Although the Kottum Pokuna were used as Buddhist bathing tanks, water and ritual submersion play a pivotal role in Hindu belief as well. Constance Gordon-Cumming wrote 'Still more worthy of note are the Kottum Pokuna, or twin bathing places, two beautifully constructed tanks, lined with great stones laid in terraces, and flights of steps, with handsome balustrades descending from every side to where water once was...I thought this strange ruin of ancient luxury, now encompassed by the great lonely forest, was as remarkable a scene as any in the jungle city.' (C.F. Gordon-Cumming Two Happy Years in Ceylon, London, 1892, I, p. 427)