Uggal Kalthota Amuna (උග්ගල් කල්තොට අමුණ)

56 years ago1 year ago05 mins

RATE THIS LOCATION : 1 Star

Be the first to rate

Uggal Kalthota causeway over Walawe Ganga
Photo by Chandana Gunatilake

Weirs, dams and anicuts often re-route water through canals, channels, tunnels or pipelines to increase the pressure and remove silt, leaving long stretches of dry bedrock. The ancient weirs and anicuts in Sri Lanka are locally known as the Amunas.

Legend of Uggal Kalthota Amuna

According to legend, as recounted by Bassett (1930/1997, pp. 48–50), the original canal was constructed by a mighty warrior named Nila Maha Yodhaya, who chose the barren land for irrigation. Selecting two large rocks near the present-day anicut, he carved sockets into them, which remain visible today. Using these sockets, he placed massive beams across the river to form a dam, which came to be known as Yodhaya Benna.

Once the dam was built, Nila Maha Yodhaya faced a dilemma—on which side of the river should he cut the canal? His uncertainty was resolved when he noticed a long sugarcane leaf caught between the rocks. Observing the direction in which the other end of the leaf was pointing, he deduced the river’s flow and dug the canal accordingly.

The sugarcane leaf (called ‘uk‘ in Sinhalese) had originated from Uggal Dowa, a valley above Belihul Oya, just below Horton Plains. It had drifted down through Hirikeiya Oya, into Belihul Oya, and finally into the Walawe Ganga River, floating all the way to Kaltota carrying a silent message to Nila Maha Yodhaya. Thus place got its prefix Uggal to the name Kaltota.

Once the canal was completed, he enthusiastically began cultivating paddy on both sides of the river. Confident in his efforts, he declared that when his harvest was gathered, the pile of paddy would be so high that one could see the sea from its peak.

After harvesting, he stacked the rice and asked his son to climb to the top and tell him if he could see the ocean. However, his wife, driven by greed, wanted him to cultivate even more land the following season. She instructed their son to tell his father that the sea was not visible, regardless of what he actually saw. The boy, obeying his mother’s orders, climbed the pile, and saw the sun reflecting off the distant ocean, yet falsely reported to his father that he could not see it.

Expecting her husband to expand cultivation, the wife’s plan backfired. Heartbroken and disillusioned, Nila Maha Yodhaya scattered his harvest to the wind, destroyed the weir he had built across the Walawe Ganga, and left—never to return again.

Brohier (1935) expands on this legend by recounting the childhood of Nila Maha Yodhaya. He was the son of a washerwoman who worked in the palace of King Gaja Bahu I (112–134 CE). One day, while she was busy washing clothes, she left her infant son, Nila, in the royal garden.

During this time, King Gaja Bahu happened to pass by and noticed the child had moved his royal staff—an object so heavy that even a grown man would struggle to lift it. Amazed by this extraordinary feat, the king exclaimed, “Nila, you are a giant!”

As he grew older, Nila lived up to this proclamation, developing superhuman strength. Historical records suggest that when King Gaja Bahu led an army to India, Nila Maha Yodhaya played a crucial role in the campaign, demonstrating his unmatched power. Upon returning to Sri Lanka in 113 CE, the king rewarded him with vast tracts of land for his service. One of these lands was a barren plain near what is now known as Kaltota—the very place where he later built his legendary amuna and the canal.

In 1892, the right bank channel was restored and an independent weir of 71 m long and 1m high was constructed upstream in 1956 to provide water for new left bank irrigation. Because of the relatively small height of the weir, there is a continuous spill of water flowing on the river.(Silva et al., 2014)

The ancient Uggal Kalthota Amuna lies close to the Bodagama-Kalthota road. Traveling 4.4 km past the road towards Kalthota Doowili Ella will bring you to the bridge over the Walawe River. The remains of the ancient Amuna lie a little distance above the bridge.

Uggal Kaltota Left Bank Anicut across Walawe Ganga

References

Bassett, R. H. (1997). Romantic Ceylon: Its History, Legend, and Story (Reprint). Asian Educational Services. (Original work published 1930)
Brohier, R. L. (1935). Ancient Irrigation Works in Ceylon : Western, Southern and the Eastern Areas of the Island: Part III. Government Publications Bureau (Ceylon).
Collins, C. H. (1932). THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE SABARAGAMUWA BINTENNA. The Journal of the Ceylon Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain & Ireland, 32(85), 158–184.
Silva, E. I. L., Manthrithilake, H., Pitigala, D., & Etige, N. (2014). Environmental flow in Sri Lanka: Ancient Anicuts Versus Modern Dams. Sri Lanka Journal of Aquatic Sciences, 19, 3–14.

