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Photo Credits : Department of Trade, Commerce & Tourism
Marassana Ambalama is one of the many Ambalamas (way side rests) in the Pahathahewaheta area. The Ambalama at Marassana lies away from the busy main roads in a picturesque farming area.
The Ambalama is believed to be built in the 18th or 19th centuries. The complete ambalama is made of wood from the “Mee” tree. The outer square is 6 feet 20 inches in length and the inner square 4 feet 17 inches in length. The wooden beams rest on 8 granite stumps to protect the wood from rotting.
Four large pillars with carvings carry the main weight of the roof supported by 12 wooden pillars on the outer square. The inner pillars are exquisitely carved. It is interesting to note that carvings on one of the pillars is significantly different to the other three. All the pillars rest on wooden beams laid around the structure. The beams on the inner square are much larger and wide enough to be used as a bench to sit or sleep.
As in most wooden Ambalama buildings of this era, the beams which holds the tiles are connected without any wooden or iron nails. These beams are held together at the top by their own opposing force in the center which is called “Kanimadala”.
Originally the roof had been made of straw and the floor of clay. In 1950’s a coconut tree had fallen on the ambalama and destroyed the roof. The roof had been rebuilt in 1960 using wood from coconut trees and tiled with clay calicut tiles (rata ulu).
One reason that the Marassana Ambalama had become unique is due to the part it played in cultural events which were carried out till around 1940’s. After the paddy harvest the villagers would cook a milk rice from the fresh harvest and they would gather at this ambalama. Then they would carry the milk rice along with sweet meets on a palanquin to the temple to obtain blessings of various deities. The octagonal palanquin with three bamboo beams still can be seen resting on the roof of the ambalama.
To reach the Ambalama, travel on the Haragama road from Kandy and take Thalatuoya road towards Marassana. Locally this ambalama is known as the “Wela Meda Ambalama”. On this route you will also pass the Appallagoda Ambalama .
The marker on the Google Map below points to an approximate location. Please see directions above.
Also See
- List of Ambalama’s in Sri Lanka
- Ancient Heritage Sites of Sri Lanka
- Other Places of Interest Within Close Proximity
Map of Marassana 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
Zoom out the map to see more surrounding locations using the mouse scroll wheel or map controls.
Travel Directions to Marassana Ambalama
| Route from Kandy to Marassana Ambalama |
| distance :22 km Travel time : 45 minutes Time to Spent : 30 mins Driving directions : see on google map |
