My travel destination | Embakke Devalaya | Part 03

Hello guys, how are you? Today I am going to tell you about the next part of my travel to North Central Province. I previously wrote that we would depart Embakke Devalaya after that. Yes, all these places are in the same area. As a result, getting here didn't take too long.

Embakke Devalaya might be considered a significant architectural structure due to its most stunning wood carvings. Its origins can be found in the Gampola era. The Devalaya was in the Madapalata Korale of the Kandy District's Udunuwara Area. In this location, the Kataragama Deity is revered. The Devalaya is thought to have been first constructed by King Wickremabahu III (r. 1357–r. 1374 AD). Later, King Rajadhi Rajasinghe made renovations to the building. It was a three-story structure, according to historical records. But today we can only see the remaining structure with the wooden pillars. The well-known woodwork of the Embakke Devalaya is attributed to a skilled craftsman by the name of Delmada Devendra Mulachari.

This Devalaya is divided into three main portions. The first is the site of the former god sculptures, the Garagah shrine. The Dance Hall, a representation of the King's consort Henakanda Bandara, was the next stop. It was the location of dancing events throughout the reign of the Kings. The last section was the Drummers' Hall, which featured musical performances all through the monarchs' reign.

But as of today, the pillared structure is all that remains. Even today, wood carvings can be clearly seen here. These wooden carvings have made this location well-known.

We decided to eat lunch here after touring all these locations of Devalaya. There were all the amenities available, including an ambalama with cement chairs and tables where we could sit and eat our lunch as well as toilet facilities and water services. We, therefore, had lunch there. Like a family, we all share the food that we brought. There was an ice cream van also. So, for dessert after lunch, we bought some ice cream.

Dalada Maligawa was where we went next. In my upcoming blog, I will describe my experience at Daladamaligawa. Hope you get some knowledge about Devalaya by reading my article. Thank you for reading, and I will see you in my next blog tomorrow.

Have a good day.