Morapaya Ambalama

Photo credit: Google street view

The Morapaya Ambalama is an old wayside rest situated in Morapaya in Nuwara Eliya 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 Morapaya Ambalama is one such building believed to have been built about 110 years ago (Wijesinghe, 2015).

The structure

The square-shaped Ambalama is relatively small (20 ft.x20 ft.) and consists of a single open space surrounded by a short wall (Wijesinghe, 2015). The four-sided roof is held by nine pillars.

References

1) Wijesinghe, T.K., 2015. Pauranika Sthana Saha Smaraka: Nuwara Eliya Distrikkaya (In Sinhala). Department of Archaeology (Sri Lanka). ISBN: 955-9159-36-4. p.33.

Location Map

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