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Panavitiya Ambalama – paradigm of Sri Lankan architecture By Arundathie Abeysinghe   Located in *Dambadeniya in *Kurunegala District, Panavitiya Ambalama (Ambalama meaning a rest-hall in Sinhala) is located en route to an ancient footpath from Dambadeniya to Kurunegala and Yapahuwa. Panavitiya Ambalama is a modest wooden structure erected on a flat land adjacent to a stretch of paddy fields and the carvings cover almost every available space. The elaborate carvings of wooden beams and rafters of Panavitiya Ambalama bear resemblance to those in Embekke Temple in Udunuwara in Kandy. The structure of Panavitiya Ambalama stands on a platform of 12′ 4″ and 9′ 6″ (approximately 3.6 meters and 2.7 meters) raised about a foot (approximately 0.3 meters) from the ground with rubble as its base resting on four rounded boulders. The nine inner pillars with some pillars 6 feet (approximately 1.8 meters) in height are copiously carved with mythical creatures, ...