Also See

Map of Uggal Kalthota Amuna

Click on the button below to load the Dynamic Google Map

Show Location on Google Maps

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

Zoom out the map to see more surrounding locations using the mouse scroll wheel or map controls.

Travel Directions to Uggal Kalthota Amuna

Route from Balangoda to Uggal Kalthota Amuna

Distance : 30 km
Travel time :1 hour
Driving directions : see on google map

Leave a ReplyCancel reply

Muruthtthanai Buddhist Stupa Ruins in Kiran (මුරුත්තානෛ බෞද්ධ ආරාමික නටබුන්)
The Anurādhapura-period Muruthtthanai Stupa in Kiran is a 5-meter-high brick monument hidden on a wooded hillock. Plundered by treasure hunters who dug a deep summit pit, the site also includes an ancient rock quarry used for shaping stone architectural elements. […]
Akkuranai Buddhist Monastic Ruins in Kiran (අක්කුරානයි බෞද්ධ ආරාමික නටබුන්)
The Anurādhapura-period Akkuraṇai Monastic Ruins in Kiran feature a central circular stupa surrounded by terraces, multi-sized pillared structures, and drip-ledged caves. Severely damaged by treasure hunters, the site retains a 2-meter carved flower altar, brick foundations with mortised stone doorframes, and shattered sacred chatra fragments. […]
Miniminiththaweli Archaeological Site 2 in Kiran (මිනිමිණිත්තවේලි පුරාවිද්‍යා භූමිය 2)
The Maduru Oya Valley site in Miniminiththāweli features an Anurādhapura-period building complex with stone pillars and brick foundations. Unfortunately, illegal excavations by treasure hunters have severely damaged these structures, though they have also exposed various ancient artifacts and pottery. […]
Miniminiththaweli Archaeological Site 1 in Kiran (මිනිමිණිත්තවේලි පුරාවිද්‍යා භූමිය)
The Anurādhapura-era Miniminiththāweli site 1 in Kiran features a historic building complex heavily damaged by forest gravel road construction. This development destroyed the site's archaeological context and displaced ancient artifacts, including a stone-carved flower altar bulldozed to the roadside. […]
Mandur Archaeological Site in Kiran (මණ්ඩූර් පුරාවිද්‍යා භූමිය)
The Anurādhapura-period Mandur Archaeological Site in Kiran sits within marshy terrain near a tributary of Maduru Oya. It features two ruined building complexes with scattered stone pillars up to 5 meters long, heavily damaged by human activity yet preserving distinct ancient tool marks. […]
Kallichchai Buddhist Monastic Ruins (කල්ලිච්චෛ බෞද්ධ ආරාමික නටබුන්)
The Anurādhapura-period Kallichchai Monastic Ruins in Kiran feature a forest stupa breached by treasure hunters, exposing its inner chamber. Nearby artifacts include scattered stone pillars, a fragmented octagonal Yūpa Stambhaya (central pillar), and a circular Chatra Gala (umbrella stone). […]
Harakagala Buddhist Monastic Ruins (හරකාගල බෞද්ධ ආරාමික නටබුන්)
The Harakagala Monastic Ruins in Kiran date to the Early Anurādhapura period. Situated on a rocky outcrop near a reservoir, the complex features a brick stupa foundation, a cave with a Brāhmī inscription, a massive multi-story pillared building, and a stone chatragala (umbrella). […]
Vadamunai Dastota Wewa Reservoir (වඩමුනෛ වැව)
The Vadamunai Dastota Wewa Reservoir in Kiran is a large 650-acre irrigation system with a 920-meter embankment dating to the 2nd century CE. Identified as Vadamanaka in a Nelugala rock inscription, it sustained a prosperous Anurādhapura-period agricultural economy and a dense network of surrounding Buddhist monastic communities. […]
Karakpattiyadi Forest Buddhist Monastic Ruins (කරක්පට්ටියඩි කැලයේ බෞද්ධ ආරාමික නටබුන්)
The Anurādhapura-period Karakpaṭṭiyadi monastic ruins in Vakarai feature a heavily pillaged stupa with a 3-meter-deep pit and a 4-meter stone pillar. The jungle site includes a northern brick structure, a circular southern foundation, a Siri Pathula stone, and subterranean walls. […]
Omadiyamadu Archaeological Site (ඕමඩියාමඩු පුරාවිද්‍යා භූමිය)
The Anurādhapura-period Ōmaḍiyāmadu Archaeological Site in Vakarai sits on a rocky terrace. Heavily destroyed during local village resettlement activities, its original structures are unidentifiable, leaving only scattered stone pillars, brick fragments, and rubble collapsed down the rock slope. […]
