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| Morning at Giritale reservoir. |
I wonder what was there, 14 centuries ago.
Somewhere between 608 AD and 618 AD, King Agbo II of
Anuradhapura Kingdom chose the ideal place at Giritale to build a reservoir. When
the reservoir was built, it became the naturally deepest reservoir of Sri Lanka,
a record which it still holds.
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| On the roadside: Giritale-Elahera Road. |
The construction of Giritale reservoir could have been a
mighty project. King Agbo II mobilized his 5th century engineers to
plan the construction. He might have organized massive manpower and animal
power such as herds of tamed elephants and bulls to power the construction work
as planned. King Agbo II ultimately finished the reservoir with a 550 meter
long, 23 meter high dam, covering 24 square kilometers, containing 24 million
cubic meters of water to support the agricultural economy of the country.
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| The road over the bund of Giritale Reservoir runs to Elahera. |
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| The Deer Park hotel garden. |
Fourteen centuries ago, the construction site of the
Giritale reservoir could have been covered with thick dry-zone jungle rich in
wildlife including deer, elephant, wild boar, squirrels etc. The workers might
have taken meal breaks with chats and jokes to relax a bit while the work was
going on. During the nights fireflies might have lit the jungle around the
site.
Today, the scenario has changed a bit. Walk along the bund
of Giritale reservoir, starting from Giritale junction towards Elahera. In the
morning it is cool and a breeze blows. Fisher folk is out there rowing the
canoes on Giritale reservoir, spreading the nets and bringing their catch.
Walking about a few hundred meters more you come to a centre
of hospitality. The white letters on the brown wooden board reads, “The Deer
Park”. The Deer Park has been built under the shades of huge dry-zone trees
where tropical wildlife and vegetation is found abundant in an ancient
Polonnaruwa kingdom setting. The environment is set to look like an epic palace
garden in the history.
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| The Deer Park Hotel at night. |
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