Giant's Tank (; ''Yōdha Væva'') is an
irrigation tank
An irrigation tank or tank is an artificial reservoir of any size. In countries like Sri Lanka and India they are part of historic methods of Rainwater harvesting, harvesting and preserving rainwater, critical in regions without Perennial water, ...
in northern
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
, approximately south east of
Mannar Mannar may refer to the following places:
India
* Mannar, Alappuzha, a town in Chengannur Taluk, Kerala
Sri Lanka
* Mannar District, one of 25 districts in Sri Lanka
** Mannar Island, an island within the district
** Mannar Bridge, a bridge conne ...
.
History
Some historians have speculated that Giant's Tank is the same as the Mahanama Matha Vapi tank built by
King Dhatusena in the fifth century and restored by
King Parakramabahu I in the twelfth century.
On the other hand, Mudaliyar C. Rajanayagam in his book ''Ancient Jaffna'' suggests that the tank was probably constructed by the
Nagas. Rajanayagam has suggested that the ''Megisba'' lake mentioned by Pliny in ''Description of Taprobane'' was in fact Giant's Tank.
Consideration was given to renovating the tank during
Dutch Governor Willem Jacob van de Graaf's administration in the eighteenth century but nothing happened.
[ Restoration did however begin in the 1880s following a motion in the ]Legislative Council
A legislative council is the legislature, or one of the legislative chambers, of a nation, colony, or subnational division such as a province or state. It was commonly used to label unicameral or upper house legislative bodies in the Brit ...
by P. Ramanathan.[ Delays by epidemics and other issues meant that restoration wasn't completed until November 1902.][ A thick, high, long stone dam (known as ''tekkam'' in Tamil) was built across the ]Aruvi Aru
The Malwathu Oya ( Malwathu Oya, Aruvi Aru) is the second longest river in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies i ...
from its mouth
A mouth also referred to as the oral is the body orifice through which many animals ingest food and animal communication#Auditory, vocalize. The body cavity immediately behind the mouth opening, known as the oral cavity (or in Latin), is also t ...
.[ The tank had a ]catchment area
A catchment area in human geography, is the area from which a location, such as a city, service or institution, attracts a population that uses its services and economic opportunities. Catchment areas may be defined based on from where people are ...
of .[ The name ''Giant's Tank'' was the English translation of the local name for the tank - ''Sodayan Kattu Karai'' (giant built embankment).]Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
People, culture and language
* Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka
** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...
.bund
Bund, BUND, or the Bund may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* ''Der Bund'', a German-language newspaper published in Bern, Switzerland
* Shanghai Bund (TV series), ''Shanghai Bund'' (TV series), a 2007 Chinese television remake of the 19 ...
was long and high whilst the tank's storage capacity was and its water spread area was .[ There was a channel flow ]spill
A spill occurs when the contents of something, usually in liquid form, are emptied out onto a surface, person or clothes, often unintentionally.
Spill may also refer to:
*Oil spill
*Chemical spill
*Data spill
*Leadership spill
*Spill (audio), whe ...
on the right bank and seven sluice
A sluice ( ) is a water channel containing a sluice gate, a type of lock to manage the water flow and water level. There are various types of sluice gates, including flap sluice gates and fan gates. Different depths are calculated when design s ...
s.[ Water from the tank was transferred to numerous minor irrigation tanks via a main channel and of branch channels.][
The tank's storage capacity was in 2003 and it was capable of irrigating .][ The tank's height was but it was capable of holding safely.][ The tank's storage capacity was in 2009 and it was capable of irrigating .][
]
See also
* Giant's Tank Sanctuary
References
{{Northern Province, Sri Lanka topics
Irrigation tanks in Sri Lanka
Bodies of water of Mannar District
Lakes of Sri Lanka