Sankhapala Viharaya, located in Pallebedda, Sri Lanka, is an ancient Buddhist temple with Early Brahmi inscriptions and is associated with Phussadeva.
Sankhapala Raja Maha Viharaya Sankhapala Raja Maha Viharaya (Sinhala: පල්ලෙබැද්ද ශ්රී සංඛපාල පුරාණ විහාරය) is a Buddhist temple situated in Pallebedda village in Ratnapura District, Sri Lanka. History As the presence of a few Early Brahmi Cave Inscriptions , the history of this temple can be dated back to the period of the pre-Christian era (Paranavitana, 1970). According to popular beliefs, Phussadeva, one of the paladins of King Dutugemunu (161-137 B.C.) had entered the order of monks after the conclusion of the Elara war and attained Arhatship at this temple (Abeyawardana, 2002). A Tudapatha granted to this temple by King Sri Rajadhi Rajasinha (1781-1798 A.D.) in Saka year 1708 (1786 A.D.) reveals an offering (a land grant) made to a Buddhist monk named Karatota Dhammarama Thera in appreciation of his unique poetic composition known as Barasakavya (Abeyawardana, 2002; Collins, 1932). Inscriptions Three early Brahmi cave inscriptions belonging to the period between the 2nd-1st century B.C. have been found in the Sank…
