Lover’s Leap

The story of Lover’s Leap Trincomalee is a sorrowful tale of unrequited love. A true story attested by an inscription on a pillar on Swami Rock, it follows Francina van Reed, the daughter of a gentleman of rank in the civil service of Holland. She was engaged to a young Dutch officer who broke off the engagement upon the end of his foreign service and returned to Holland.

Forsaken and distraught, she watched atop Swami Rock as the vessel carrying her faithless lover passed beyond the horizon. Overcome by sorrow, she flung herself from the rock into the violent sea below – a sheer drop of 400 feet.

A pillar set up on the promontory records the fateful date of the tragedy that has since propelled the location to notoriety – 24 April, 1687.