Transport And Currency Of Anuradhapura

Transportation Modes: People used much common transportation modes to move from one place to another.Their needs were not much complicated  like today.So they used Carts, Bullock carts ,Pack animals and royal families used palanquins ,horses ,elephants and ordinary people used their foots to walk miles and miles.

Currency : Currency was often used for settling judicial fines, taxes and payments for goods or services. However remuneration for services to the king. Officials and temples were often made in the form of land revenue. The oldest coins found at A/pura date up to 200 BC.These earliest coins were punch marked rectangular pieces of silver known as Kahavanu.

These eventually became circular in shape which were  in turned followed by die struck coins.Uncoined metals , particularly gold and silver were used for trade as well.Patterns of horses, elephants ,Swastika and Darmachakra were commonly imprinted on the coins of this period………..

Occupations in early Anuradhapura

Occupations in early Anuradhapura.

The most prominent & ever most occupation of early Rajarata dwellers is nothing but Agriculture. The soil, nature, climate, resources, human strength and all were designed for the main occupation ,agriculture.(paddy & chena cultivations)

But the records reveal that from very early history people engaged themselves in industries involved in gems ,pearls, bronze ,carpentry ,textiles ,weaving and handloom, sculpture ,murals & terracotta.

Products thus turned out had to be sold through traders and next link of the economic development chain was the establishment of trade.

There is ample historical evidence to suggest that from very early period in the history foreign traders were visiting Srilanka and people had crossed the sea to trade goods.

Some of the trade materials are………………

#  Pearls

#  gems

# Ivory &Ivory products

# Spices

#Liquor
#Cotton textiles

# Elephants

#Tortoise

# Turtle

# Conch shells

Massive Irrigationals creations in Anuradhapura

Massive Irrigationals creations in Anuradhapura

·   *  Basawakkulama :King Pandukabhaya

·    * Thissawewa :King Devanampiyatissa

·    * Yodha ela :King Devanampiyatissa

·   * Alahara canalà :King Vasabha

·    * Mahavilachchiya tank:King Vasabha

·     *Nochchipotana tank :King Vasabha

·   *  Minneriya tank :King Mahasen

·   * Kawdulla reservoir : King Mahasen

·   *  Pabbatanta reservoir: King Mahasen

·   *  Hurulu reservoir: King Mahasen

Add caption

*Kala wewa :King Dhatusena

 

Irrigation And Landscape of Anuradhapura

Rainfall in the dry zone of Srilanka is limited to 50-75 inches.Under these conditions rain fed cultivation was difficult, forcing early settlers to develope means to store  water in order to maintain  a constant supply of water for their cultivations. Small irrigation tanks were built at village level , to support village cultivation.The earliest medium scale irrigation tank is the Basawakkulama, reservoir built by king Pandukabhaya. Nuwara wewa & Thissa wewa were the massively constructed resrevoires in subsequent years.As Anuradhapura is inherited with the indegenious technology of irrigation ,Anuradhapura is known as the” WEW BANDI RAGYA “