New Kamburadeniya Ambalama (නව කඹුරදෙණිය අම්බලම)

54 years ago8 months ago05 mins

RATE THIS LOCATION : 1 Star

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

New Kamburadeniya Ambalama (නව කඹුරදෙණිය අම්බලම)

Ambalama was an important tradition in ancient Sri Lanka. It involved setting up resting places by the roads that were frequently used. These stops offered comfort to fatigued travelers, whether they were walking or traveling in carts. Additionally, ambalams served as an important place for the local villagers. They were places where villagers could gather for relaxing activities and community discussions.

In ancient times, construction of a Ambalama was considered not only a practical necessity but also a meritorious deed. It was believed that providing a comfortable and safe shelter for those on long journeys was a way to earn blessings and good karma.

Kings, wealthy and influential individuals took the responsibility of constructing Ambalams at important places. They chose locations that provided rest and convenience to tired travelers. These structures were intricately designed, showcasing the region’s cultural heritage. The design and the quality of the work depended on the wealth and the capacity of the sponsors.

Looking after Ambalams was considered a sacred obligation. It was believed that any disrespect or harm to these resting places would result in serious consequences and bad karma. As a result, great care was taken to keep Ambalams clean, welcoming, and well-maintained.

As time passed and modern transportation became more common, the importance of Ambalams diminished. Yet, their allure and historical value remain undeniable. Today, we can still see these old resting places, serving as quiet reminders of the past. They stand as a testament to the kindness and generosity of those who constructed them, offering us a glimpse into a different time.

The Ambalama at Kamburadeniya is a new structure built in 2021. However this is different from the more recent Ambalama’s which were more utilitarian structures compared to works of art in the past. This is a replica of a traditional Sri Lankan timber Ambalama design popular during the Kandyan Era. It was designed by renowned architects showcasing ancient Ambalama architectural designs.

It is built in a private land surrounded by paddy fields and lush mountains. An existing natural stone with a water retainer has been selected to erect the structure. Thus the column base is natural stone and there are four stone columns placed at four corners for the timber structure to rest on. According to the architects, the timber structural system is directly inspired by the traditional Ambalama structures, though the proportions are slightly altered for the structure to fit in with the surroundings.

The site can be reached by traveling on the Gampola road for 4 km from Peradeniya Bridge and turning from Gonapola in Gelioya towards Kamburadeniya and traveling 1.3 km on this road.

References

Kam̆burādeṇiya Ambalama by baabar (2022) Architizer. Available at: https://architizer.com/projects/kamburadeniya-ambalama/ (Accessed: 28 August 2023).

Also See

Map of New Kamburadeniya Ambalama

Please click on the button below to load the Dynamic Google Map (ගූගල් සිතියම් පහලින්)

Show Location (ගූගල් සිතියම)

The map above also shows other places of interest within a approximately 20 km radius of the current site. Click on any of the markers and the info box to take you to information of these sites

Zoom out the map to see more surrounding locations using the mouse scroll wheel or map controls.

Driving Directions to New Kamburadeniya Ambalama

Route from Peradeniya to New Kamburadeniya Ambalama

Via : Gelioya
distance : 5.3 km
Travel time : 20 mins
Driving directions : see on googl e map

