Hanwella, fort

In order to maintain a tighter rein over the Ceylonese interior, the Company built a string of forts along the River Kelani of which Fort Hanwelle was the largest. The complex included a house for the fiscal

a sort of glorified bookkeeper

and warehouses for provisions and herbs. According to the sources the fort was manned by the outcasts of the Company who were not particularly wanted in Colombo, the capital.