Konakalagala Ambalama in Akurana (අකුරණ කොණකලගල අම්බලම)

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Konakalagala is a small agricultural village in Akurana, Matale District. The wooden Ambalama (wayside rest)  at Konakalagala lies on the ‘T” junction where the road from Malgamandeniya connects the Konakagala road starting from Galekade junction on the Kandy Matale road.  A typical Archaeology Department “Kalu Board” stands opposite this road directing you to the “Konakalagala Ambalama”.

This was the first ambalama on the ancient Kandy – Trincomalee route. The year of this structure has been carved on one of the wooden searing planks but this has been replaced during restoration and cannot be found anymore. However, according to tradition, Konakalagala ambalama was built during the reign of King Wimaladharmasuriya I (1592 – 1604).

The original ambalama was built on a frame of 4 large wooden beams and with carved pillars holding the roof.  The wooden frame has been laid on 4 boulders to rise from the ground. The ambalama has been extended from all sides to cover a large area during the 1st half of the 20th century.

The roof of the Ambalama is typical of Kandyan-era wayside rests. It is tiled using flat clay tiles which was popular during this era. The roof is held by sixteen wooden pillars. Twelve large pillars make the outer edges of the Ambalama while a smaller 4 pillars stands at the center. Each pillar square stands on 4 large wooden beams running around the building. The outer beam structure stands on sixteen granite stumps. All pillars are decorated with pillar tops with various carvings.

The Ambalama had been restored at some point in the recent past. The granite stumps are today held on a cement floor.

To reach Konakalagala you need to take the by road to Konakagala from Kandy Matale road from the Galekade junction. The Ambalama lies 900 meters into this road.

Sources

  • අම්බලම හා සමාජය : ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ පුරාණ පිළිබඳ ඓතිහාසික හා පුරාවිද්‍යාත්මක පර්යේෂණයක්, 2018. , 1. කොළඹ : සීමාසහිත ඇස් ගොඩගේ සහෝදරයෝ (පුද්.) සමාගම.

Also See

Map of Konakalagala Ambalama in Akurana

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Travel Directions to Konakalagala Ambalama in Akurana

Route from Kandy to Konakalagala Ambalama in Akurana
distance :15 km
Travel time : 1 hour
Time to Spent : 30 mins
Driving directions : see on google map

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