Maduwanwela Walawwa is a Walauwa located in Ratnapura District, Sabaragamuwa Province, Sri Lanka. The Walawwa is in the town of Maduwanwela, which lies between Embilipitiya and Rakwana, approximately 207 km (129 mi) from Colombo.
| Maduwanwela Walawwa | |
|---|---|
මඩුවන්වෙල වලව්ව | |
 | |
 | |
| Alternative names | Maduwanwela Mansion |
| General information | |
| Type | Walawwa |
| Location | Maduwanwela |
| Town or city | Kolonna |
| Country | Sri Lanka |
| Coordinates | 06°23′21.0″N 80°42′12.5″E / 6.389167°N 80.703472°E |
| Completed | 1725[citation needed] |
| Owner | Department of Archaeology (Sri Lanka) |
| Designations | Archaeological protected monument (20 September 1974)[1] |
History
editMaduwanwela Walawwa dates back to the reign of King Wimaladharmasuriya II (1687-1707 AD).[2] It was built by Maduwanwela Maha Mohottala in the 1700s and was expanded numerous times by the Maduwanwela family until 1905 when the final expansion was undertaken by Maduwanwela Maha Disawe.
Building
editDuring 1877-1905 period, the Walawwa had 121 rooms, 21 inner courtyards (Meda Midula)[2] and 32,000 ha (80,000 acres) of land surrounding it, at present there are on 43 rooms left.[3] Located on in the grounds is a courthouse with seating space for 100 people, furniture and the equipment used for punishments are still present. Following the death of Maduwanwela Maha Disawe, the last of the Maduwanwela family, the house was transferred to Sir Francis Molamure. In 1974, the Maduwanwela Walawwa and its estate, the Maduwanwela Nandigama Watte was taken over to the state by the Land Reform Commission and administrated by the Department of Archaeology as a museum.[4] In 2023, the Government of Sri Lanka leased 35 ha (87 acres) of land from the estate to Ceylon Tobacco Company for forest farming.[5]
References
edit- ^ "Gazette". The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. 130. 20 September 1974.
- ^ a b Mahil Wijesinghe (9 April 2017). "Maduwanwela Walawwa: Home of rebellious black prince". Sunday Observer (Sri Lanka). Retrieved 14 April 2017.
- ^ Dilrukshi Handunnetti (4 May 2013). "Maduwanwela Walauwa, the first walauwa to be conserved". The Sunday Leader. Retrieved 14 April 2017.
- ^ Chamitha Kuruppu (15 August 2001). "A Prince's Paradise". The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka). Retrieved 14 April 2017.
- ^ "Historical building land to be provided for CTC forest farming project". newswire.lk. Retrieved 29 November 2023.