Embekke Devalaya
Embekke Devalaya
4.5
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4.5
83 reviews
Excellent
36
Very good
36
Average
9
Poor
1
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1
Littlecosmos
München51 contributions
Feb 2012 • Couples
The Embekke Devalya is a very nice hinduism temple about ten kilometers outside of Kandy. It is very old as it was built in the 14th/15th century.
The wooden columns consist of carvings with dancers, animals, etc.
We highly recommend to combine the Embekke Devalaya with the other temples such as Lankatilake and Gadaladeniya.
Do it by foot and you can enjoy the beautiful landscape.
Also, we recommend the very nice woodcarver on the way to the temple.
The wooden columns consist of carvings with dancers, animals, etc.
We highly recommend to combine the Embekke Devalaya with the other temples such as Lankatilake and Gadaladeniya.
Do it by foot and you can enjoy the beautiful landscape.
Also, we recommend the very nice woodcarver on the way to the temple.
Written 13 April 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Veepy
Bengaluru, India412 contributions
Feb 2014 • Friends
Located near Peradeniya, Embekke Devalaya is said to have been built in the 14th-15th century AD. Though originally built as a Audience hall for the Gampola kings, it was later converted into a temple attributed to the Hindu warrior god Kataragama(known more commonly as Lord Muruga).
Quite a small complex, the place can be covered in under an hour. The wood carvings on the entrance arch is something to be seen. One can find a couple of locals in the temple who will be happy to explain the historical significance of the place.
There is a entrance fee of 300SLR for the temple.
Quite a small complex, the place can be covered in under an hour. The wood carvings on the entrance arch is something to be seen. One can find a couple of locals in the temple who will be happy to explain the historical significance of the place.
There is a entrance fee of 300SLR for the temple.
Written 17 February 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
lia1234
London, UK13 contributions
May 2013 • Friends
We got a tuktuk to take us from Kandy and wait at each of the temples for us. This cost us 1000 rupees for a couple of hours which was a pretty good deal!
The drive between the temples in quite bumpy but you really feel like you have left the city and drive through some small villages and rice paddies. It is very pretty and I don't think many tourists bother to visit these temples.
Each one of the temples has a different building material and things to see so I would definitely recommend visiting all 3 of them.
First we visited Gadaladeniya temple. Our driver dropped us off at the back entrance- which we didn't realise- so we just wandered in. However a caretaker ran over and explained that we had to pay 200 rupees. He showed us around the temple and told us about the history- he said that he had worked here for almost 30 years. His job was to restore some of the paintings. There is a pretty bo tree and dagoba with four small rock temples as well as the main temple with old rock carvings of animals. After this he took us to his house (one room) where he does paintings of the temple. I thought they were really beautiful but sadly could not transport a full sized poster home so bought a small greeting card for about 200 rupees which I was happy with since he had been so friendly and helpful.
Next we went to Lankathilake which was definitely the most impressive temple from the outside. Perched on top of a rock on a hill there were very nice views across to the hills. The temple itself is also very large. First a local showed us the Hindu temple at the back- for free. This is quite bizarre- a building inside another building with windows opening to show Hindu gods. The Buddhist temple was around the other side of the same building but we couldn't find anyone to unlock the door so wandered around the outside and looked at the view. As we were leaving a man ran over but told us the entrance fee was 350 rupees (our guide book said 200 and he seemed to just make up a price) so we decided to just go since we were leaving anyway. We immediately felt really bad because he seemed really disappointed (maybe because he would have kept most of the entrance fee himself!).
Embekke was the third that we visited. This is the wooden temple. You have to pay 200 rupees for a ticket and then you get taken around by a guide who points out the wood carvings that are hundreds of years old! The temple itself was not the most impressive but the carvings were very well preserved.
Overall we really enjoyed these temples but we were staying in Kandy for quite a while. This is probably not something to do if you only have a day in Kandy as there are more impressive/ famous things to see.
The drive between the temples in quite bumpy but you really feel like you have left the city and drive through some small villages and rice paddies. It is very pretty and I don't think many tourists bother to visit these temples.
Each one of the temples has a different building material and things to see so I would definitely recommend visiting all 3 of them.
First we visited Gadaladeniya temple. Our driver dropped us off at the back entrance- which we didn't realise- so we just wandered in. However a caretaker ran over and explained that we had to pay 200 rupees. He showed us around the temple and told us about the history- he said that he had worked here for almost 30 years. His job was to restore some of the paintings. There is a pretty bo tree and dagoba with four small rock temples as well as the main temple with old rock carvings of animals. After this he took us to his house (one room) where he does paintings of the temple. I thought they were really beautiful but sadly could not transport a full sized poster home so bought a small greeting card for about 200 rupees which I was happy with since he had been so friendly and helpful.
