Building Name: | Piyangala Forest Hermitage |
Native Name: | පියංගල ආරණ්ය සේනාසනය |
Location: | Piyangala, Ampara, Sri Lanka |
Coordinates: | 7.4961°N 81.6316°W |
Province: | Eastern Province, Sri Lanka |
District: | Ampara |
Heritage Designation: | Archaeological protected monument (26 December 2014) |
Architecture: | yes |
Architecture Type: | Buddhist Temple |
Architecture Style: | Cave temple |
Piyangala Aranya Senasanaya or Piyangala Forest Hermitage (Sinhalaː පියංගල ආරණ්ය සේනාසනය) is an ancient Buddhist temple in Ampara, Sri Lanka. The temple lies on the Ampara – Mahaoya main road, approximately 27km (17miles) away from the town of Ampara. The temple has been formally recognised by the Government as an archaeological site in Sri Lanka.
It is believed that this temple was constructed during the pre-Christian era. The site consists of a number of drip ledged caves with Brahmi inscriptions and ruins.[1] A few inscriptions detail the donation of caves by Rajithaa, and a daughter of King Dutugamunu. According to the view of Ellawala Medhananda Thera, these inscriptions are important as they reveal the names of Dutugemunu's queens and children.[2]