Pitakotte Gal Ambalama

Pitakotte Gal Ambalama (Sinhala: කෝට්ටේ ගල් අම්බලම) is a stone doss-house located in Pita-Kotte in Colombo District, Sri Lanka.

History

Ambalamas are traditional resting places built by locals to accommodate wayfarers who were travelling to distant places. They were also used as a place for people to gather, hold meetings and serve as a public place in society. During the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, Ambalamas were spread all over the country. The Ambalama at Pitakotte junction is one such structure built during the period of the Kingdom of Kotte and at the time it served as a resting or waiting place for the outside visitors who came to the capital and to the famous Buddhist temple, Kotte Raja Maha Viharaya (Dasanayaka, 2018.).

The structure

The structure is today standing aside the Kotte road at the Pitakotte junction. It is about 12 feet in height, 20 feet in length, and 15 feet in width (Manathunga, 2016; Wijewardana et al., 2011). The roof seems to be completely renovated and is borne by 10 stone pillars (Wijewardana et al., 2011). Stone pillars contain no carvings and are connected to each other by a recently built short wall. Unlike in the Ambalamas of the Kandyan Period, the height of the seats of Pitakotte Gal Ambalama does not vary and it is possible that there ware no caste differences prevailed in the society at the time of its construction (Dasanayaka, 2018.). Due to a road widening program by the Road Development Authority, the Ambalama was dismantled recently from its original place and re-positioned in its current location (Fonseka, 2010). 

A protected monument

The rock doss house (Pita Kotte Gal Ambalama) in the Pita Kotte Grama Niladari Division (GND No. 522 B) is an archaeological protected monument, declared by a government gazette notification published on 16 August 2013.

See also