Giruwa Ambalama

Giruwa Ambalama
The Giruwa Ambalama (Sinhala: ගිරුවා අම්බලම; Tamil: கிருவா அம்பலம) is an old wayside rest located on the premises of Aluthnuwara Dedimunda Devalaya in Kegalle 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 Giruwa Ambalama at Aluthnuwara is believed to have been built by Queen Sunetradevi, the chief consort of King Parakramabahu II (1236-1270 A.D.) and the mother of King Buvanekabahu I [(1271-1283 A.D.) Mendis et al., 2019]. The pillars remaining at the site today are supposed to be belonging to the period of Bhuvanekabahu I.

The structure
The Ambalama has been built by erecting sixteen granite pillars and the four-sided roof is paved with flat clay tiles. It has been conserved by the Department of Archaeology at least three times.

A protected monument
The Aluthnuwara Devalaya, inscriptions, the Patthirippuwa and the Giruwa Ambalama situated in Aluthnuwara village in the Divisional Secretary’s Division of Mawanella are archaeological protected monuments, declared by a government notification published on 2 May 1975.

Attribution
1) Giruwa Ambalama Aluthnuwara Mawanella by MediaJet is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0

References
1) Mendis, M.S., Halwatura, R.U., Somadeva, D.R.K., Jayasinghe, R.A. and Gunawardana, M., 2019. Influence of grain distribution on orientation of saw cuts: Reference to heritage structures. Case Studies in Construction Materials, 11, pp.1-13.
2) The government notification: No: 162. 2 May 1975.

Location Map
This page was last updated on 9 June 2022
For a complete tourist map follow this link: Lankapradeepa Tourist Map
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