Anuradhapura was made possible by an extraordinary network of artificial lakes, and the Tissa Wewa is one of the oldest and largest. Built by King Devanampiya Tissa in the 3rd century BC and later enlarged, it covers around 160 hectares and still feeds the city's irrigation systems more than two thousand years later.
The Tissa Wewa is a peaceful place — large flocks of waterbirds, gentle reflections of distant dagobas across the surface, and a long earthen bund (dam) that makes for a fine evening walk. At sunset the silhouette of Mirisawetiya across the water is one of the classic Anuradhapura views.