Going past the town of Mawanella on the A1 - Colombo Kandy highway - one reaches the turn off to Aluthnuwara Dewale. In the old days this was the place for travellers to stop and drop a few coins - 'padura' S, 'kaanikkai' T - wishing for a trouble free journey in a wayside temple. It still draws a few travellers. It must have been a busy spot. This old dilapidated building more than a hundred years old must have had its hey-day. You can see the cracked mud and bamboo walls. The old type 'Sinhala tiles on the building are still servicable. Alas its days are numbered.