Leave a ReplyCancel reply

IPKF Memorial in Palali Sri Lanka (පලාලි ඉන්දියානු සාම සාධක හමුදා ස්මාරකය)
The IPKF memorial at Palaly remembers 33 Indian soldiers of the 10 Indian Para Comando unit including Lieutenant Colonel Arun Kumar Chhabra who laid their lives for the sake of the territorial integrity of their friendly neighbouring country. […]
IPKF Memorial in Colombo Sri Lanka (කොළඹ ඉන්දියානු සාම සාධක හමුදා ස්මාරකය)
The IPKF (Indian Peace Keeping Force) Memorial constructed by the Sri Lanka Navy located in Jana Kala Kendraya premises near the parliament complex, commemorates the soldiers of the Indian Peace Keeping Force who lost their lives during Operation Pawan, which was part of the efforts to intervene in the Sri Lankan Civil War. The monument was built in 2008, one year before it decisively defeated the LTTE. […]
Elephant Pass War Memorial (අලිමංකඩ යුද ස්මාරකය)
The Elephant Pass War Memorial consists of a monument and surrounding landscaped grounds. The monument typically features inscriptions, plaques, and symbols commemorating the fallen soldiers and their contributions. It serves as a place of reflection and remembrance for visitors, including veterans, families of the fallen, and members of the public. […]
Ratnapura Clock Tower and World War Memorial (රත්නපුර ඔරලෝසු කනුව හා ලෝක සංග්‍රාම යුද්ධ ස්මාරකය)
At the centre of Ratnapura Town lies the clock tower which was built as a monument for the fallen servicemen from Ratnapura District during World War I. The clock tower was commissioned at the end of the war in 1920 by the Local War Memorial Committee and was unveiled on 03rd June 1922. […]
Kurunegala Clock Tower and World War Memorial (කුරුණෑගල ඔරලෝසු කනුව හා ලෝක සංග්‍රාම යුද්ධ ස්මාරකය)
The clock tower found in the centre of Kurunegala town was built as a memorial for the fallen heroes from Northwestern Province in the First World War in 1922. Eleven names are listed on the Kurunegala Clock Tower who lost their lives during World War I and three of the names are Ceylonese. […]
World War Memorial in Army Training School in Diyatalawa (දියතලාව කඳවුරේ ලෝක සංග්‍රාමයේ යුද්ධ ස්මාරකය)
This cenotaph war memorial to commemorate war heroes in the 1st World War is situated in a military camp at the Army Volunteer Forces Training School in Diyatalawa. This memorial has been constructed to commemorate 78 military personnel of the Ceylon Planters Rifle Corps who died in the 1st World War. […]
Cenotaph War Memorial in Colombo (කොළඹ ලෝක යුද්ධ ස්මාරකය)
The Cenotaph War Memorial at the Public Library near the Vihara Maha Devi Park in Colombo is considered the main World War Memorial in Sri Lanka. It consists of a cenotaph and a memorial wall around it. The original memorial was commissioned by the War Memorial Committee after the conclusion of World War I in 1920. […]
Padukka First World War Peace Memorial (පාදුක්ක පළමු ලෝක යුද්ධයේ සාම ස්මාරකය)
At the centre of the Padukka town roundabout lies an old street lamp on a pedestal made of wrought iron painted in silver colour. Every day thousands pass this roundabout without even glancing at this monument at this curious lamp. […]
Boer Prisoners of War Memorial in Diyathalawa (දියතලාව බෝයර් යුද සිරකරුවන්ගේ ස්මාරකය)
In 1913, just before World War I, the South African Government built this obelisk memorial on the Diyatalawa grounds to commemorate the 140 Boer prisoners who died at the prisoner-of-war of Diyathalawa. On three sides of it, marble slabs with leaded lettering display a full list of all these Boer prisoners-of-war who lost their lives in captivity or on parole. […]
St. Anne’s Church Thalawila (තලවිල ශාන්ත ආනා දෙව්මැදුර)
No matter what religion you follow, Thalawila St. Anne's Church in is one of the most ancient and wonderful of all Christian shrines in Sri Lanka. […]
All Angels’ Church in Colpetty / Gal Palliya (කොල්ලුපිටිය ගල් පල්ලිය)
The Church of St. Michael and All Angels’ in Polwatte, Colombo 3, also known as the Gal Palliya by the locals, will more than surprise if not delight you with its architecture, artifacts and antiquities. […]
Ruins of the Manalkadu Dutch Church in Jaffna (යාපනය මනල්කඩු පුරාණ ඕලන්ද පල්ලිය නටබුන්)
With part of the Ruins of the Manalkadu Dutch Church buried under the sand due to continued attack of sandy winds for over 100 years, this land mark is provides a unique experience for the visitor. […]
Ruins of the Dutch Church at Kayts St. Anthony’s Church in Jaffna(කයිට්ස් ශාන්ත ඇන්තෝනි පුරාණ ඕලන්ද පල්ලිය)
The ruins of the ancient Dutch Church lies adjoining the new St Anthony's Church. Although the roof had caved in, the huge walls of the church stands tall by the beach on the sandy land. […]
Nallur St James’ Church (යාපනය නල්ලුර් ශාන්ත ජේම්ස් පල්ලිය)
St James' church in Nallur, is a one of the grandest British churches in Jaffna peninsula. It was opened in 1828 on the site of the original Nallur Kandaswamy Kovil which was destroyed by the Portuguese. […]
Ruins of the Chankanai Dutch Church in Jaffna (යාපනය චන්කනායි ඕලන්ද පල්ලිය නටබුන්)
The church at Chankanai was initially built in 1641 by the Portuguese but later rebuilt by the Dutch. Only the massive walls with arches remain today of this building which is now protected as an archeology monument. […]
Madhu Church at Mannar : Ancient Pattini Devalaya of Madhu (මඩු පල්ලිය)
Madhu is a mystic jungle shrine dedicated to Mother Mary lying on a remote area in Mannar. The church is one of the few churches which is visited by Buddhists as well as Hindus from all over the country. […]
Ruins of Portuguese Church of Our Lady of Angels in Myliddy – Jaffna
Myliddy is a fishing village on the northern coast of Jaffna Peninsula. The village has its own fisheries harbour for fishing boats. The photo from 1971 shows this church in ruins with only walls remaining. […]
Badulla St. Mark’s Church (බදුල්ල ශාන්ත මාක් දේවස්ථානය)
A small but a beautifully built English church called St . Marks Church, this church was built by the public in memory of Major Thomas William Rogers (the Government Agent for Badulla District) was consecrated on 25 April 1857 by Bishop James Chapman. The Belltower at the entrance has been built in 1921. […]
Katchatheevu Island of Sri Lanka and the St. Anthony’s Festival
Katchatheevu (Kachchativu) is a small 163-acre (0.66 square kilometers), barren, uninhabited island located in the Palk Strait between India and Sri Lanka. It lies right in the center of Rameswaram in India and Delft Island of Sri Lanka with about 20km on both sides. […]
Kochchikade St. Anthony’s Shrine (කොච්චිකඩේ ශාන්ත අන්තෝනි දෙව්මැදුර)
St. Anthony's Church in Kochchikade in Kotahena was established in the 18th century when the Catholicism was a proscribed religion by the Dutch and priests could not exercise their ministry in public. It was one of the churches bombed during the easter attack of 2019. […]
Dutch Reformed Church of Galle
The Dutch Reformed Church, with gables on the eastern and western walls, but no tower, was completed in 1755. It is similar in style to the ones in Negapatnam and Cochin in India, even including the walls. It is built on the site of an earlier Portuguese convent. Around the church and within the walls is a small graveyard. […]

References

Also See

Map of New Kamburadeniya Ambalama

Driving Directions to New Kamburadeniya Ambalama

Share this:

Like this:

Leave a ReplyCancel reply