Giritale Wewa is a reservoir in Polonnaruwa District. It was constructed during the reign of King Aggabodhi II in the 7th century A.D.
Giritale Wewa (Ancient Giritala Vapi) G iritale Wewa or Giritale Tank (Sinhala: ගිරිතලේ වැව/ ගිරිතලේ ජලාශය), is a reservoir in Girithale in Polonnaruwa District, Sri Lanka. History The Giritatavapi or the Giritalawewa was constructed during the reign of King Aggabodhi II [(608-618 A.D.) Arumugam, 1969; Fernando, 1980; Ray, 1959]. This tank was fed by a branch of the Elahera Canal [(ancient Alisara canal) Ray, 1959]. Historical sources reveal that King Parakramabahu I (1153-1186 A.D.) restored or enlarged the work (Arumugam, 1969). The present reservoir was restored in 1905 (Arumugam, 1969). It was improved and enlarged during the period 1949-1952 (Arumugam, 1969). The Reservoir The catchment area serves as the main water source to the reservoir and in addition to that, the water of Amban Ganga comes to the reservoir through the Elahera Dam (Arumugam, 1969). The embankment of the reservoir is 518.16 m long and the water extends into an area of about 760 acres (Arumugam, 1969). The reservoir has 2 sluices and 1 spill. Related Po…
