Maha Elagamuwa Ambalama (Sinhala: මහ ඇලගමුව අම්බලම) is an old wayside rest or probably a preaching hall situated in Alagamuwa village near Kekirawa in Anuradhapura District, Sri Lanka.
Ambalama
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.
Although the constructor or the construction period of this Ambalama is not known, literary sources indicate that there was a resting place at Maha Elagamuwa since the Anuradhapura Period. However, the brick-built structure indicates that it is probably a preaching hall built in the early part of the 20th century.
A protected monument
The ancient Ambalama at Maha-elagamuwa in the Grama Niladhari Wasama No. 648, Mahaelagamuwa of the Kekirawa Divisional Secretary’s Division is an archaeological protected monument, declared by a government notification published on 22 July 2011.
References
1) The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. No: 1716. 22 July 2011. p.512.
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This page was last updated on 31 January 2023