Tharinda Elvitigala's photostream

ONCE in the dream of a night I stood
Lone in the light of a magical wood,
Soul-deep in visions that poppy-like sprang;
And spirits of Truth were the birds that sang,
And spirits of Love were the stars that glowed,
And spirits of Peace were the streams that flowed
In that magical wood in the land of sleep.

Lone in the light of that magical grove,
I felt the stars of the spirits of Love
Gather and gleam round my delicate youth,
And I heard the song of the spirits of Truth;
To quench my longing I bent me low
By the streams of the spirits of Peace that flow
In that magical wood in the land of sleep.

Sarojini Naidu

Abhaya Wewa is one of the oldest tanks in Sri Lanka. This is now popularly known as Basawakkulama tank which is not the original name. Abhaya wewa tank was built by king Pandukabhaya (437-367 BC) in 4th century B.C. This was the start of the great ancient Sri Lankan irrigation engineering.

Today the tank carries 174 hectares of water at the surface and even after 2500 years, the tank still continue to supply water to Anuradhapura.