Kantale ( si, කන්තලේ, translit=Kantalē; ta, கந்தளாய், translit=Kantaḷāy) is a town in the
Trincomalee District
Trincomalee District ( ta, திருக்கோணமலை மாவட்டம் ''Tirukōṇamalai Māvaṭṭam;'' si, ත්රිකුණාමළය දිස්ත්රික්කය ''Trikuṇāmalaya distrikkaya'') is one ...
in eastern
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
. The town is located south-west of
Trincomalee
Trincomalee (; ta, திருகோணமலை, translit=Tirukōṇamalai; si, ත්රිකුණාමළය, translit= Trikuṇāmaḷaya), also known as Gokanna and Gokarna, is the administrative headquarters of the Trincomalee Dis ...
.
According to the ancient chronicle, ''
Mahavamsa'',
Kantale Tank, also named "Gangathala Vapi", is credited as being built by
Aggabodhi the II (606–618) and rehabilitated and developed by
Parakramabahu the Great
Parākramabāhu I ( Sinhala: මහා පරාක්රමබාහු, 1123–1186), or Parakramabahu the Great, was the king of Polonnaruwa from 1153 to 1186. He oversaw the expansion and beautification of his capital, constructed extensiv ...
(1153–1186). 3,750 hectares. Constructed for the irrigation of crops in this arid region, its source of water is the
Mahaweli River
The Mahaweli River ( si, මහවැලි ගඟ, literally "Great Sandy River"; ta, மகாவலி ஆறு 'mahawali gangai'', is a long river, ranking as the longest river in Sri Lanka. It has a drainage basin of , the largest in the ...
, the longest in the island, which flows out to the sea at Trincomalee.
One of the oldest tanks in Sri Lanka, the Kantale Tank gives water to a vast area for paddy and sugar cane plantations
as well as for human consumption in Trincomalee and the adjoining areas.
See also
*
Kantale Hospital
References
{{reflist,
refs=
[{{cite web, url=http://lk.geoview.info/kantale,636867709n, title=lk.geoview.info, accessdate=2016-10-05]
Towns in Trincomalee District
Kantalai DS Division