Nuwara Wewa
Nuwara Wewa is the largest of the three man made reservoirs in Anuradhapura
The other two are Basawakkulama ( Abaya Wewa) and the Tissa wewa. Nuwara
Wewa is believed to be built by King Vattagamini Abaya popularly known
as King Valagamba in the first century BC.
According to H. Parker in Ancient Ceylon (1909), based
on the size of bricks used which is similar to bricks in Abayagiriya
Stupa, the tank was built in the first 20 years
of the 1st century BC. Based on the bricks again, he believes that repairs
were made to the tank in the 3rd Century and again in the 5th Century
The Embankment (Bund) is 3
miles long and 37 feet high. The water height ia about 23 feet the tank
covers 3180 hectares and contains about 1500 million cubit feet of water.
There has been a dam built across Malwathu Oya to divert water to the
Nuwara Wewa. The Dam has been 33 feet wide, 160 feet long and 8 feet
high and built with large solid rocks. In 1873 nearly all these rocks
has been removed to be used to erect a road bridge across the river.
From the Dam
a 40 feet wide channel has been cut to bring the water to the Nuwara
Wewa. The water depth of the canal is about 4 feet and at about 150
feet from the Dam, a flood escape was found to divert the excess water
back to the river.
Map
Created : January 5, 2009
Updated :
January 10, 2009
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