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In ancient times, people traveled from place to place on foot or by cart. Journeys for pilgrimage or trade were measured in days, not hours as they are today. Therefore, rest stops, also known as ambalams, sprang up along the routes. These ambalams were used by travelers to safely spend the night and to prepare simple meals. They were built focusing on commonly used routes. When building ambalams, a location with the necessary facilities for a traveler was chosen, that is, near a well or a stream.
At the same time, these ambalams also became an important place for the people of that village to gather. Ambalams were often built under royal patronage or with the patronage of local dignitaries. Therefore, the size and artistic creations of these ambalams varied according to the wealth of the people who provided patronage.
Elikewala is a small village in the Marassana area. You can reach Elikewala by traveling about half a kilometer on the Marassana-Pasgama road. The Elikewala Ambalama is located about ¼ kilometer east of the Marassana Ambalama.
Elikewala Ambalama is made on 4 wooden beams placed on 4 stone blocks on the ground. 4 wooden pillars are tenoned to the frame and another wooden frame is built on top of it, on which the roof is built. The vertical wooden pillars are elaborately carved. But they have deteriorated to the point where they are no longer recognizable.
The frame built on stone, which also serves as a bench, is made of Mee wood. Jackfruit tree wood is used for the vertical logs, and Buruta (Ceylon Stain Wood Tree) wood is used for the roof. This Ambalama is similar to the Godamunna Ambalama, but it is slightly smaller in size. It is believed that all four Ambalamas in this area, Marassana Welamada Ambalama, Kandewela, Godamunna, and Elikewala, were built in the 17th century.
In the early days, it had a thatched roof, and in 1945 the then village council removed the thatch and added a tiled roof. At that time, it was used for village gatherings.
Today this Ambalama is somewhat dilapidated. Wooden supports have been attached from all four sides to prevent the Ambalama from collapsing. If this Ambalama is not preserved, it will collapse in a short time.
Please note that the marker on the Google Map below points only to an approximate area and not the exact location.
References
- Dasanayake, R. (2018). අම්බලම හා සමාජය: ශ්රී ලංකාවේ පුරාණ පිළිබඳ ඓතිහාසික හා පුරාවිද්යාත්මක පර්යේෂණයක්. S Godage & Brothers Private Ltd.
Also See
- List of Ambalama’s in Sri Lanka
- Ancient Heritage Sites of Sri Lanka
- Other Places of Interest Within Close Proximity
Map of Pathahewaheta Elikewala Ambalama
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
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Traveling Directions to Pathahewaheta Elikewala Ambalama
| From Kandy to Pathahewaheta Elikewala Ambalama |
| Via: Thannekumbura – Haragama – Marassana Total distance: 23 km Duration: 1 hour Time to Spend : Approximately 15-30 minutes Driving directions: View on Google Maps |
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