Pannavamsa

U Paññāvaṃsa (; Pyinnyawuntha), commonly known as the Penang Sayadaw and officially titled Bhaddantapaññāvaṃsa ) was a prominent Burmese Buddhist monk, known for his missionary work, particularly in Sri Lanka and Malaysia. He was first selected to perform missionary work on Coco Islands on behalf of the Burmese government.

In 1954, he was selected by the government of Myanmar for missionary work in Cocos Island, and extended subsequently to Sri Lanka, Andaman Islands and Malaysia. In 1961, the Burmese government sent him to become the chief abbot of the Dhammikarama Burmese Temple in Penang, Malaysia. In Malaysia, from 1970 to 1979, he served as a religious advisor to the Young Buddhist Association of Malaysia and as chief examiner of the Malaysia Buddhist examination syndicate. He founded the Sunday Buddhist Institute, an organization for the study of Buddhism and meditation. In 1979, he became a lecturer in Buddha Abhidhamma at the University of Oriental Studies, Los Angeles.