Next we went to Lankathilake which was definitely the most impressive temple from the outside. Perched on top of a rock on a hill there were very nice views across to the hills. The temple itself is also very large. First a local showed us the Hindu temple at the back- for free. This is quite bizarre- a building inside another building with windows opening to show Hindu gods. The Buddhist temple was around the other side of the same building but we couldn't find anyone to unlock the door so wandered around the outside and looked at the view. As we were leaving a man ran over but told us the entrance fee was 350 rupees (our guide book said 200 and he seemed to just make up a price) so we decided to just go since we were leaving anyway. We immediately felt really bad because he seemed really disappointed (maybe because he would have kept most of the entrance fee himself!).
Embekke was the third that we visited. This is the wooden temple. You have to pay 200 rupees for a ticket and then you get taken around by a guide who points out the wood carvings that are hundreds of years old! The temple itself was not the most impressive but the carvings were very well preserved.
Overall we really enjoyed these temples but we were staying in Kandy for quite a while. This is probably not something to do if you only have a day in Kandy as there are more impressive/ famous things to see.
Written 4 June 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lasith Imarshana
Ingiriya, Sri Lanka84 contributions
Mar 2022 • Friends
Embekka dewalaya was built by king wikramabahu III. Embekka is
a place with excellent wood carvings.
It has amazing wood carvings. TheTampita building is also near the dewalaya.
a place with excellent wood carvings.
It has amazing wood carvings. TheTampita building is also near the dewalaya.
Written 7 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ava Charlotte
Toronto, Canada7 contributions
Jul 2019 • Couples
Embekke is a amazing place with great architecture. I was wondering about creativity and skills of great people in Sri Lanka. I love this place. I do recommend and must visit place in Kandy, Sri Lanka
Written 30 July 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
BobB3
Rome, Italy156 contributions
Mar 2012 • Friends
We spent one morning visiting the three temples Gadaladeniya, Kankatilake and Embekke located just outside Kandy. We did it with our own transportation, but some people do spend a whole day walking between the three. Each of the three is unique and each is quite beautiful. Embekke is famous because of the woodwork. It is nice to just look at but is even better if you have a local guide who can point out the construction details that one could easily miss and also to decipher the symbolism of the many carvings. We met up with a school group visiting the three temples. As we were the only tourists visiting the temples at that time, we were an instant hit with the young students. Many photo opportunities together with them and some time to talk together with them and their teachers. It kind of made the day!
Written 22 April 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ayush
Bengaluru, India165 contributions
Apr 2012 • Couples
again the same story..the only interest is in collecting the entry fees..the place being far off from the city is in serious need of attentiona dn funding..so go there only if you have nothing to do and still need time to spend
Written 13 April 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Guia Lanka
Kandy District, Sri Lanka30 contributions
Aug 2017 • Family
It's a one of the great wood carving temple in Sri Lanka build in 14 century in Gampola period. Very beautiful carving & interesting history. Little temple but it's a amazing site. must see in Kandy
Written 14 September 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dingo_6152
Fremantle, Australia3,380 contributions
Jan 2016 • Couples
Maybe because this was the last of the three temples we visited outside of Kandy, we were feeling slightly over it all. This is the smallest of the temple complexes that we visited that day. The entrance fee is Rs300 per person. As soon as you enter one of the old men at the entrance will try & latch onto you to give you a guided tour (for a small gratuity), their English is poor and they only point out what you can see for yourself.
The Hindu temple or devale is dedicated to the worship of Mahasen, and it is worth closely examining the carved 14th century wooden pillars in the main hall.
It will only take 10mins at most to take in the entire area and is not worth visiting on its own.
The Hindu temple or devale is dedicated to the worship of Mahasen, and it is worth closely examining the carved 14th century wooden pillars in the main hall.
It will only take 10mins at most to take in the entire area and is not worth visiting on its own.
Written 14 January 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
DiyanaArtemis
Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia109 contributions
Feb 2014 • Couples
Located at Embekke village of Udunuwara in Kandy, this rustic temple is a must visit for you if you are a history buff or a fan of architectural design. UNESCO has identified the wood carvings on the pillars as the finest to be found in any part of the world. Quiet and serene, one can easily find his peace of mind while wandering around in this temple. Entrance fee is Rs300 as at February 2014.
Written 7 February 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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