Sangilikanadara Wewa Reservoir in Medawachchiya (මැදවච්චිය සංගිලිකනදරාව වැව)

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Sangilikanadara Wewa Reservoir in Medawachchiya

Built in the 3rd century BCE, Sangilikanadara Wewa is one of the medium-sized reservoirs belonging to the list of oldest reservoirs in Sri Lanka. Located in the valley of Sangilikanadara Oya, a small river on the eastern side of the Malwathu Oya in the Medawachchiya DS division of Anuradhapura District, this reservoir has been built for the storage of water for irrigation purposes of the region.

Henry Parker provides a detailed description of this reservoir. The total length of the embankment is 8100 feet (2.7 km) long. It is about 17.5 feet (5.3 meters) high and 10 feet (3 meters) wide at the top. A ralapanawa, a layer of borders, protects the inner surface of the weir.

There were three sluices, two at about the Same level being in the deeper part of the bank, and one at a slightly higher level near the middle of the southern arm. The middle one (as in the figure) has a rectangular bisokotuwa 10 feet 5 inches long, parallel to the bank, and 6 feet 33 inches wide. There was a single rectangular stone culvert, 13½ inches wide and 12 inches high in the inlet portion, and 12½ inches wide and 12 inches high in the outlet part, the latter being raised 3½ inches above the floor of the bisokotuwa. The walls, 9 feet 5 inches high, were built of brickwork and their lower part for a height of 5 feet 10 inches was lined with thin monolithic stone slabs, laid on edge (Parker, 1909).

The brickwork portion of the sluice has been repaired or rebuilt multiple times, evidenced by the presence of bricks in four different sizes. Some of the bricks, measuring 2 inches thick, date back to the 10th or 12th century AD, indicating the most recent restoration. Another set of bricks was fired in the 1st or 2nd century CE. A third set of bricks dates from the second half of the 1st century BCE to the early 1st century CE. The oldest bricks are likely from the 3rd century BCE, suggesting that this reservoir is one of the oldest in the country (Parker, 1909).

The current Sangilikanadara Wewa Reservoir was last restored in 1907. Its bund is 2.13 km long with a storage capacity of 3.9 million cubic meters covering an area of 2,63 sq kilometers. The reservoir supplies irrigation facilities to 850 acres; the channel system crosses the Anuradhapura-Medawachchiya road at the 145th kilometre. (Arumugam, 1969, p. 323)

To reach this picturesque remote reservoir, you must travel 24 km towards Medawachchiya from Anuradhapura until you reach the Kongollewa junction. From there, take a right turn and continue for 2 km, which will lead you directly to the reservoir bund.

References

Parker, H. (1909). Ancient Ceylon: An Account of the Aborigines and of Part of the Early Civilisation (1st ed.). Luzac & Co.
Arumugam, S. (1969). Water resources of Ceylon: its utilisation and development. Water Resources Board (Sri Lanka).

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Map of the Sangilikanadara Wewa Reservoir in Medawachchiya

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

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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 Sangilikanadara Wewa Reservoir in Medawachchiya

Route from Anuradhapura to Sangilikanadara Wewa Reservoir in Medawachchiya

Through : Medawachchiya Road
Distance : 29 km
Time to spend : 30 mins
Travel time : 40 minutes
Driving directions : see on google map

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References

Also See

Map of the Sangilikanadara Wewa Reservoir in Medawachchiya

Also See

Traveling to Sangilikanadara Wewa Reservoir in Medawachchiya

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