The Kengalla Ambalama (Sinhala: කෙන්ගල්ල අම්බලම) is an old wayside rest in the village of Kengalla in Kandy District, Sri Lanka. It is located on the roadside of the Kandy - Mahiyangana highway (A 26) about 14 km distant from Kandy town.
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 Kengalla is believed to have been built in 1905 by Karaithylingam Pillai, a wealthy businessman who had migrated from South India (Silva & Chandrasekara, 2009).
The structure
The structure is built of stone and rectangular in shape with a short porch in front. Two sets of columns fixed in two concentric tiers bear the roof and make the resting area. The resting area has two levels: the outer low ground and the middle section. The middle section is at a higher level and is said to have been used by people of the privileged caste (De Silva & Chandrasekara, 2009).
Attribution
References
1) De Silva, N.; Chandrasekara, D.P., 2009. Heritage Buildings of Sri
Lanka. Colombo: The National Trust Sri Lanka, ISBN: 978-955-0093-01-4.
p.168.
Location Map
This page was last updated on 26 December 2022
