Fig 2.9. Several pits for posts of a circular foundation of a hut, found in an
excavation done in the old interior city of Anuradhapura.(The photograph is
by the courtesy of the Archaeological Department )was monsoon rain; the water received from
rivers too was considerably useful during the
dry seasons. But, when using river water for
agricultural activities, tasks such as constructing
anicuts across rivers and making canals to carry
gathered water to necessary places had to be
done. As it was a task which required labour,
time, and technology, they tended to save water
by constructing tanks.
From the results of the detailed studies on the
way how the expansion of settlements occurred
in early historical period, it manifests that early
settlements in the historical period in this
country expanded not in the river valleys, but in
the outside areas of them. The main reason for
this was that there was not a suitable technology
to control the catastrophic annual floods from
the rivers. It must have been at the end of the 1st
century B.C. or during the 1st century A.D. when
they started controlling floods by constructing
anicuts across rivers and taking water to tanks.
During the ruling period of king Ilanaga (33 -43
A.D.), who constructed Tissamaharama tank, an
anicut was built across the Kirindi river. There
is a word ‘Avarana’ inscribed on the Brahmi
inscriptions in two caves in Ganekanda temple
and Gallena temple in Kurunegala
district. The meaning of the word
‘Awarana’ is ‘Amuna (anicut)’.The Structure and the Nature of
SettlementsThe settlements, which spread in
the areas outside the overflowing
river valleys by being centralized
on small tanks which were fed by
rain water, were independent from
one another. The settlements which
developed themselves around a
tank are referred to as ‘Vapigama’ in
literary sources. ‘Sumanavapigama’,
‘Viharavapigama’, ‘Hundirivapigama’,
and ‘Kadahavapigama’ are some of
the villages around tanks mentioned
in Mahawamsa.One village was separated from the other by a
jungle- belt. Apart from the villages around tanks,
there are short descriptions about the villages,
independent from one another, in historical
sources. Some settlements where different types
of professionals lived in have been mentioned in
the historical chronicles (Vamsakatha) and the
inscriptions in this manner;- Kasikaragama - villages where farmers lived
- Manikaragama -villages where people worked
in gem mines lived - Gopalagama - villages where cowherds lived
- Kewattagama - villages where fishermen
lived - Kumbhakaragama - villages where potters
lived - Vadtakigama – villages where carpenters
lived
Apart from this, there were several villages
existed on the basis of tasks.- Pattanagama - villages situated close to
harbours - Niyamgam - trading villages
- Olagam - villages around tanks deserted by
people