Kantalai (; ) is a town in the
Trincomalee District in eastern
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
. The town is located south-west of
Trincomalee
Trincomalee (; , ; , ), historically known as Gokanna and Gokarna, is the administrative headquarters of the Trincomalee District and major resort port city of Eastern Province, Sri Lanka, Eastern Province, Sri Lanka. Located on the east coast o ...
.
According to the ancient chronicle, ''
Mahavamsa'',
Kantale Tank, also named "Gangathala Vapi", is credited as being built by
Aggabodhi the II (606–618) and rehabilitated and developed by
Parakramabahu the Great (1153–1186). 3,750 hectares. Constructed for the irrigation of crops in this arid region, its source of water is the
Mahaweli River, the longest in the island, which flows out to the sea at Trincomalee.
One of the oldest tanks in Sri Lanka, the Kantale Tank gives water to a vast area for paddy and sugar cane plantations
as well as for human consumption in Trincomalee and the adjoining areas.
See also
*
Kantale Hospital
References
{{reflist,
refs=
[{{cite web, url=http://lk.geoview.info/kantale,636867709n, title=lk.geoview.info, accessdate=2016-10-05]
Towns in Trincomalee District
Kantalai DS Division