Wakirigala Ambalama
Photo credit: Google street view The Wakirigala Ambalama (Sinhala: වාකිරිගල අම්බලම) is an old wayside rest situated in Wakirigala village 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 Wakirigala Ambalama is believed to be one such structure built in ancient times. The structure
This Ambalama is primarily made out of fourteen granite pillars fixed in two tiers of squares (ten pillars in the outer square and four in the inner square). The four pillars in the inner square are about 20 ft. in height and some of them have carvings such as the sun and the moon (Abeyawardana, 2002). The roof of the building is designed in 2 layers; the top roof and the lower roof. The top roof is held b…
