Embekke Devalaya | The Shrine of Wood Carvings

Embekke Devalaya | The Shrine of Wood Carvings
Embekke Devalaya (Sinhala: ඇම්බැක්කේ දේවාලය; Tamil: எம்பக்க முருகன் கோயில்) is a Devalaya Shrine in the village of Embekka in Kandy District, Sri Lanka. The site is located on the Embekka - Pilimatalawa road, about 7 km from Pilimatalawa town. Embekka Devalaya is considered the place where the greatest collection of wood carvings in Sri Lanka is found (Rajapakse et al., 2010). History According to the traditional asserts, Embekke was the audience hall of the Gampola Kings which have been later converted and dedicated to the Sinhalese War God Kataragama Deviyo or Kartikeya (Devendra, 1955; Gamage, 2018). A local deity called Devata Bandara is also worshipped here (Godakumbura, 2011). Textual sources and folklore reveal that this Devalaya was established by King Vikramabahu III (1357-1374 A.D.) during the Gampola period (Devendra, 1955; Gamage, 2018; Godakumbura, 2011; Rajapakse et al., 2010). The palm leaf manuscript   Embekke Varnanawa  written by Delgahagoda Mudiyanse in the 18th cent…