Kandy Lake

Kandy Lake, also known as Kiri Muhuda or the Sea of Milk, is an artificial lake constructed between 1810-1812 by the last King of Sri Lanka, King Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe (1798-1815 A.D.). The tank, located next to the Temple of the Sacred Tooth (Sri Dalada Maligawa), was built to enhance the elegance of the royal palace complex and surrounding temples, which was formerly a stretch of paddy fields known as Tigolwela.

In the middle of the Lake is a small Island known as Diyathilaka Mandapaya, where some say the king kept his harem. Later, the British (1850) used it to store their military items, and at present, it is conserved as a flower garden that hosts diverse bird species. The Ulpange or the Queen’s Bathing Pavilion built by King Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe is situated on the edge of the Kandy Lake near the Temple of the Tooth Relic, which was used by the queens for bathing. After the British invasion, it was converted to a library and today, the building has become a police post.

Kandy Lake is mainly fed by two streams, namely Heelpan Kandura, which starts from Hantana mountains, and Rajapihilla stream. The tank covers a 0.25 km² area and a circumference of 3.25 km and a depth of about 13 m. A main landmark of Kandy is the decorative wall, called ‘Walakulu Bemma’, which resembles clouds and waves, and extends for 633.82 m along the banks of the Lake. 

Kandy Lake nestles in the center of the city of Kandy being home for many aquatic birds, Water Monitor lizards and fish. Meanwhile, Fishing is prohibited in the lake. The Lake is part of the Mahaweli river catchment which provides water to large parts of Sri Lanka. It has social, political and cultural significance which comes with its well-established history. Due to unregulated waste disposal and management facilities, pollution of the lake has been a major issue. As the lake is located at a low altitude amidst hills, it has become a pit for surface runoff and sewage passages carrying industrial and domestic waste matter. Kandy city produces wastewater volumes of nearly 20000 m³ daily. Additionally, the building activities all over the city surge the level of pollution of the tank.