Kuttam Pokuna (Twin Ponds)
The larger tank in front
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The second connecting tank. Notice the
water filtering system with multiple
filter levels to make sure only the
cleanest water goes in to the tank |
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Kuttam Pokuna or the twin ponds are another hydrologic engineering marvels of the ancient Sri Lanka. These two ponds belong to the Abayagiri aramic complex and probably been used by the
monks for bathing. The origins of these ponds are not known but it is thought
to have been built during the reign of King Aggabodhi I (575-608).
The smaller pond (the northern) one has been constructed first and the larger
one at a latter stage. They are connected through a pipeline at the bottom.
The northern pond is 91 feet (28 metres) long and the other 132 feet (40 metres)
. Water to these ponds have been supplied through underground pipelines and the water is sent through several filtering chambers before it falls on the
northern pond through a mouth of a dragon. The water from both ponds is drained
from a small outlet in the smaller northern pond.
Though the underground pipelines are no more, some of these filters can still be seen
Articles
The civilisation behind the Pokuna - Daily Mirror, May 16, 2004
February 9, 2008
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