Mangalagama Ambalama

The Mangalagama Ambalama is an old wayside rest situated near Mangalagama Tempita Viharaya in Kegalle District, Sri Lanka. The site can be reached by traveling along the Colombo - Kandy main road about 7.2 km distance from the Kegalle bus stand.

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 Mangalagama is believed to have been built in the 18th century (De Silva & Chandrasekara, 2009).

The structure

The Ambalama building is rectangular in shape has been built by erecting sixteen pillars (De Silva & Chandrasekara, 2009). The roof is covered with flat clay-tiles and supported by the twelve and four pillars fixed on the ground in two concentric tiers. Connecting the outer twelve pillars, a short wall goes around the structure. The pillar capitals are made of wood and decorated with Pekada carvings (De Silva & Chandrasekara, 2009). The four sided roof with the elevated middle portion has a short ridge decorated with two clay pots. Some clay artifacts recovered from the Mangalagama Ambalama are presently on the display at the Archaeological Museum of Dedigama.

A protected monument

The Mangalagama Ambalama situated in Mangalagama village in the Divisional Secretary’s Division of Rambukkana is an archaeological protected monument, declared by a government gazette notification published on 15 March 1974.

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.169.
2) The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka: No: 103. 15 March 1974.

Location Map

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