Sorabora Lake, Sri Lanka ,Mahiyanganaya ,life tracker

                                         Sorabora Lake

Sri Lanka is a country with an ancient history in the world.Accordingly, Sorabora Lake can be named as an ancient feature that proudly tells more history.

Sorabora Lake, located in Mahiyangana, Badulla District, uva province,Sri Lanka, is a reservoir with a network capacity of 1100 acres or 4.5 square kilometers. Its embankment is 1590 feet long. (485 meters).The sluice here is made of natural rock, and this is considered to be one of the greatest creations of Sri Lanka's ancient irrigation technology. The sluice gates are not cut into the wall, but are meticulously cut into the natural stone and are about five feet wide.

This reservoir, which helps the fresh water fishing industry a lot, also supplies water to around 3000 acres of agricultural land.Currently, a boat service is being run by the local residents for tourist attraction and rides.

Bisokotuwa (silt trap) is a deep square well constructed to regulate the water pressure in the sluice gates of the lake, thereby protecting the embankment from erosion. Experts say that the need for a biso fort may not have arisen because the sluice gates of the Sorabora lake were not cut into the wall and there was no risk of erosion.

This is also called “Bimthenna muhuda”.

This is believed to have been built by a giant named Bulata during the reign of King Dutugemunu (161 AD) in the 2nd century AD.It will be a historical story built around that. A river called Diyavanna Oya was dammed and Sorabora Lake was constructed.

Another story is that when King Dutugemunu went to battle with King Elara of Anuradhapura, he encamped at a place called Kadali Patra (present-day Banana) near Mahiyangana.It was here that Bulatha (Balathirala), a villager of Ududumbara village, joined the king.

King Dutugemunu ordered Bulata to collect betel nut from Meemure area, betel nut from Kevulgamin, betel nut from Puwakpitiya, and milk from his village Kiripatti. Balathirala was later named Bulatha because of the daily supply of betel nut to the king.

Bulatha had to travel through mountainous areas with dangerous roads to collect these materials, including the Kosgolla hills connected to Ududumbara and Minipe. While Bulatha was walking around, he saw a river flowing through a low land between two mountains and came up with the great idea of ​​damming the river and making a lake to get water for the paddy fields.

Bulatha began his monumental goal. After making daily visits to the royal palace, he single-handedly began building the wall across two hills. On his way from the royal palace, he brought the necessary materials to the place where the dam was to be built.

 

While Bulatha was working on a dam in Mahiyangana, Bulata's wife brought him food twice a day from his village Kiripatti. She had to pass through the dangerous Kosgolla Passage and seeing hundreds of devotees going to the Mahiyangana Raja Maha Vihara, she decided to construct a flight of steps across this road for the convenience of the pilgrims. It is said that she had the strength of 20 women and used to build several stone steps at once every day.

  After the completion of the dam and the lake, Bulatha invited King Dutugemunu to take care of his work and open the dam and the lake. The King also inaugurated the renovated Mahiyangana Rajamaha Vihara on the same day. The surprised king could not believe that Bulatha did this great work to help the surrounding villages. It was at this moment that the king realized that Bulatha was a giant.

 

It is said that the king was very pleased with Bulatha's great adventure and placed his royal hat on him and made him a commander of the king's army and presented him with a village called Udathwewa.

Among the important folktales that are mentioned, other folktales are also heard.

According to these, the king was angry and jealous of Bulatha's powerful action. So, he chopped off Bulatha's head and threw him into the same tank where Bulatha was made. It is speculated that Bulatha's blood has clouded the water. These horrible acts were done in secret.

According to that, those who took the view that the name of the lake should come from this horrible act, is another legend that they may have used the Sinhala word hora to mean secret, and bora to mean blood and water to be unclear.Today it has changed to the name of Sorabora.

Also, in the village of Udatwewa, which was donated to Bulatha by King Dutugemunu, there are ruins of another lake similar to Sorabora Lake, without a bisokotua, and scholars believe that this lake can be thought of as the creation of a giant named Bulatha.