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Uyanwatta Wewa |
Uyanwatta Wewa, also known as Kothala Wewa (Sinhala: උයන්වත්ත වැව, කොතල වැව), is a reservoir situated in the Kothalawala area near Gelanigama in Kalutara District, Sri Lanka. It is considered the only mediam size reserviour in the district.
History
There are several opinions regarding the construction of this reservoir. It is believed that this was constructed during the reign of Ruler Raigam Bandara (1521-1538 A.D.), one of the three sons of King Vijayabahu VI (1509-1521 A.D.) of Kotte. It is said that as the waters of the tank extends in the shape of a kettle (Si: Kothalaya), people bagan to called it Kothala wewa and the area around it started to be known as Kothalawala. However, following the establishment of a royal garden in close proximity to the tank, the name Kothala Wewa was gradually changed to Uyanwatta. It is also believed that the existing retaining walls surrounding the nearby Pathahawatta Raja Maha Viharaya have been constructed utilizing the blocks of Kabok stones (laterite) brought from the vicinity of this tank.
The British who ruled the island since the beginning of 19th century reconstructed the 900 feet long dam in 1871. The spill way was renovated during the years 1935, 1955 and 1977. In 1978, the Irrigation Department constructed the canal named Us-ela providing water facilities to the Gelanigama area. During the period 1985 and 1986, the rip rap was constructed and tank's capacity was increased by raising the spill.
Reservoir
Uyanwatta Wewa is one of the reservoirs located in the Bolgoda River Basin. Its bund is about 350 m in length and has a storage capacity of 678,062 cubic meters. The water extends over about 68 acres at its full supply level. The present tank has three sluices. The spill is 23.77 m in length.
Presently, the waters of the reservoir is used by approximately 300 families.
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Attribution
To Whom
LankaPradeepa.com extends its gratitude to Mr Lalith Kekultotuwage for providing the necessary photographs required for this article. All the photos are published here with the permission of the author.
