Embekke Devalaya
Embekke Devalaya (Embekke Temple) was built by the King Vikramabahu III of the Gampola Era (AD 1357–1374) in Sri Lanka. The Devalaya is dedicated to Kataragama Deviyo. A local deity called Devatha Bandara is also worshipped at this site. The shrine consists of three sections, the “Sanctum of Garagha”, the “Digge” or “Dancing Hall” and the “Hevisi Mandapaya” or the “Drummers’ Hall”. The Drummers’ Hall has drawn the attention of visitors to the site, due to the splendid wood carvings of its ornate pillars and its high-pitched roof.
Embekke Devalaya is situated in Medapalata Korale of Udunuwara in Kandy District. This is a sheltered place used to rest during long pilgrimages or long journeys in the ancient days of Sri Lanka. This Ambalama is said to be built during AD 1341–1357 by King Bhuwanekabhahu IV.
Carvings and Woodwork
Some of the woodwork used for the “Drummers’ Hall” is said to have come from an abandoned “Royal Audience Hall” at Gampola. The hall could have been repaired during the reigns of the Sinhalese Kings of Kandy. Some of the best examples of Sinhalese art can be found on the wooden pillars of the drummers’ hall and the “Vahalkada” (the entrance porch of the Devala, which is said to be older). The wooden pillars’ bases are octagonal, while their pillar tops, or “Pekada,” have four leaves stacked in a square.
The entwined swans, double-headed eagles, entwined rope designs, breast-feeding image, a soldier fighting on horseback, female dancers, wrestlers, women emanating from a vein, bird-human hybrid, elephant-bull hybrid, and elephant-lion hybrid are the most notable and famous carvings from them.
The roof has several notable features. The rafters, which all slant from above towards the incoming visitor, are held together and in place by a “Madol Kurupawa,” a kind of giant catch pin found nowhere else. When the carvings of the entire temple are considered, there are approximately 125 series of decorations, 256 liyawela type designs, 64 lotus designs, 30 decorative patterns and roof designs, totaling 514 unique designs.
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