"Near Lankaramaya in Anuradhapura lies a massive man-made pond known as “Eth Pokuna” or “Elephant Pond.” This rectangular tank measures 159 meters in length, 52.7 meters in width, and 9.5 meters deep, with a capacity of 75,000 cubic meters of water. Its name reflects its impressive size, and it is an integral part of the Abhayagriya Monastery‘s expansive 500-acre landscape. Constructed from large stone blocks arranged at an angle along its walls, the pond features three sets of stairs leading down to its unpaved bottom from the south, north, and eastern sides.

It is not known how the name came to be but possibly due to its sheer size. H.E Weerasooriya records that this pond was called “Kuruwe Wewa” by the locals. The Maha Bodhi Vamsa written in the 12th century mentions two ponds in the Abhayagriya monastery called Diggal Vila and Masthota Vila. It is believed that Masthota Vila is the pond known as Eth Pokuna today.

Water is supplied to this pond from the Periyamkulama Wewa Reservoir via an extensive network of underground conduits, portions of which—constructed from stone blocks—remain visible. Before entering the pond, the water passes through external filter pits that cleanse it.

Remarkably, these ancient canals continue to function even after several centuries; for instance, after an especially heavy rainy season in 1982, water could be seen gushing through these stone-lined inlets from the Periyamkulama Wewa Reservoir. It is believed that this reservoir was historically used by the monks of the Abhayagiri Monastery, who numbered over five thousand priests.

The water to this pond has been supplied from the Periyamkulama Tank through a network of underground conduits, and you still can see part of the water lines made out of stone blocks. The water is filtered through external filter pits before the water is fed to the pond.

These underground canals still work after so many hundreds of years and in 1982 after a very heavy rainy season, you could see water pouring through these inlets from the Periyamkulama tank.

This tank probably has been used by the monks in the Abayagiri Monastery who amounted to over five thousand priests."

THISARA NEO

"Elephant Pond, known in Sinhala as "Ath Pokuna" (ඇත් පොකුණ), was constructed during the Anuradhapura era. Despite its name, it was not built for elephants to bathe. Instead, it was developed as a bathing pool for Buddhist monks.

In fact, this was a large swimming pool designed to serve thousands of monks. Ath Pokuna is the largest ancient pool in the area and is nearly twice the size of an Olympic swimming pool. Nearby, there are several smaller ponds also used for bathing, but they are not as deep as Ath Pokuna.

The site also includes a space believed to be used for steam baths, similar to a sauna, and historical records suggest that there was even a gym area. This was intended to help monks sweat and improve their physical health, supporting better focus and stability in meditation. The belief was that physical wellness contributes to mental clarity."

Manuri Pabasari Waleboda

"There is a large rectangular pond near Lankaramaya in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka called "Eth Pokuna" or "Elephant Pond". It spans 159 meters in length, 52.7 meters in width, and 9.5 meters in depth with a holding capacity of 75,000 cubic meters of water. The pond is made out of large stone blocks stacked at an angle along the walls, and there are three sets of stairs leading to the bottom. The water is supplied from the Periyamkulama Tank through a network of underground conduits and filtered through external filter pits before being fed to the pond. These underground canals still work after so many hundreds of years."

Dumindu Tharanga