Riviera Negombo

The fishing boats drift through the still waters of the Negombo lagoon, like gondolas in Venice the ancient mariners sing to the prawns that have for generations been the livelihood of the Talhena villagers. Set against a giant causeway that divides the sea from the lagoon this area has been a hidden secret for generations until Bawa, Sri Lanka’s legendary architect built the first resort hotel in the 1960s. This now attracts a new cosmopolitan crowd to the area who love the raw natural beauty, the generosity of the Talhena people and the bountiful produce. Like South America the area is also renowned for its spitting fish.

A Lagoon version of Jaws that prays on unsuspecting insects clinging for dear life to surrounding Lagoon foliage, which are instantaneously knocked off their leaves by a spray of deadly water that allows the fish to dine out on a feast of insects.

Madurika and Srimal from Talhena village now work in the Jetwing Blue Lagoon restaurant and they explain this is more than a little unusual as 95 percent of the working people in the area are fisherman. They are full of stories about the village traditions and explain the local church called Saint Barbara is the centre point of Talhena, a place named after the Tal tree that provides shade, herbal remedies and a rather lethal alcoholic brew drunk round village beach fires at the dead of night.

Guardian and patron Saint

Saint Barbara’s Church houses the guardian of the lagoon and patron saint of lightning and thunder, something I found ironic as the day I arrived the lightning that cracked across the ancient water ways was some of the most dramatic and exciting I had ever seen. At night, they tell me as the lights go out that horse’s hooves can be heard around the hotel and sure enough I did hear late into the night the clippity clop of hooves mixed with the rhythmic sound of the waves.

At breakfast they explained in hushed whispers that this is the transport of Saint Barbara that protects the area by horseback and footprints, it seems have been found on a muddy days in the heart of the village confirming she is very much a living saint.

These deeply devout villagers proudly talk about Saint Barbara’s church, which was built in 1894 by a French missionary at the height of the British Colonial period and has been the centre of worship ever since. Every year the area celebrates her feast day on the first Sunday in December and on the second Sunday after the 8.30 am mass, a huge procession of colourful sail boats, outriggers and motor boats come together carrying the statue of Saint Barbara, who can normally be found behind glass overlooking the main church altar. The villagers carry the areas icon into the waters and then process around the lagoon in their fishing boats while singing hymns about Mary and Jesus, and the priest blesses each area with holy waters.

Rev Father Pradeep Chaminda Perera said, “that the congregation and I go clockwise around the lagoon, covering the six kilometre stretch in around three hours with a procession of more than 30 boats and their entire fishing families on board.”

Bountiful daily catch

This ancient ritual aims to bring prosperity to the area and act as a thank you to the lagoon and the sea for bringing in a bountiful daily catch of prawns and crabs for the year, which make up their daily earnings now and in the future.

The boats are decorated with dolphins, religious icons and even have two eyes painted on the helms to help them navigate these picturesque water ways while protecting them from sea snakes and other unknown creatures that may lurk in the depths of the lagoon, which is surprisingly only ten feet in depth. The Church is also an ancient pilgrimage site with Saint Fatima’s shrine opposite, a saint that was seen by a local woman in the well and as a result has become a stopping off point for the ill and infirmed to take the holy waters that have cured so many very different ailments.

The Negombo Riviera

In the swinging sixties when Sri Lanka’s best architect Bawa built Sri Lanka’s Blue Lagoon this was seen as the Negombo Riviera and an important water path way through the country, feeding into the Dutch and Hamilton canals that take you directly to Colombo and up to Puttalam in the north. Until the 1950s the waters were always busy with trade, but this all changed when the roads were developed and other ways of transporting dry fish and cinnamon became faster and more convenient in trucks.

Today, the water ways are reopening for nature tourism, a more environmentally alterative way to travel than by the clogged up road ways and for people who like to travel slow and enjoy length and breadth of the country. The people of Talhena welcome you with open arms to their sacred sites and only ask that people do not allow sea planes to change this historic gem and its charmed way of life.

Inspired by the lagoon and its legendary fishy characters Madusha Jewellers in the old town of Negombo create classic designs using symbols of the lagoon combined with ancient designs from the kingdom of Anuradhapura.

They can make anything from a dolphin to a lucky prawn with star sapphires, Sri Lankan rubies and all types of Sri Lankan gems. They are famous for their wedding rings and fish charms that can be hand crafted in 48 hours in 22kt gold or silver and are perfect mementoes of this charming spot. You can find this master craftsman near the old Negombo fort at no 5/A shopping complex, Negombo on the Raja Pakse road. Being old school and hand making every piece since 1981, you can be guaranteed the quality of the master workmanship and a wonderful memory of this jewel of a lagoon.