Gampola Era Wood carvings are the best wood carvings in Sri Lanka. The Ambakke Devalaya Wood carving are the finest of all.

Ambakka Devalaya

This Shrine is dedicated to God Kataragama. This temple is famed for its carved woodden pillars with intricate designs. The pillars leap to life with dancers, musicians, wrestlers, legendry beasts and birds.
Nearby are the ruins of an ancient Rest House with similar pillars carved in stone. All the above described monuments belong to the 14th century.









Gadaladeniya Viharaya
Built almost exclusively of stone in 1344 by the Gampola King Wickramabahu, situated on a hilltop, commanding views of the surrounding countryside.

The architecture is Dravidian. The entrance porch features large stone pillars which support a roof of huge stone slabs. Within the vihara, an ancient stone and plaster Buddha image looks down upon milk rice pots that have collected food offerings for centuries.

The 638 year old jak wood doors still exhibit their original paintings.

Lankatilaka Viharaya
Completed in 1344, but in a more traditional Sinhalese style. Situated on a top of a gray rock above the fertile highland green, it justifies it's name: "the beauty spot on Lanka's brow."  The shrine contains an ancient Buddha image of brick and plaster, plus devalas to the four guardian deities of the island, each with his consort.   A Pali language rock inscription at the site records the valuable gifts to craftsmen who toiled on the temple. Woodcarvers still work at the foot of the rock on which the temple stands.


 

Ambakka Wooden Carvings	Ambakka Wooden Carvings
Narilatha Gataya.	Wrestlers at Ambakka
Gangarama Viharaya	Lankatilaka Viharaya
Lankatilaka Viharaya