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 later 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 meters) .
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.
Kuttam Pokuna before
restoration – photo taken on late 1800′s or early 1900′s.
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