| Mawaragala Forest Hermitage | |
|---|---|
| මාවරගල ආරණ්ය සේනාසනය | |
 | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Buddhism |
| District | Badulla |
| Province | Uva Province |
| Location | |
| Location | Dambana, Mahiyangana, Sri Lanka |
| Geographic coordinates | 07°23′53.5″N 81°05′47.6″E / 7.398194°N 81.096556°E / 7.398194; 81.096556 |
| Architecture | |
| Type | Buddhist Temple |
| Style | Cave temple |
Mawaragala Aranya Senasanaya or Mawaragala Forest Hermitage (Sinhalaː මාවරගල ආරණ්ය සේනාසනය) is an ancient Buddhist temple in Mahiyangana, Sri Lanka. Situated in Dambana, the temple locate about 15 km (9.3 mi) away from the ancient temple Mahiyangana Raja Maha Vihara. The temple has been declared as one of archaeological sites in Sri Lanka.
History
It is believed that the history of Mawaragala Forest Hermitage dates back to the reign of King Valagamba (103 BC and c. 89–77 BC) and arhat Maliyadeva and 60 Buddhist monks have lived here during that period. Cave inscriptions written in early Brahmi script and Old Sinhala Prakrit have been discovered at this site.
References
- ^ "Protercted Monument List 2012-12-12" (PDF). Department of Archaeology. 12 December 2012. Retrieved 27 March 2016.
- "Serenity of the Mawaragala forest monastery". Nation.lk. 29 April 2007. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
- "Mawaragala forest hermitage - where silence and serenity prevail". Sundayobserver. 18 May 2014. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
- "Mawaragala Aranya Senasanaya (Dambana)". www.lankapradeepa.com. 23 April 2018. Retrieved 25 November 2023.