Palm Leaf Fan Carved Rock in Vakare (වාකරේ වටාපත් කැටයම් සහිත පර්වතය)
Located in Vakarai, this late Anurādhapura-period site features a unique carving of a traditional palm leaf fan (Vāṭapatha) on a rocky outcrop's northeast side. No other clear structures exist, though various loose stones lie at the rock's base. […]
Drip Ledged Cave near Omadiyamadu Reservoir (ඕමඩියාමඩු වැව අසළ කටාරම් සහිත ලෙන)
The Rock Cave near the Ōmaḍiyāmadu Reservoir is an Early Anurādhapura-period monastic site. Facing north on a rocky outcrop, the cave features a continuously carved drip-ledge around its entrance designed to deflect rainwater from the interior living space. […]
Sitamalai Rock Buddhist Monastic Ruins (සීතාමලායි පර්වත බෞද්ධ ආරාමික නටබුන්)
The Anurādhapura-period Sītāmalai Monastic Ruins in Vakarai are centered on a 90×90-meter rocky outcrop. The site features a damaged brick-and-rubble stupa visible up to its first basal ring, a brick foundation eastward, and two building sites at its southern foot. […]
Omadiyamadu Forest Buddhist Monastic Ruins (ඕමඩියාමඩු වනයේ බෞද්ධ ආරාමික නටබුන්)
The Anurādhapura-period stupa ruins in the Ōmeḍiyāmadu Forest, Vakarai, sit atop a rock formation. Treasure hunters have damaged the small, dilapidated stupa by digging a 2.5-meter-deep pit into its dome. Excavated bricks and stone debris lie scattered nearby. […]
Padigala (Padiettanamalei) Buddhist Monastic Ruins (පඩිගල පඩිඑත්තනමලෙයි බෞද්ධ ආරාමික නටබුන්)
The Anurādhapura-period Paḍigala Monastic Ruins in Vakarai feature a ruined brick stupa atop a rock plateau, reached by an ornamental 69-step stone staircase. The complex includes large building foundations, primitive moonstones, and pottery, though treasure hunter activity has severely damaged the site. […]
Archaeological Site near Kayankerni School (කායංකේණි පාසල අසල පුරාවිද්‍යා භූමිය)
The Anurādhapura-period archaeological site near Kayaṅkerni School in Vakarai features five short stone pillars from a three-row structure. Characterized by distinct chisel marks, the palm-covered site also contains scattered broken pillars, ancient roof tiles, and stone slabs. […]
Vannathimadu Ancient Pond in Pullavi Jungle (පුල්ලාවි වනයේ වණ්ණාතිමඩු පැරණි පොකුණ)
The Vannāthimadu Ancient Pond (Vannathimadu Kulam) in Vakarai is a 2.42-hectare, oval-shaped reservoir dating to the Early Anurādhapura period. Enclosed by an earthen embankment, it still holds water and served as the primary water source for three nearby forest monasteries. […]
Pullavi Jungle Buddhist Monastic Ruins (3) in Kayankerni (කායංකේණි බෞද්ධ ආරාමික නටබුන් – 3)
The Pullavi Jungle Ruins (3) in Kayankerni are an early Anuradhapura-period Buddhist monastery complex. Despite treasure-hunting damage, the forested site preserves carved foundation stones, stone pillars, a mortised doorway slab, and balustrade fragments. It represents one of three interconnected yet distinct monastic centers in the area. […]
Ambewela New Zealand Farm (අඹේවෙල නවසීලන්ත සත්ව ගොවිපල)
Ambewela is a small town in Nuwara Eliya district popularly known for its 2 dairy farms called “Ambewela Farm” and “New Zealand Farm”. The wide grasslands Ambewela lies 6,064 ft (1,848 m) above sea level. The maximum temperature of this area is about 23° C and the lowest goes down to about 9° C. […]
Mahaweli Flood Plains National Park (මහවැලි ජලගැලුම් නිම්න ජාතික වනෝද්‍යානය)
Established in 1984 under the Mahaweli Project, Flood Plains National Park in Polonnaruwa features vital villu wetlands. It serves as a crucial elephant migration corridor between Wasgamuwa and Somāwathiya parks while hosting an ancient cave monastery dating back to the 2nd century BCE. […]
Wadamunai (Wadamune) Megalithic Burial Site in Maduru Oya Valley
In this Wadamunai (Wadamune) Megalithic Cemetery, scattered across the landscape, lie between 15 to 20 graves. Unfortunately, the peaceful serenity of these resting places has been disrupted by thorn bushes, which have taken root amidst many of the tombs. Adding to the desecration, some graves have fallen victim to the destructive hands of treasure hunters, who have ransacked them in search of valuables. […]