Embekke Temple
TUCKED away in the peripheries of Kandy is one of the most beautiful medieval monuments on the island, and most possibly in the world. The Embekke Temple was built in 1371 by King Wickrama Bahu III and is dedicated to god Kataragama. A shroud of myths and legends covers the temple. It is associated with Princess Hena Kanda BisoBandara, who was born of a beli fruit and later became consort to Wickrama Bahu. She was an ardent devotee of Kataragama, and it is said in the legend that god made her his consort in the afterlife. The temple is made up of the Wedasitina Maligawawhere the deity resides, the Digge (called the 'dancing hall'), and Hewisi Mandapaya ('drummers' hall'). The rectangular digger is the most impressive feature of Embekke. The hall is made up entirely out of wood, down to the very nails. The majority of woodcarvings that Sentialy make up Embekke's tyory are to be found on the ndopaapitai pillars, but they blossom out of the wood on beams, rafters, doorways, and doors as well. Altogether, there are 514 exquisite carvings covering the digger. A great mix of day-to-day figures, mythical beings, and plants as well as elegantly chiseled animals abound.
There is the carving of the sneezing face (Kimbihi Moona), the double-headed eagle, dancing woman, mother with children, wrestlers, and soldiers. The stylized images, deftly carved, capture amazingly intricate detail, and are full of life.
A huge wooden pin, called Madol Kurupawa', holds all the 26 rafters at the hipped end of the roof of the dancing hall or Digge. This is a remarkable example of medieval carpentry. A compartment called Antharalaya houses treasures from the Gampola kingdom, including a pair of tusks donated by the same Wickrama Bahu who built the temple and a palanquin given to King Rajasinha II by the Dutch.
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