| The White Man's Tamarind Tree |
Robert Knox father and son and the group sailed to Persia on January 21, 1658 under the British East India Trading Company by the ship 'Anne'. However, unfortunately on November 19, 1659, the ship was caught in a storm and was badly damaged. The dilapidated ship drifted towards the Kottiyar lagoon in the southern part of Trincomalee.
King Rajasingha II [1629 - 1687] ruled the city at that time. Many gifts were sent to the group including Knox by someone from the district to welcome them. But soon, when Robert Knox (father) was under a tamarind tree, he was taken prisoner by the Rajapurs and sixteen people on board were also captured. The ship was also confiscated.
This group was forbidden to leave the island, but they were treated well by the people here. Robert Knox (son) was a farmer and worked as a moneylender.
Both father and son suffered greatly from malaria and the father died in February 1661. After spending nineteen years on the island, Robert Knox managed to leave the country with another man named Stephen.
The two managed to reach a Dutch fort at Areppu. There, the Dutch gave them the opportunity to go to their homes in September 1680.
During this trip, Alala compiled a book called "An Historical Relation of the Island Ceylon" based on his experiences while living in Ceylon. It was released in 1681. In the 17th century, a very valuable work was written about the life of the Sri Lankan people.
Later Robert Knox (father) erected a plaque to commemorate the capture. It says "This is the Whiteman's tree under which Robert Knox, captain of the ship 'Anne' was captured". The plaque was established in 1893 and since then it has been maintained by the government.
However, in 1970, the tamarind tree fell to the ground due to a typhoon that affected the Trincomalee area. The plaque at the foot of the tree was taken to the Colombo Museum for safekeeping.
