Background
By December 2004, the home team had played 11 Test matches in Galle, winning six of them –in fact, five in a row – to earn the venue the famous tagline “Sri Lankans’ happy hunting ground”. Ace spinner Muttiah Muralitharan was their match-winner on most of those occasions.
Over 36,000 died in Sri Lanka alone in that bright, sunny Sunday morning of 26/12/04. Many countries that got affected lost at least 225,000 lives. In Galle alone, over 4,000 died, including 1,700 passengers inside the doomed southbound train that was struck by killer waves in Peraliya near Galle – the worst rail disaster in world history.
What the photo reveals
In the foreground of this photo is the devastated Galle Road by the main bus terminus. A few large Indian-made buses, a purple Volkswagen car, and some Japanese vans have been swept and toppled by the giant sea waves that had entered the town apparently from the right-hand side of the picture. On to the left is the Galle CC pavilion. A Buddha statue and an adjacent bo tree in the centre are standing unharmed as people either move or keep standing, being derided by their own mother nature in the most unforeseen manner.
Analysis
This is a picture of chaos filled with a sombre mood that troubles our eyes as far as they could reach – a gripping post-disaster portrait. The gloom seems to be imbibing the imperial Dutch Fortress on the western skyline. The spirit, wonderment, and exhilarating beauty have all withered into that gloom. Sports-wise, Sri Lanka’s “happy hunting ground” does now look like a mud hole with debris washed off by seawater. The tsunami has wreaked havoc damaging the entire stadium.
Photographer
Unknown
An afterword
In just three years, Galle stood up again like a giant! The stadium's renovation began in May 2006. Along with it, a couple of new buildings were added, including a brand-new pavilion and a media centre. The new Galle Stadium was to see its reincarnation in December 2007 when Sri Lanka hosted England in a Test. In the years that followed, the ground started to live up to its former, popular billing once again, "Sri Lanka's happy hunting ground!"