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Parakrama Samudra “Let not one drop of water reach the sea without first serving man.” These were the words of 12th Century King Parakramabahu I, who was responsible for one of the largest man-made reservoirs – the Parakrama Samudra, or Sea of King Parakrama. This astonishing tank is larger in size than even the Colombo harbor. To say only that King Parakramabahu I was responsible for the reservoir, however, somewhat distorts the context. After all, this was the man who, as one of the greatest among the Sinhalese rulers, unified all of Sri Lanka during his reign and constructed a series of irrigation works, with the 5,940-acre Parakrama Samudra becoming the primary source of delivering prosperity - in the form of water - to Polonnaruwa. For all the greatness of Parakramabahu I and his Parakrama Samudra, the irrigation technology was mostly inherited. From as early as the 1st Century A.D. the engineers of Sri Lanka had developed an advanced system of large-scale irrigation networks and channels, which arose out of necessity. The impressiveness of it cannot be fully appreciated until you realize the extent of knowledge about trigonometric and hydraulic principles that must have gone into building these systems that ensured a steady supply of water independent of weather conditions. And all this happened 2,000 years ago! By the time of Parakramabahu I, the principles for building this massive reservoir had been firmly laid. The problem lay in execution: the bund, 8½-mile in perimeter and 40-feet high would contain 4½ million cubic yards of earth. It has been said that one thousand men employed in the hand labor of the period, working 24 hours a day, could scarcely have completed the job in 12 years. As you look in awe at the Parakrama Samudra, bear this last thought in mind. |
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