Santhaiyar Madam (Ambalama)
Santhaiyar Madam (Photo credit: Google street view) The Santhaiyar Madam (Tamil: சாந்தையார் மடம்; Sinhala: සාන්තයියාර් අම්බලම) is an Ambalama (an old wayside rest) situated in Manipay in Jaffna 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 Ambalama A dilapidated shelter, a large rectangular well with a slope towards its bottom and a few short pillars ( Aavurancikal ) are found at this Santhaiyar Madam. Ambalamas in Jaffna have unique features . Ambalama
in the Jaffna Peninsula is called Madam and it is generally different from similar structures
in other parts of the country. It consists of five components given below (Ragupathy, 1987); 1) Madam : the Ambalama itself 2) Sumaithangi : a stone plat…
