Hurulu Wewa Reservoir (හුරුළු වැව)

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Hurulu Wewa ancient reservoir, originally known as Challura Vapi, was one of sixteen reservoirs constructed by King Mahasen, the renowned Sinhalese monarch who ruled over Lanka from 276 to 303 CE.

The reservoir lies on Yan Oya in the remote village of Yakalla, between Anuradhapura and Habarana off Ritigala. It can be approached from Galkulama by travelling 28 km to Yakalla or Ritigala and travelling 20 km to the same village.

Being one of the largest reservoirs in the area, its bund is 8750 feet (2.667 km) long and 81 feet high (25 meters) at its highest. The reservoir covers 4000 acres (16.2 km²) of land. (Arumugam, 1969).

The tank had breached early in the nineteenth century and was lying abandoned, overgrown with forest, till the late Mr D. S. Senanayake, then Minister of Agriculture and Lands ordered its restoration and started work in 1949. It began holding water in 1953 and in December 1957, a great flood destroyed part of the bund. It was subsequently restored in 1958 (Arumugam, 1969).

History of Hurulu Wewa Reservoir

The last paragraph (Chapter XXXVII-47:50) of Mahawamsa, the Great Chronicle of Sri Lanka, describes “To make (the land) more fertile, he (King Mahasena) made sixteen reservoirs, the Manihira (Minneriya Reservoir), the Mahagama (Tissa Reservoir), the Challura (Huruluwewa Reservoir), the Khanu, the Mahamani, the Kokavata, the Dhammaramma-tank , the Kumbalaka and the Vahana, besides the Rattamalakandaka (Padaviya Wewa Reservoir), the tank Tissavaddhamanaka that of Velangavitthi, that of Mahagallaka, the Clra-tank and the Mahadaragallaka and the Kalapasana-tank. These are the sixteen tanks…)

The Rajawaliya (a historical chronicle of Sinhalese Kings) recounts how the King “employed demons in his service” to build reservoirs, utilizing “the labour of demons at night and of men during the day.” This is how Challura Vapi of old, also known as Surulla or Surulu (in Sinhalese), and the modern Hurulu Wewa came into existence. Later, the Pujavaliya refers to King Dhatusena constructing Surulu Wewa, likely as part of restoration efforts. (Arumugam, 1955)

References

Arumugam, S. (1955). Huruluwewa Irrigation Reservoir. Ceylon Today (May – June 1955), IV(5 & 6), 34–36.
Arumugam, S. (1969). Water resources of Ceylon: its utilisation and development. Water Resources Board (Sri Lanka).
Mahanama, Geiger, W., & Bode, M. H. (1912). The Mahavamsa or the Great Chronicle of Ceylon. Translated into English by Wilhelm Geiger. For the Pali Text Society by Henry Frowde.

Also See

Map of the Hurulu Wewa

Please click on the button below to load the Dynamic Google Map (ගූගල් සිතියම් පහලින්)

Show Location (ගූගල් සිතියම)

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Traveling Directions to Hurulu Wewa

Colombo to Anuradhapura By Bus

Anuradhapura is easily reached by bus, train or private transport. Air-conditioned and non-air-conditioned buses start at the Colombo Fort Main Bus Station. There are luxury busses which start from various places in Colomb travelling past Anuradhapura, to Vavuniya and Jaffna. However, you need to search the web and book a seat. These luxury buses mostly travel at night reaching their final destination early in the morning.

Colombo to Anuradhapura By Train

5 daily trains are starting from Fort Railway Station to Anuradhapura. Generally, the first train leaves at 9.40 am and the last train at 8.30 pm. Travel time is 4-5 hours depending on the number of stops of the particular train.

Colombo to Anuradhapura By Car or Van

Anuradhapura can be reached through many routes from Colombo. The two main routes are through Puttalam (Puttalama) and through Kurunegala. Travelling from Puttalam, you will pass the scenic Wilpattu area. There are two main routes to Anuradhapura from Kurunegala. The most common route is through Dambulla. The other route is through Galgamuwa. Out of all the routes, the most commonly used is the Kurunegala-Dambulla route (Route 2).

Route 01 from Colombo to Anuradhapura	Route 02 from Colombo to Anuradhapura
Through : Negombo – Chilaw – Puttalam Distance from Colombo : 210 km Travel time : 4.30- 5.00 hours Driving Directions : see on Google map	Through : Katunayake Expressway – Central Expressway – Kurunegala – Dambulla Distance from Colombo : 223 km Travel Time : 4.30- 5.00 hours Driving Directions : see on Google maps
Route 03 from Colombo to Anuradhapura	Route from Kandy to Anuradhapura
Through : Katunayake Expressway – Narammala – Wariyapola – Padeniya – Thambuthegama Distance from Colombo :203 km Travel Time : 4.30- 5.00 hours Driving Directions : see on Google map	Through : Katugastota – Matale – Dambulla Distance from Colombo :136 km Travel Time : 3.5 hours Driving Directions : see on Google map

Route from Anuradhapura to Hurulu Wewa

Through : Galkulama
Distance : 45 km
Travel time : 1 Hour
Driving directions : see on Google map

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