A 150-year testament to Ceylon’s coffee era

THE Coffee Planters' Fountain of Kandy, a historic monument commemorating the Prince of Wales's 1875 visit to Kandy, reaches the milestone 150th anniversary this year.

- By Prasad Edirisinghe

The monument stands in the heart of Kandy, closer to the sacred Temple of the Tooth. A Victorian-era fountain tells a fascinating story of Ceylon's brief but brilliant coffee boom.Two years ago, on the 2nd of December, I happened to pass by this monument and noticed that this beautiful masterpiece was marking its 150th anniversary on our soil in another two years. Having noticed the extraordinary circumstances I uploaded a post on my Facebook account tagging the Ministry of Tourism, stating that the authorities should use this opportunity to capitalise on European markets, especially in the UK, to attract more tourists. It remains unclear whether such initiative had been planned by the relevant authorities before the Ditwah cyclone caused widespread flooding and landslides across the country.

The Coffee Planters' Fountain, an ornate masterpiece of Victorian craftsmanship, was erected in 1875 to commemorate the visit of the Prince of Wales to Ceylon's ancient hill capital. Yet this monument represents far more than a royal visit. It stands as a memorial to an agricultural revolution that transformed the island's economy and landscape before vanishing almost as quickly as it had appeared.