Ambalangoda Dutch Stable

Ambalangoda Dutch Stable

Ambalangoda Dutch Stable (Sinhala: අම්බලන්ගොඩ ඕලන්ද ඉස්තාලය) is an old Dutch building situated in Ambalangoda in Galle District, Sri Lanka. Presently it stands adjacent to the land where the old Ambalangoda rest-house was located. History Evidence is there to show that this building is a work of the mid-18th century (Abeyawardana, 2004). A plaque fixed on the front wall of the building reveals that this was constructed in 1750 by a Dutch named Adriaan Ootdyk (De Vos, 1989; Lewis, 1913; Ranchagoda, 2015). Text: GEBOUWD DOOR ADRIAAN OOSTDYK OMDERK EN OPS DER GA LE CORLA 1750. Translation: Built by Adriaan Oostdyk, onder-koopman, Superintendent of the Galle Corle, 1750. Citation:  Lewis, 1913. p.204. Adriaan Oostdyk was a high official in the Dutch East India Company (VOC) at the time when the church was built (De Vos, 1989; Lewis, 1913). For his duties, he had to visit places in Ambalangoda, Kosgoda, and Bentota and he used the old rest house in Ambalangoda as his temporary residence (Lewis, 19…