Vavunikulama Reservoir (වවුනිකුලම වැව)

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Vavunikulama Tank
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Vavunikulama (Vavunikulam) Reservoir is located about 40 km northwest of Vavunia town built by damming the Peli River. According to Henry Parker, this is one of the oldest reservoirs of Sri Lanka built in the 3rd century BCE. The only reference to this reservoir (Pelivapi) is during King Dutugemunu’s period when he found four large gemstones by this reservoir.

In a northerly direction from the city, at a distance of seven yojanas, in a cave opening on the Pelivapikagama-tank, above on the sand, four splendid gems had formed in size like to a small mill-stone, in colour like flax-flowers, (radiantly) beautiful. When a hunter with his dogs saw these he came to the king and told him : ‘I have seen precious stones of such and such a kind’
(Mahanama et al., 1912, pp. 39–40)

Parker (1909) writes “The name, the distance from the city, and the reference to a stream with sand-banks render the identification certain, there being no other reservoir on the river and no other stream with sand-banks at that distance north of Anuradhapura.

Since this reservoir was already in existence during the time of King Dutugemunu and the South Indian invader Elara was ruling from Anuradhapura from 205 to 161 BCE and unlikely to build new reservoirs, Vavunikulam would have been built even before the time of Elara.

According to his report when the reservoir was full, the water covered an extent of 1975 acres, and the tank then had a capacity of 596 million cubic feet. The embankment is 13,350 feet or 2.5 miles (4 km) long. The embankment is built in a straight line across the river for 2.5 km and then it curves outward to encompass another shallow valley. The second part of the embankment is possibly a subsequent addition to enlarge the capacity of the reservoir. Based on the flood escape the height of the water would have been 18 feet and the crest is 8 feet higher than the flood escape (Parker, 1909).

Source : H. Parker - Ancient Ceylon (1909) — Source : H. Parker – Ancient Ceylon (1909)

References

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.
Parker, H. (1909). Ancient Ceylon, An Account of the Aborigines and of Part of the Early Civilisation. Luzac & Co.

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Travel time :1.30 minutes
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References

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Map of the Vavunikulama Reservoir

Traveling to Directions to Vavunikulama Reservoir

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