Ekgaloya Reservoir and Archaeological Ruins

Ekgaloya Wewa is a reservoir situated east of Senanayaka Samudraya in Ampara District, Sri Lanka.

History

The present reservoir was constructed by the Gal Oya Development Board in 1955-1957 (Arumugam, 1969).

Reservoir

Located in the Gal Oya River basin, the reservoir has been built by impounding the waters of Ekgal-oya stream [(or Ekgal Aru in Tamil) Arumugam, 1969]. The bund of the reservoir is about 3,700 feet long and the water is extending in an area of about 1,000 acres at its full supply level (Arumugam, 1969). The reservoir has 1 sluice and 1 spill (Arumugam, 1969).

Archaeological ruins

Sites with some ruined buildings have been discovered in the middle of Ekgaloya reservoir as well as from the vicinity of the tank. An early-Brahmi inscription found in a cave near the youth camp to the east of Ekgaloya reservoir was copied by the Department of Archaeology on 5 March 1971 (Dias, 1991).

A protected area

Sites of the ruins of buildings with stone pillars in the middle of Ekgal oya tank belonging to Ekgaloya in Grama Niladari Division No. W/24/B Ekgaloya in the Divisional Secretary’s Division, Damana (latitude 07º 15801' N and longitude 081º 61287' E) are archaeological protected sites, declared by a government gazette notification published on 10 October 2014.

References

1) Arumugam, S., 1969. Water resources of Ceylon: its utilisation and development. Water Resources Board. p.175.

2) Dias, M., 1991. Epigraphical notes (Nos 1 -18). Colombo: Department of Archaeology. p.4.

3) The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, no: 1884. 10 October 2014, p. 919.

Location Map

This page was last updated on 12 February 2022
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