Panakaduwa Thamba Sannasa is the earliest in date of the copper-plate charters discovered in Sri Lanka. It was accidentally found out by a farmer
Panakaduwa Copper Plate Grant P anakaduwa Copper Plate Grant , also known as Panakaduwa Thamba Sannasa (Sinhala: පනාකඩුව තඹ සන්නස), is a copper-plate charter discovered in the village of Panakaduwa in the Morawak Korale of Matara District, Sri Lanka. This artefact is considered significant as it is the earliest in date of the copper-plate charters so far discovered in the country (Fernando, 1975; Ranawella, 2007). The plates are presently on display in the National Museum of Colombo . Discovery The plates were discovered in or about February 1948 by a farmer of Panakaduwa, Suravirage Carolis Appuhami, while digging in a crown land for some turf for his field at Bogahadeniya (Fernando, 1990; Ranawella, 2007). As the plates are not made of gold or any other valuable metal, Appuhami had put them aside in his house (Kadurugamuwa & Thilakaratne, 1985). But later when his family began to fall ill too often, Appuhami thought that it was due to some kind of misfortune of these plates (Fernando, 1990). He handed over them t…
