Ambalangoda

Ambalangoda
අම්බලන්ගොඩ
அம்பலாங்கொட
Town
Ambalangoda

Location in Sri Lanka

Coordinates: 6°14′07″N 80°3′13″E / 6.23528°N 80.05361°E / 6.23528; 80.05361Coordinates: 6°14′07″N 80°3′13″E / 6.23528°N 80.05361°E / 6.23528; 80.05361
Country Sri Lanka
Province Southern Province
District Galle District
Population (2012)
 • Total 56,783[1]
Time zone +5.30
Area code(s) 091

Ambalangoda is a coastal town located in Galle District, Southern Province of Sri Lanka. Governed by Ambalangoda Urban Council, the town is famous for its ancient devil masks and devil dancers.[2] It is approximately 107 kilometres (66 mi) south of Colombo and is situated at an elevation of 13 metres (43 ft) above the sea level.

Transport

Ambalangoda is served by Sri Lanka Railways' Coastal Line. Ambalangoda Railway Station is a major station on the line, and is connected to the major cities Colombo and Galle by rail. It is served by the A2 highway, which runs through the town. Kurundugahahetekma entrance of the E01 expressway is 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) from Ambalangoda and it takes about 45 minutes to travel via the Southern Expressway from Ambalangoda to Kottawa, a suburb of Colombo.

Schools

Some of the schools situated in Ambalangoda are listed below:

Masks

Masks in Ambalangoda

The town is renowned for the manufacture of wooden masks and puppets.[3] The traditional masks are carved from light Balsa like Kaduru wood (Nux vomica). Kaduru trees grow in the marshy lands bordering paddy fields. The wood is smoke dried for a week in preparation. The hand carved and hand painted masks in traditional dance dramas are both vibrant and colorful. Masks are created for three different types of dancing rituals: 'Kolam', which tell mocking stories of traditional Sri Lankan colonial life; 'Sanni', or devil dancing masks, used in a type of exorcism ceremony to heal people of persisting illnesses believed to be inflicted by demons; and 'Raksha' masks, which are used in festivals and processions. The Naga Raksha (Cobra demon) mask of the 'Raksha Kolama' (demon dance), consists of a ferocious face with bulging, popping & staring eyes, a bloodthirsty carnivorous tongue lolling out of wide mouth armoured and armed to the hilt with set of fanglike teeth, all topped by a set of cobra hoods.[4]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Masks of Sri Lanka.

Attractions

References

  1. ↑ "Ambalangoda Population".
  2. ↑ West Coast-At a Glance Sri Lanka Tailor Made
  3. ↑ Kaviratne, W.T.J.S. (17 February 2013). "The Dying Art of Puppetry". Sunday Observer. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
  4. ↑ http://www.mysrilankaholidays.com/ambalangoda.html

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Saturday, November 28, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.