Palle Deegala Ambalama, also known as Hali Ella Ambalama (Sinhala: පල්ලේ දීගල අම්බලම, හාලි ඇල්ල අම්බලම), was an old wayside rest at the Deegala road junction on the Akurana-Dunuwila road in Kandy 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 at Palle Deegala is thought to have been erected during the Kandyan Period.
The building collapsed in November 2020 due to the lack of maintenance of officials.
The Structure
The Palle Deegala Ambalama was roughly a square-shaped structure built of brick and mortar. The roof which was covered with semi-cylindrical clay tiles (Sinhala Ulu) was held by 4 round pillars at the four corners.
Attribution
#) LankaPradeepa.com extends its gratitude to Ven. Ankumbure Chandananda Thero for providing the necessary photographs required for this article. All the photos are published here with the permission of the author.