Concise Mahavamsa Ruwan Rajapakse, P.E., Sinhalanet.com 1

Concise Mahavamsa Ruwan Rajapakse, P.E., Sinhalanet.com 61
“Spotted deer are browsing: Peacocks airing their gaudy plumage, strut over the plain; a
majestic elephant is enjoying his evening bath in the shallows; herds of buffaloes leave the
shade of the woods to slake their thirst; grim crocodiles are basking on the shore; troops of
chattering monkeys are sky larking in the trees, while the stately cranes and pink flamingos
stalk the shallows. Such are the scenes that surround the lake of Kanthalai”
(Ref: R.L Brohier, Ancient Irrigation Works of Ceylon – Edited for brevity)
Kaudulla Reservoir: (Tissavaddhamanaka of Mahavamsa):
Kaudulla has a bund of 120 ft wide at the base extending to a greater height than the bund of
Minneriya. Height of the bund of this reservoir is measured to be 50 ft. In 1680 AD, an Englishman
named Mr. Pybus had written that this reservoir was in working order.
Padawiya Reservoir: (Ratmalakandaka of Mahavamsa):
This is another huge reservoir built by King Mahasen. The bund of this reservoir is much larger than
the bund of the Minneriya reservoir measuring 70 ft in height, 180 ft at the base and 30 ft at the top
with a length of 11 miles.
(Seven story high building)
70 ft
30 ft
180 ft (60 yards)
(More than half the length of a soccer field)
Needs Million Workers for 10 to 15 years: (Governer Henry Ward)
“Padawiya reservoir, most gigantic works of all the reservoirs – 30 ft broad at the summit,
180 ft at the base and seventy feet high. Its construction must have occupied a million
people for 10 to 15 years”
Governer Henry Ward (Ref: R.L Brohier, Ancient Irrigation Works of Ceylon)
The reservoir obtains water from damming Yan Oya and Ma Oya. The sluice of this reservoir was
considered to be built using very high Engineering knowledge.
Padawiya sluice:
“The existing sluice is a remarkable work, not merely from its dimensions but from the
ingenuity and the excellence of its workmanship. It is built of layers of hewn stones varying
from 6 to 12 feet in length and still exhibiting a sharp edge and every mark of the chisel.