Biso Kotuwa of Deepa Uyana in Polonnaruwa (දීප උයනේ බිසෝකොටු සොරොව්ව)

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Valve Pit (Biso Kotuwa) of Deepa Uyana in Polonnaruwa

One of Polonnaruwa’s most historic lodging sites is the Polonnaruwa Rest House, now known as ETKO Lake House, situated on the edge of the Parakrama Samudraya. The hotel stands beside the ancient Deepa Uyana (Island Garden) and may even be built over some of its original ruins.

Immediately behind the building lies a remarkable brick Biso Kotuwa (valve pit) once connected to the Parakrama Samudraya. Constructed during the reign of King Parakramabahu I (1153–1186 CE), this structure regulated the water flow supplied to the Deepa Uyana, the royal park.

Water reaches the Biso Kotuwa through a tunnel about 10 meters (32.8 ft) long. It first enters a chamber measuring 3.4 meters by 1.6 meters (11.1 ft by 5.2 ft), then moves into a second chamber of 3.12 meters by 1.35 meters (10.2 ft by 4.4 ft). From there, it travels another 20 meters (65.6 ft) eastward before being released into Deepa Uyana through the final sluice gate.

References

Dissanayake, S. B. (2023). 2014 වර්ෂය සඳහා පුරාවිද්‍යා අධ්‍යක්‍ෂක ජනරාල්ගේ පාලන වාර්තාව. Department of Archaeology, Sri Lanka.

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Map of Biso Kotuwa (Valve Pit) of Deepa Uyana in Polonnaruwa

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Driving Directions to Biso Kotuwa of Deepa Uyana in Polonnaruwa

The modern town of Polonnaruwa is also known as New Town, and the other part of Polonnaruwa remains the ancient royal city of the Kingdom of Polonnaruwa.

Route from Colombo to Polonnaruwa Sacred City	Route from Kandy to Polonnaruwa Sacred City
Through: Central Highway—Kurunegala—Dambulla Distance from Colombo: 230 km Travel Time: 5 hours Driving Directions: See on Google Maps.	Through: Maradankadawala–Habarana Distance: 103 km Travel Time: 2 hours Driving Directions: see on Google Maps.
Route from Anuradhapura to Polonnaruwa Sacred City	Route from Batticaloa to Polonnaruwa Sacred City
Through: Maradankadawala–Habarana Distance: 103 km Travel Time: 2 hours Driving Directions: See on Google Maps.	Through: Maradankadawala–Habarana Distance: 103 km Travel Time : 2 hours Driving Directions: see on Google Maps.

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References

Also See

Map of Biso Kotuwa (Valve Pit) of Deepa Uyana in Polonnaruwa

Driving Directions to Biso Kotuwa of Deepa Uyana in Polonnaruwa

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