Matale Ambokka Stone Ambalama

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Ambalama is the name for rest stops or shelters built along roads for the convenience of travelers during the ancient times in Sri Lanka. In the past, when people traveled by foot or dola (palanquin), building an ambalama was considered a highly meritorious deed that brought great merit. This was further influenced by the Buddhist ethos in Sri Lanka. As a result, ambalam could be found along main roads every two or three miles, and many old villages even had two or three of them. These ambalam also served as a meeting place for the villagers.

Some ambalam were exquisitely carved. They were often built under the patronage of royalty or regional nobles. The size and artistic quality of these ambalam varied according to the wealth and status of the person who sponsored them.

The village of Ambokka is located in the Matale District. It is best known for the ancient Ambokka Pattini Devalaya. To get there from Matale, you travel along the Dambulla road to the Palapathwala junction, turn left onto the Galewela road, and continue for 11 km to the Pallepola junction. From there, you turn left again onto the Madipola road and drive for 3.5 km to the Maningamuwa market, where you turn left once more onto the road that leads to the village of Ambokka.

The Ambokka ambalama is said to be about 300 years old. This well-preserved ambalama is small and square-shaped, constructed from stone. Four polished stone pillars are placed vertically on a small base, supporting the roof. Four more horizontal pillars are placed between the vertical ones, creating ledges for travelers to sit on.

Note that the location marked on the Google Map below is the approximate area of the Ambokka ambalama.

References

Dasanayake, R. (2018). අම්බලම හා සමාජය: ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ පුරාණ පිළිබඳ ඓතිහාසික හා පුරාවිද්‍යාත්මක පර්යේෂණයක්. S Godage & Brothers Private Ltd.
Gunawardhana, R. (2019, June 22). අම්බලම හා බැඳුණු පුරාණ ජන සංස්කෘතිය. Silumina. Retrieved August 28, 2025, from https://archives1.silumina.lk/2019/06/22/විශේෂාංග/අම්බලම-හා-බැඳුණු-පුරාණ-ජන-සංස්කෘතිය

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Map of Ambokka Stone Ambalama

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Traveling Directions to Ambokka Stone Ambalama

From Matale to Ambokka Stone Ambalama

Via: Palapathwala – Pallepola – Maningamuwa
Total distance: 25 km
Time to drive: 1 hour
Time to spend: Approximately 15-30 minutes
Driving directions: See on Google Maps

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References

Also See

Map of Ambokka Stone Ambalama

Traveling Directions to Ambokka Stone Ambalama

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