Kala Wewa, Embankment dam in Vijithapura, Sri Lanka.
Kala Wewa spans approximately 18.1 square kilometers at full capacity with a massive earthen embankment stretching over 22.5 kilometers in length and varying heights between 12 and 18 meters.
King Dhatusena constructed this monumental irrigation reservoir around 471 CE using thousands of laborers who manually transported precisely shaped granite blocks to create the sophisticated spillway structure.
Local folklore venerates Kadawara Deviyo as the guardian spirit who sacrificed himself to protect the dam from breaching, with a dedicated shrine maintaining centuries of religious devotion.
The reservoir currently serves 37,485 hectares of paddy fields through the Mahaweli irrigation system while supporting inland fisheries and providing domestic water supply to surrounding communities.
The 87-kilometer Yodha Ela canal maintains an extraordinary gradient of just six inches per mile, demonstrating ancient Sri Lankan engineers' remarkable precision in long-distance water transportation.
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