Gonawatta Ancient Caves

The Gonawatta caves lie near an old crossing place on the Mahaweli River. A drip-ledged cave and early Brahmi inscription provide evidence of Buddhist activity in the Kandy hills before the city became the centre of the later Kandyan kingdom. Published accounts place the inscription around the second century BCE and record Wisaltota as an ancient name associated with the crossing. The cave temple has been altered and damaged over time, so surviving features should be examined carefully without assuming that every visible structure is ancient.