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Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka.
Site of the Sacred City
and Buddhist stupa.
© UNESCO/ Alexis N. Vorontzoff |
This irrigation system was constructed in and around the two ancient capitals of Sri Lanka.
The Sacred City of Anuradhapura was established around a cutting from the tree of enlightenment, the Buddha's fig tree, brought there in the third century BC. Along with its monumental architecture, the city's rulers constructed large lakes to irrigate paddy lands and supply water to the city.
After the destruction of Anuradhapura in 993 AD, the Ancient City of Polonnaruwa became the new capital of Sri Lanka. Besides the Brahmanic monuments built by the Cholas, the monumental garden-city was created in the twelfth century. The great reservoirs and many village irrigation works were located around the lower Mahaweli basin.
Filling the surrounding rice fields with sufficient water lead to the prosperity and continuity of the capital cities.
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