Mawela Raja Maha Viharaya (Kadugannawa)

Mawela Raja Maha Viharaya , also known as Pahala Kadugannawa Mawela Viharaya or Walagamba Viharaya or Mawela Kande Viharaya (Sinhala: මාවෙල විහාරය, පහල මාවෙල විහාරය, වලගම්බා විහාරය), is a Buddhist temple situated in Pahala Kadugannawa village in Kegalle District, Sri Lanka. History As the presence of Early Brahmi Inscriptions , the history of this site can be dated back to the pre-Christian era. Locals link the history of this place to King Valagamba [(89-77 A.D.) Ambanwala & Karunaratne, 2009; De Silva & Chandrasekara, 2009]. According to another belief, this temple was built by Queen Henakanda Biso Bandara during the Gampola Period (Ambanwala & Karunaratne, 2009). The Vihara-ge and the Stupa are said to have been built in the reign of King Parakramabahu VI [(1412-1467 A.D.) Bell, 1904]. The temple is mentioned in Nampota , an ancient Sinhalese text which is considered to have been compiled after the 14th century. Inscriptions As discovered by Ambanwala & Karunaratne, ther…