Bisowela Raja Maha Viharaya Bisowela Raja Maha Viharaya (Sinhala: බිසෝවෙල රජමහා විහාරය) is a Buddhist temple situated in Bisowela in Kegalle District, Sri Lanka. History The cave of the Bisowela temple is thought to have been occupied by Buddhist monks since ancient times (Abeyawardana, 2002). This is evident by an inscription of Early Brahmi Characters (3rd century B.C.-1st century A.D.) that is found in the cave. Bisowela Vihara cave inscription Period: 3rd century B.C.-1st century A.D. Script: Early Brahmi Language: Old Sinhala Transcript: Gapati Tilika Tisha-ma Translation: .....of Householder Tilika Tissa Citation: Gamage, 2020. p.36. According to tradition, two queens (sisters) sheltered themselves in Handa-kele Mukalana in Bisowela village before the days of King Rajasinghe I [(1581-1593 A.D.) Bell, 1904]. It is said that the elder sister built the temple in Bisowela while the younger built a temple named Danduvalgane (Bell, 1904). During the reign of King Kirti Sri Rajasinghe (1747-1782 A.D.), the ca…
