Panama Wewe Vehera Viharaya (also known as Panama Wewa Viharaya or Panama Raja Maha Viharaya) is a Buddhist temple situated near Panama Wewa in Ampara District, Sri Lanka.
History
As the presence of drip-ledged caves with Early Brahmi Inscriptions, the history of this site runs back to the pre-Christian era (Nicholas, 1963). Inscriptions belonging to the 5-7th centuries A.D. at the site reveal its ancient name as Panava-rajama-vahara, situated in the subdivision named Vajana (Nicholas, 1963).
Period: 2nd century B.C. Script: Old Sinhala Language: Old Sinhala
Transcript: Parumaka Tisha puta parumaka Adi-liya lene shagasha
Translation: The cave of chief Adili, the son of chief Tissa (given) to Sangha
Referenece: Medhananda, 2003
A protected site
The monastery complex, where the ruins of ancient
buildings hillocks covering Chaithyas, inscriptions, caves,
ponds and archaeological evidence are scattered, at the
place called “Wewevehera” belonging to Mangalagama village
in Grama Niladari Division Panama South in the Divisional
Secretary’s Division, Lahugala is an archaeological protected site declared
by a government gazette notification published on 10 October 2014.
References
1) Medhananda, Ven. Ellawala, 2003. Pacheena passa - Uttara passa: Negenahira palata ha uturu palate Sinhala bauddha urumaya (In Sinhala). Dayawansa Jayakody & Company. Colombo. ISBN: 978-955-686-112-9. pp.125-129.
2) Nicholas, C. W., 1963. Historical topography of ancient and medieval Ceylon. Journal of the Ceylon Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, New Series (Vol VI). Special Number: Colombo. Royal Asiatic Society (Ceylon Branch). p.22.
3) The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. No: 1884. 10 October 2014. p.918.
Location Map
This page was last updated on 4 June 2022
For a complete tourist map follow this link: Lankapradeepa Tourist Map
For a complete tourist map follow this link: Lankapradeepa Tourist Map