to the Dutch East India Company as it allowed them to control trade to the Kingdom of Kandy by controlling Kalpitiya’s large Muslim trading community. At some point this century, the belfry of this church and all its furniture were moved to the Anglican church in Puttalam, so it’s quite bare here, save for the preserved tombstones.
Here are some photos of the place. It’s worth the visit if you’re in Kalpitiya since it’s an important part of the town’s history.
A refreshingly simplistic interior of wooden rafters, concrete floors and plastic chairs
Intricate carvings in the church floor’s tombstones
This epic tombstone is one of many unmarked ones in the church’s back garden
Some of the old tomb carvings are in Tamil, not a common sight
