Renagala Ambalama

The Renagala Ambalama is an old wayside rest in the village of Renagala in Kurunegala 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 Renagala is believed to be belonged to the late 19th century (Anuradha & Kumari, 2015). According to folklore, Pilimatalawe Maha Adikaram had been brought here for a while after he was captured by the British (Anuradha & Kumari, 2015).

The structure

The Ambalama has been built on a rock plane by using clay and rubble stones. The walls are about 1.25 m tall and the roof is sustained by 9 pillars of about 1 m height (Anuradha & Kumari, 2015). The four pillars at the corners of the structure are covered with lime plaster while others contains simple wood carvings.

A protected monument

The doss house (Renagala Ambalama) in Renagala village in the Grama Niladhari Division of Hungamuwa in Alawwa Divisional Secretary’s Division is an archaeological protected monument, declared by a government gazette notification published on 7 December 2001.

References

1) Anuradha, R.K.S.; Kumari, A.S., 2015. Pauranika Sthana Saha Smaraka: Kurunegala Distrikkaya (In Sinhala). Department of Archaeology (Sri Lanka). ISBN: 955-9159-37-2. pp.65-66.
2) The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka: No: 1214. 7 December 2001.

Location Map

This page was last updated on 2 January 2022
For a complete tourist map follow this link: Lankapradeepa Tourist Map