(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
Loading...
Passing Dambulla town, travel 12 km from Mirisgonioya road towards Kekirawa, turn right at a narrow crossing near Maha Elagamuwa Rajamaha Vihara, and travel about 1½ km to see this Banamaduwa (Ambalama) next to a large field. (See google map and driving directions below for location and route)
This building preserved by the Department of Archeology is identified as “Maha ElagamuwaAmbalama”. According to the plaque, there is no evidence as to who built this building or when. But this has been mentioned since the early days of Anuradhapura as an ambalam built for the convenience of travelers who traveled far.
Compared to other such ambalamas, this ambalama does not have a short wall to protect the lodgers. Also, the bench that is found in Ambalama is not seen here.
In the book “Sigiriya & Beyond” published in 2016, this building was identified as Banamaduwa and not a Ambalama.
The Bodhirajaramaya temple in that area today is known as ‘Bana Ge Pansala‘ in ancient times. According to the folklore of the area, the ‘Bana Ge Pansala‘ temple was built on the place where King Keerthi Sri Rajasingha (1747 – 1781) stayed during his visit to this area. This Bana Maduwa has been built with carved wooden posts and beams according to Kandy traditions. As this Bana Geya was one of the main parts of the temple, it is popularly known as “Bana Maduwa Pansala“.
With the passage of time, this temple fell into disuse and due to some reason, in 1904, the remnants of the old Bana Maduwa were removed and rebuilt with brick and mortar with then popular European architecture but using the old wooden beams for the roof in the present location.Hence the ancient carved beams can be seen in this building even today. The roof here is made using the technique found in Ambalama. All the rafters of the roof are assembled at the center at Kenimadala with flower carvings.
Since this new building was built near a field without a temple, it may have been used as an ambalama.
Also See
- List of Ambalama’s in Sri Lanka
- Ancient Heritage Sites of Sri Lanka
- Other Places of Interest Within Close Proximity
Map of Kekirawa Maha Elagamuwa Ambalama / Bana Maduwa
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.
Travel Directions to Kekirawa Maha Elagamuwa Ambalama / Bana Maduwa
| Route from Bandarawela to Kekirawa Maha Elagamuwa Ambalama / Bana Maduwa |
| Via : Kekirawa Road Total Distance : 14 Kms Travel Duration : 20 Minutes Time to Spend : Around 15-30 Minutes Driving Directions : View on Google Map |
