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Sorabora Weva - Mystique of man-made Sorabora Weva -
Sorabora Weva by mighty woods are bound, through cloven rock her waters feed the ground, in Aluthnuwara's faces her lotus blooms are found, behold this wonder and your anthem sound'.
Translated by Dr. R.L Spittel from the many fascinating Sinhala folk songs sung of the idyllic man-made Sorabora Weva. In ancient times, Sorabora or Horabora, was named the 'Sea of Bintenna'. Sorabora was once upon a time a veddah settlement when Dr. R.L.Spittel was on the trail of vanished trails in the early 1920s, says writer Gamini Punchihewa. Today to the traveller it is a mere kilometre of a drive away from Mahiyangana town. Here, one can learn of an abundant display of the engineering feats of ancient Lanka still retaining its picturesque charm. Sorabora Weva's fame lies in the marvellous engineering feat in the ancient sluice cut out of a huge boulder creating a narrow gorge through which the mighty waters of the Sorabora wewa ram into the stone cut sluice. And then in a mighty boisterous mood roars along a channel also cut of stone out towards the thirsty fields lying below it.
Such Herculean feats carved out of solid stone boulders bears ample living testimony to the stupendous skills of our ancient hydraulic engineers. The legends and folk tale that surround the evolving of this wonder are as magnanimous as many. Today the Sorabora Weva is fringed with wooded shelters as in ancient times but the vast expanse of lotus flowers for which it was famous one time is no more. The bund is also home to a massive kohn tree of gigantic girth in trunk said to be rounded by five or six able bodied persons by stretching their hands around it.
Standing on the bund of the Sorabora Weva can be an unforgettable experience of fascinating serenity and magical beauty, as Brohier observes, though the pattern remains unchanged it would be rare to find any two tanks alike. When we approached, it was a cloudy afternoon. The heavy rain had seized temporarily leaving behind a moist glowing green luxury reflected in silver sheen waters. There was no one except William sitting under his umbrella against a massive tree selling a mix of village ware including bottles of bees honey and fresh weva fish. From almost the opposite side of the weva we watched a tiny figure making its way towards us. As it got close we identified it to be of a woman with a sack balanced on her head. This was Jukki Menika from a village across the weva. She was on her way to buy some rice by selling divul fruits plucked from her village. We obliged her gladly while she talked of Bulatha the yodaya and of the crocodiles that lived in the weva. There was the bright orange oruva from which two men laid their nets for the night catch. The shady tree groves which held immense potential of bird life were unfortunately silent. And then unexpectedly and swiftly, the rain once again began to sweep towards us from the far end of the weva. Sheets of silver travelling towards us as we stood and watched, captivated and mesmerized with this thrilling spectacle. By Kishanie S. Fernando
Created : April 18, 2008
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