Parakrama Samudra

Parakrama Samudra, meaning 'Sea of Parakrama', was completed in the 12th century by King Parakramabahu I by connecting several smaller ancient tanks into a single reservoir spanning approximately 2,600 hectares. The encircling embankment runs for about 14 kilometres and at its peak controlled enough water to irrigate the entire Polonnaruwa district. The king famously declared that not a single drop of rain should reach the sea without serving mankind first, a principle that drove Sri Lanka's ancient hydraulic civilisation. The reservoir is still in active agricultural use today, an 800-year-old piece of infrastructure that feeds surrounding rice paddies. At its western bund stands a large granite figure of a meditating sage, possibly King Parakramabahu himself, and the bund walk at sunset with views over the water is one of the most pleasant in the ancient city.