Mahakanadarawa Wewa – මහකනදරා වැව

photo by Suranga’s Photo Collection – InstagramSriLanka licensed under CC BY 2.0
Mahakanadarawa Wewa is a large reservoir built during the Anuradhapura kingdom by damming the Kanadara Oya which is the main triburory of the Malwathu Oya river. This reservoir has been called Kana Wapi and Kanadiyadora in the ancient to be built by king Mahasen (276-303). It is reported that king Sena II (853-887) had built a weir at a place called Kattaththa and diverted water to Kanadara Oya though a 12 kilometer canal to increase the supply of water to Mahakanadarawa Wewa.
The embankment of the tank is 2.8 km long and covers 34,000 acres (13.76 sq. km) when full. The total water holding capcity is 36 250 acre feet ( 44,713,717 cubic meters).
Unfortunately the Anuradhapura – Trincomalee road is built across the tank bisecting it to two.
Also See
- Ancient Reservoirs of Sri Lanka
- Ancient Heritage Sites of Sri Lanka
- Other Places of Interest Within Close Proximity
Map of the Mahakanadarawa Wewa
The map above also shows other places of interest within a approximately 20 km radius of the current site. Click on any of the markers and the info box to take you to information of these sites
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Traveling to Mahakanadarawa Wewa
Route from Colombo to Mahakanadarawa Wewa |
Through : Putlam – Anuradhapura Distance : 332 km Travel time : 5-6 hours Driving directions : see on google map |