The Udammita Ambalama (Sinhala: උදම්මිට අම්බලම) is an old wayside rest in Gampaha District, Sri Lanka. It is located at Udammita junction on the Veyangoda-Ruwanwella road about 1.8 km distance from the Nittambuwa 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 Udammita is one such structure, believed to have been built in 1829.
The structure
The brick-built building is consists of an open verandah and two rooms. The verandah is relatively large and a short wall goes around it. The entrances of both verandah and the inner part (two doors for two rooms) of the Ambalama are facing the south. The roof is paved with semi-circular clay tiles (Sinhala Ulu).
Conservation
The Ambalama was conserved by the Department of Archaeology on 23 May 2012.
A protected monument
The Udammita Ambalama situated in Grama Niladhari Division Udammita in the Divisional Secretary's Division, Aththanagalla is an archaeological protected monument, declared by a government notification published on 30 September 2022.
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References
1) The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka: Extraordinary. No: 2299/60. 30 September 2022. p.5A.
Location Map
This page was last updated on 10 April 2023
