Sorabora Weva
- Sorabora Wewa the picturesque tank of Mahiyanganaya -
"Onna Balapan Bulatha Karapu Bale
Yathuru Dapu Gal Dora Yata Wathura Hale
Ena yanno Ida Narama Balum Gale
Sorabora Wewa Nudutu As Motada Pin Kale"
- D.G.Wickramasinghe (Maga Digata Jana Katha)
There are many verses dedicated to the beauty of the 'Sorabora Wewa'
which reflects the dedication and hard work our ancestors underwent to
built such a dam of this magnitude.
Located in the historical town of Mahiyanganaya, the picturesque tank
of 'Sorabora Wewa' is regarded as one of the earliest civilizations in
Sri Lanka. 'Sorabora Wewa' is one of the earliest hydrological constructions
in our country. In ancient times, this tank was called the 'Sea of Bintenna'
because it was believed to be built during the era of great king Dutugemunu
by the villager Bulatha. Like his name suggests, Bulatha offered betel
leaves to the royal palace where he had to prepare seven chews of betel
for the king at different times of the day. There are many fables woven
around Bulatha and the 'Sorabora Wewa'. One is that Bulatha used to visit
Mahiyanganaya while on duty. One day, he witnessed a river flowing through
a lowland between two mountains in the north part of Mahiyanganaya. He
thought to himself how wonderful is he can create a beautiful tank by
building a dam across the river. With the idea of irrigating water to
cultivate paddy fields, Bulatha's idea was successful.
Picture by Indika Prasanga
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After he finished building this dam he invited the king to see his work. "My
Lord, I created a small tank with my own effort so please be kind to declare
it open" said Bulatha. The king couldn't believe how this tank of
immense benefit to the villages around was built by one man asking for
help. It was then that the king discovered that Bulatha was indeed a giant.
There is another folktale revolving around the building of the "Sorabora
Wewa' by Bulatha. During his journey to the place, he is said to have
brought sand and rock to the place where the 'Sorabora wewa' is located
and built the dam across the river, creating a lake.
This tank is magnificently shaped between two natural stone sluice gates
and these gates reveal evidence for how marvellous the engineering skills
of our forefathers were.
The local irrigation engineer H.M.P.H.D. Herath of the Regional Irrigation
Centre, Mapakada said, "Over 2200 acres of paddy fields are irrigated
by this tank encompassing the Yala and Maha areas in Mapakada". He
said that even through our ancestors have built such a historically important
tank for our livelihoods, we have not even maintained it to its optimum
today." The bridge that runs along the 'Sorabora Wewa' is badly in
need repair because residents from nine villages frequent it" he
said. In addition to this, the
Regional Irrigation Centre is also understaffed. The engineer Herath
said "At present, we have only two full-time security officers to
oversee the tank and we hardly have the personnel on a roster to check
on the 'Sorabora Wewa' if these officers are not on duty". It is
expected that after the forthcoming the local elections in the province,
funds might be allocated to repair the tank but nothing has been sanctioned.
Ishara MUDUGAMUWA
Dailiy News
, 24 January 2009
Created : June 21, 2009
Updated :
June 21, 2009
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