Loading AI tools
Ancient reservoir in Sri Lanka From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Abhaya Wewa (Sinhalese: අභය වැව), historically Abhayavapi (Sinhalese: අභයවාපි) or Bassawakkulama reservoir, is a reservoir in Sri Lanka, built by King Pandukabhaya who ruled in Anuradhapura from 437 BC to 367 BC, after constructing the city.[3]
Abhaya Wewa අභය වැව | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Location | Anuradhapura |
Coordinates | 08°21′07.9″N 080°23′17.4″E |
Type | Reservoir |
Built | 400 BC[1][2] |
Surface area | 1,235 acres (500 ha; 1.930 sq mi) |
Water volume | 133×10 6 cu ft (3.8×10 6 m3)[2] |
It was constructed in 380 BC. The dam of the reservoir is 10 m high. The water of the reservoir is also accumulated in the Giritale and Kantalai.[4] Currently, the reservoir is about 255 acres. The embankment of the reservoir is about 5910 feet long and 22 feet high above the sill level of the sluice.[5]
Area is 1,235 acres (500 ha; 1.930 sq mi); the length of the Waw Kandiya (Sinhalese: වැව් කන්ඩිය English: embankment) is 5,910 feet (1.119 mi) and height is 22 feet (6.7 m). The width of the top of the embankment is 6 feet (1.8 m) to 8 feet (2.4 m).[1][2]
Built inside the ancient Anuradhapura, it supplied water to the city population.[1][2]
King Paduwasdeva of Sri Lanka, when married Subaddhakacanna from North India, and her seven brothers also came to Sri Lanka and established their villages. One of the brothers, Anuradha established Anuradhapura where he constructed the first reservoir. The reservoir was expanded by king Pandukabhaya. The reservoir was called Abaya Vapi at that time, in memory of one of King's uncles. The reservoir was used to feed the irrigation system.[5][6][7]
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Every time you click a link to Wikipedia, Wiktionary or Wikiquote in your browser's search results, it will show the modern Wikiwand interface.
Wikiwand extension is a five stars, simple, with minimum permission required to keep your browsing private, safe and transparent.