Vavunikulama Reservoir (වවුනිකුලම වැව)

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Vavunikulama Tank
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Vavunikulama Reservoir is located about 40 km northwest of Vavunia town. The only reference to this tank is during King Dutugemunu’s period when he found four large gemstones by this reservoir.

In a northerly direction from the city, at a distance of seven yojanas, in a cave opening on the Pelivapikagama tank, above on the sand, four splendid gems had formed in size like to a small mill-stone, in colour like flax-flowers, (radiantly) beautiful. When a hunter with his dogs saw these he came to the king and told him: `I have seen precious stones of such and such a kind.’

H. Parker, an irrigation engineer in the late 1800s believes the original name of this tank is Peli Vapi and according to him ‘the name, the distance from the city, and the reference to a stream with sand-banks render the identification certain, there being no other reservoir on the river, and no other stream with sandbanks at that distance north of Anuradhapura’.

He also believes that this reservoir was built in the 3rd century BCE as King Dutugemunu reigned between 161-131 BC and before that the Anuradhapura Kingdom was run by a Tamil invader named Elara who ruled between 205-161 BC. Therefore this tank would have been built before the time of Elara.

According to his report when the reservoir was full the water covered an extent of 1975 acres, and the tank then had a capacity of 596 million cubic feet. The embankment is 13,350 feet or 2.5 miles (4 km) long. The embankment is built in a straight line across the river for 2.5 km and then it curves outward to encompass a another shallow valley. Based on the flood escape the height of water would have been 18 feet and the crest is 8 feet higher than the flood escape.

Source : H. Parker - Ancient Ceylon (1909) — Source : H. Parker – Ancient Ceylon (1909)

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Map of the Vavunikulama Reservoir

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Traveling to Directions to Vavunikulama Reservoir

Route from Vavunia to Vavunikulama Reservoir

Distance : 65 km
Travel time :1.30 minutes
Driving directions : see on google map

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Also See

Map of the Vavunikulama Reservoir

Traveling to Directions to Vavunikulama Reservoir

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