Kotte - Others

The above picture shows the 'Gal Ambalama' (or the resting place for the traveler), situated in close proximity to the Pita Kotte junction. It is still used for that purpose today. It's counterpart, the 'Mati Ambalama' situated closer to the fortified city has disappeared many years earlier. In certain instances the Ambalama has been attributed to a much later British Period. Sir Paul E. Pieris places this Gal Ambalama in the Kotte period and attributes it to a part of the outer defenses.⁽¹⁾

^{'Half a mile further South ran another considerable moat crossed by a bridge; this formed an outpost where a guard was usually stationed to protect the approach to the capital, and derived its name from the Gal Ambalama which stood close by. From here ran the road which led to Colombo'}

The ambalama was dismantled and rebuilt a few feet away in 2003 for a road widening project. Today it has a brand new roof, but lacks the 'old world' charm. This photo was taken in 2002 before it was dismantled.

The historic bell found at St. Thomas' Church, Kotte:

The bell found in the St Thomas's Church today has a history tracing back to the 16th century. It was first erected in a church that was built close to the Royal Palace of Kotte.

King Buwaneka Bahu built this ancient Chapel, after the crowning of Prince Dharmapala in Lisbon. He welcomed the Franciscan Friars sent by the King of Portugal on his invitation, and built a Chapel for their religious observances. The Chapel was dedicated to St. Francis of Assisi and a belfry was setup with a solid brass bell for the faithful to recite the Angelus. This Church was to be found in the place now occupied by the Kotte Urban Council cemetery (See the 'Palace Road').

With the Portuguese occupation coming to an end in 1658, the Dutch began a campaign of persecution against the Catholics and started demolishing their places of worship. In the process the Dutch dismantled the Church in Etul Kotte and removed the material to put up their buildings within the City of Colombo. The bell of the Kotte church was hung on a Belfry built at Kaymans Gate, in Pettah. The bell bears on it the inscription "AVE GRATIA PLENA DOMINUS TECUM BENADICTA TU IN MULIERIBUS" meaning 'Hail full of grace the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women' ⁽²⁾

The ringing of the bell at sunrise and sunset signaled the opening and closing of the eastern gates of the Fort. Until the 19th century, the Kaymans Gate was the scene of public execution by means of hanging. ⁽³⁾

(1) Ceylon: The Portuguese Era - Paul E. Peiris Pge 154.
(2) Kotte: Cradle of Christianity in Sri Lanka - L. U. Cabral / Spolica Zeylanica; Bishop Edmund Pieris
(3) Changing Face of Colombo - R. L. Brohier, Plate 15

Additional Photographs:

(a) The Mission Church.
(b) The Caymans Gate - Watercolor by Andrew Nicholls (1848).