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Parakrma Samudraya

The Parakrma Samudraya is a lake -in fact it's the largest man-made lake in Sri Lanka. it's not just a simple lake - however - it's an historic lake built by King Parakrama the Great (Parakramabahu I) during the time of Polonnaruwa's golden age. Back then it was even more important than it is today: it provided water for acres and acres of cultivated land: 18,200 acres of land to be precise. More numbers? It was built by merging 5 minor lakes into 1; 1000 men were employed in its construction and it took 12 years to be built. Today it's still used for irrigation purposes, but it's also a well-known spot for birdwatchers.