Embekka Dewalaya-Miracle of Sri-Lankan Woodwork


The Embekka Devalaya is a temple dedicated for the worship of Lord Kataragama. It is situated in Udunuwara, Kandy on the Dalugala road where the Gadaladeniya Temple is situated. The Embekka Devalaya can be visited along with the Gadaladeniya and Lankathilake temples as they are all located close by. It is a temple famed for its carvings and wood work. The temple was built by King Vikramabahu of the Gampola era back in the 14th century. It has three sections namely the “Sanctum of Garagha”, “Digge” or “Dancing Hall” and the “Hevisi Mandapaya” or “Drummer’s Hall”.

Apart from Lord Kataragama a local deity called Devatha Bandara is also worshiped at Embekka Devalaya. The Drummer’s Hall is popular among visitors to the temple due to the fine wood carvings of its ornate pillars and its high pitched roof. These are some of the best examples of Sinhalese artwork. A unique feature of Embekka Devalaya is the “Madol Kurupawa” which is like a large catch pin used to keep all the rafters, which slant from above towards the incoming visitor, fixed together.

t is said that some of the wood work utilised for the "Drummers' Hall" came from an abandoned "Royal Audience Hall" at Gampola. There is every possibility the hall has seen repairs during the reigns of the Sinhalese Kings of Kandy. The carvings, which adorn the wooden pillars of the drummers' hall, as well as the "Vahalkada" (the entrance porch of the devala, which is said to be older) are some of the best examples of Sinhalese art. The base of the wooden pillars are octagonal shaped while their pillar top or "Pekada", has four leaves stacked in a square. The most noted and famous carvings out of them are 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.

The roof has significant features. The rafters all slant from above towards the incoming visitor are fixed together and kept in position by a "Madol Kurupawa", a kind of a giant catch pin the like of which we do not find elsewhere. When we consider the carvings of the entire temple there are about 125 series of decorations, 256 liyawela type designs, and 64 lotus designs, 30 decorative patterns and roof designs, ending up in 514 unique designs.








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