Abhayagiri Vihara Kuttam Pokuna

SRI LANKA, North Central Province, Anuradhapura

Kuttam Pokuna means Twin Ponds. These bathing pools are located within Abhayagiri Vihara and were built between the 6th and 8th centuries, which was the period when the monastery was flourishing. They are the best examples of temple bathing pools of their time. When the Chinese monk Faxian visited during the 5th century, he recorded that there were 5,000 monks from various countries studying at the monastery. This large number of residents at the vihara called for the need to build these pools. As part of the Sacred City of Anuradhapura, they were listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982.
The Twin Ponds are rectangular pools: the larger is 40 m long and the smaller is 28 m long, and both are 15.5 m wide. The larger pool is 5.5 m deep, while the smaller one is 4.3 m deep. The pools are built of thick slabs of polished granite. There is a flight of steps at each end, as well as steps around the sides, leading to the pool bottom. On either side of the flights of stairs there are punkalas or pots of abundance. The water used in the ponds comes from a nearby rainwater-fed reservoir. Before the water enters the ponds, it passes through two courses of filtration via sedimentation chambers. The overflow is then released into the smaller pond through serpent-headed spouts before entering the larger pond through an underground pipeline. The Kuttam Pokuna are widely regarded as masterpieces of Sinhalese architecture.