Piyangala Aranya Senasanaya (Ampara) Not to be confused with Kotasara Piyangala Viharaya Piyangala Aranya Senasanaya , also known as Piyangala Viharaya (Sinhala: පියංගල ආරණ්ය සේනාසනය, පියංගල විහාරය), is a Buddhist temple situated in Piyangala village in Ampara District, Sri Lanka. The site is located on the wayside of Ampara-Maha Oya road about 26.8 km from Ampara town. History The temple is a forest hermitage and is situated in the eastern part of Rajagala Mountain (Withanachchi, 2013). The modern Viharaya and the hermitage have been established at the site in 1963 (Medhananda, 1984). A large number of caves that were used as dwellings for the monks are found on the temple premises. Some of the caves contain Early Brahmi Inscriptions inscribed just below their drip ledges. Among them, several inscriptions are considered very important as they give details about the royalties connected to King Dutugemunu/ Gamini Abhaya [(161-137 B.C.) Medhananda, 1984]. According to the view of Medhananda, these inscriptions reveal the names …
