One of the ancient marvels, the Giant’s Tank, or more commonly referred to as Yodha Wewa, is a massive tank supporting 162 small streams and irrigating nearly 11,000 hectares of paddy land. The tank is supplied by a 25 km long canal carrying water from the Malwathu River.
There are various hypotheses as to the origins of the tank. Yodha Wewa is said to have been built by King Dhatusena in the 5th century and later restored in the 12th century by King Parakaramabahu. Contradictorily, the irrigation tank also revolves around the belief that it was founded by the Nagas, an ancient tribe who once resided in Sri Lanka.
At present, the area has been inhabited by an amazing variety of bird species. You can discover the abundance of water fowls, spot-billed pelican, pheasant tailed jacana, rufous rumped shrike and striated wevers. Don’t forget to carry your camera and binoculars if you are an enthusiastic birder.