Abhayagiri Giant Pond, Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka

Abhayagiri Giant Pond, Anuradhapura, with an inscribed stone standing in front of it. (29 August, 2005)

The Abhayagiri Giant Pond is the largest man-made pond in Anuradhapura. Its walls show a feature common in the design of ancient Lankan tanks. The stones are dressed in columns and laid in a honeycomb design. This funtions to absorb the pressure from the waves hitting the bunds which would otherwise cause erosion. Most of the tanks in Anuradhapura have bunds built in this way, which is known as "wave-comb".