July i, 1884.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, 



*5 



IRRIGATION IN CEYLON, ANCIENT 



AND MODERN. 

 By James Robert Mosse, Esq., M. Inst. CE. 



The object of this paper is to give a brief account 

 of the restoration of some of the ancient tanks in 

 Ceylon, and of the result of the irrigation works 

 which have been repaired or constructed chiefly during 

 years in which I held the post of Director of Public 

 Works in that Colony. 



Ancient History. 



The tanks in Ceylon are of very ancient origin, 

 and of much historical interest. 1 he late Sir Emerson 

 Tennent, for several years Colonial Secretary in Ceylon, 

 thus alludes to these tanks: (a) "The number of 

 these stupendous works, which were formed by the 

 early sovereigns of Ceylon about B.C. 104, almost 

 exceeds credibility. Kings are named in the native 

 annals each oi whom made from fifteen to thirty, 

 together with canals and all the appurtenances of 

 irrigation." 



Originally these vast undertakings were completed 

 "for the benefit of the country," and "out of com- 

 passion for living creatures," but so early as the first 

 century of the Christian Era they were frequently 

 formed to enrich the land of the Buddhist temples. 



Sir Emerson Tennent adds : (6) " Excepting the ex- 

 aggerated dimensions of Lake Mceris in Central Egypt 

 and the mysterious basin of Al-aram, the bursting 

 of whose embankment devastated the Arabian city 

 of Mareb, no similar constructions formed by any 

 race, whether ancient or modern, exceed in colossal 

 magnitude the stupendous tanks of Ceylon." 



From a return made to Government it appears that in 

 1867 there were in all 4,903 tanks in Ccylou, but many 

 of these were village tanks of small area, breached 

 a iid out of repair, and many being fed by rainfall 

 only, were frequently unserviceable. 



(o) It appeals that about B.C. 504, Panduwasa con- 

 structed a tank in the neighbourhood of the capital, 

 Anuradhapura, the ancient Auurogrammuin of Ptolemy, 

 and this tank, the present Bassawakulam, was re- 

 stored in 18G7. 



(rf) About b c. 307 Devenipiatissa formed the Tissa- 

 wewa Tank in the neighbourhood of the great Buddhist 

 temple Kattregam in the Southern Province, and this 

 tank, estimated at about 3,000 acres in area, with a 

 bund or dam 1,400 \ards in length, was restored 

 and enlarged in 1876. 



(e) The Padivil Tank, situated in the Northern Prov- 

 ince, is ab ut fifteen square miles in area, the dam is 

 eleven miles long, 30it wide on top, some 200ft. at 

 the bottom, in places 70ft. high, and :aced throughout 

 its whole exteut by steps ot large squared stone. It 

 still remains in ruins. 



(y)'lhe constructor of this tank is unknown; by 

 some it has been ascribed to JSJaha ben, a.d. lib. 

 At any late an inscription at M.hmtala shows t, a 

 previous 10 a.d. 275 it was the properly of that temple. 



a Teunent's Ceylon, 4th edition, vol. i. pp. 364, 31)5. 

 b Tenuent's Ceylon, 4th edition, vol. ii. p. 433. 

 History of Ceylon, by Sir Enierson Tenueut, vol. i. pp. 

 338, 339 (4th ediiion). 



d Tumour's Epitome of History of Ceylon. 

 e Tennent's History of Ceylon, 4th edition, vol. ii. p. 504. 

 / Tenuent's Hiftory of Ceylon, 4th iditiou vol. ii. p 5(J7. 



(-/(Native history records that, about A. d. 275, Malta 

 Sen diverted by a large dam the water of the "Kara- 

 ganga ' river, near Matale, and formed a canal lead- 

 ing to the Lake of Miuery (about 20 miles in oironm . 

 terence), also that he constructed sixteen large tanks, 

 among others that at Kanthalay near Triucomalee, 

 restored in 1876. (h) This tank, containing an area 

 of fully 6 tcjuare miles in the rainy season, and seldom 

 less than one in the driest, is enclosed by hills of 

 moderate elevation covered with forest ; the artificial 

 dam by which it is retained is about 1J miles in 

 length, about 50ft. in height, with a base of from 

 150 to 200 ft., the inuer side being faced with a 

 massive stone revetment. 



(0 The Kalawewa Tank, formed by Dhatu-Sena, about 

 a.d. 460, is one of the largest tanks in Ceylon, (j) Its 

 catchment area appears to be not less than 120 'square 

 miles the tank is said to be about 40 miles in circuit, 

 and about 10 scmare miles in area ; the dam, aver- 

 aging from 50 to 60 feet high, and 20 feet broad on 

 the top, is about 54^ miles in length ; it is still in 

 good preservation except at the great breach, 1,000 

 feet wide, whence the Kola Oya river issues. In 

 common with many others in India and Ceylon, this 

 fine tank appears to have been destroyi d by the insuffici- 

 ent length (only 200 feet) of waste weir or spill- 

 water, a result by no means extraordinary considering 

 the heavy rainfall in this colony. 



(h) From the Kalawewa an old clunnel called the 

 Yodi-ela, 40 feet wide and 53 miles in length, which 

 formerly carried the water to the capital, Anu- 

 radhapura, filling in its course the large tanks of 

 Tissawewa, Bassawakulam, and Bulankulam, still exists. 

 For the last four years the restoration of this tank 

 and channel has been under the consideration of Gov- 

 ernment, but as the estimated cost of the repairs 

 amounted to R545.500, work to the value of K89.430 

 only had up to 1882 been executed. 



About a.d. 795, King Dappula improved the ex- 

 tensive works connected with the Winery Lake, situ- 

 ated in the neighbourhood of Pollonarrua, the second 

 capital of Ceylon; and in a.d. 1071, Wijeyabahn I. 

 repaired many of these works, which bad been de- 

 stroyed (luring the Solean interregnum. 



About (1) a.d. 1153, Prakrama Balm I. cut the Jaya- 

 ganga canal to conduct the waters of the Kalawewa 

 tank to Anuradhapura; he is said to have constructed (m) 

 " 1,407 tanks, and to have repaired 1,595." He also 

 cut many canals for the purpose of diverting rivers 

 into tanks '* of such vast dimensions that they were 

 known as the Seas of Prakrama ; " and he formed the 

 (») Kaalinde Canal to conduct the waters of the Minery 

 Lake to the northward. 



Of the works of Prakrama Bahu, the Ellehara Canal 

 was the most extensive, and, in an engineering view. 

 the most remarkable. Commencing at Ellehara with 

 an enormous stone dam across the Am banganga river, 

 formerly called the Karaganga a huge embankment, 

 ranging from 40 to 90 feet high. an., for many miles 

 averaging 80 feet, was continued without iutermission 

 to Koudiowawe, a distance of 24 miles. By damming 

 up the rivers, this embankment formed a series oi 

 lagoons, % hicn p obably were the "Seasof Prakr 

 and from Ellehara b Kondrowawe they appear to have 



y Tennent's History oi Ceylon, 4th edition, vol. ii. p. 504. 

 h Sessional Paper iv. of lsb'7, p. 207, where a larger area 

 than the above is given. 



i Teunent's History of Ceylon, 4th edition, vol. i. p. 408. 



j Ibid. Vol. ii. p. hi 



k Ceylon Sessional Paper xlix. of 1877. 



I Turnout's Epitome oi History of Ceylon. 



m Tennent's Ceylon, 4th ed., vol, i. pp. 408, 109. 



n Tumour's Epitome of History oi Ceylon. 



