High on a rock in Beruwala, tall, white and towering, surrounded by coconut fronds, stands Ketchimalai mosque. The ancient historic site has been a place of reflection and prayer for centuries, calling unto it every year, scores of pilgrims from all over the island. As Muslims commence the holy month of Ramadan, the Nation took a trip to the mosque, to learn more of its history and discover intimately, the awe-inspiring beauty of this religious site…. By Aisha Edris The story of Ketchimalai has been fairy-tale for me. I’ve heard so many tales from my grandmother, mother and the rest of my family; it was unique to Beruwala, my hometown. I have known the mosque ever since I was a child. Now, in my twenties, it looks no different. Ketchimalai mosque has been a sacred landmark for many centuries and the annual festival at the mosque, has been a grand occasion for the villagers and pilgrims. It is of ancient Arabic architecture, as it stands tall and white upon a rock, surrounded by swaying coconut palms. Viewed from the Galle Road, it looks picturesque. The sound of the sea blends with the sounds of prayer, when devotees flock there. The history of “Ketchimalai” Mosque goes back generations, and with its myths and legends lay hidden also many tales. One of them is the civilization that was created around this mosque. In the 12th century, a vessel came ashore on the South West of Ceylon (Sri Lanka) at Ketchimalai, Beruwala, with seven members of the royal family of Hadramouth, Yemen. Sultan Ashraff Waliullah, his five brothers and a sister. At this time, Muslims in the region were well respected by the Sinhalese Kings. The royal entourage, on disembarking, were apprehended by the coastguards of the Sinhala king and escorted to the king. The King accorded the visitors a royal welcome and invited them to stay in the palace, as his guests. They accepted the king’s invitation and lived in the palace for few years as the king’s guests. Realising that the life-style within the palace was a hindrance to fulfilling their spiritual obligations, Ash-Shaikh Ashraff Waliullah, along with his siblings took residence in the western part of Beruwala. After a few years of peaceful existence, he passed away and the people of Beruwala buried him at Ketchimalai. After sometime, one day Shaikh Abdul Cader bin Shaikh Yoosuf (chief priest at Maradana Jumma Mosque, Beruwala) was clearing the bushes around the grave of Ash-Shaikh Ashraff Waliullah, when a thorn pricked his foot, causing severe pain. As he rested for a while, he fell asleep. While asleep, Shaikh Ashraff Waliullah, in a dream, asked the chief priest to allocate the piece of land to him and put up a building there. Shaikh Abdul Cader put up a Cadjan building to cover the grave and set apart a small area for the mosque. With the passage of time, the Sinhala kingdom fell in to the hands of foreign invaders. One day, some Dutch soldiers began demolishing a part of the hill on which the