 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (December 2023) |
| Parama Weera Vibhushanaya | |
|---|---|
 Medal, obverse (right) and reverse (left) | |
| Type | Medal |
| Awarded for | "individual acts of gallantry and conspicuous bravery of the most exceptional order in the face of the enemy" |
| Presented by | President of Sri Lanka |
| Eligibility | Persons of any rank in the Sri Lankan regular or volunteer forces of the Army, Navy and Air Forces |
| Post-nominals | PWV |
| Status | Currently awarded |
| Established | 1981 |
| First awarded | 1991 |
| Last awarded | 2016 |
| Total | 31 |
| Total awarded posthumously | 31 (including awards to MIA personnel later declared KIA) |
| Total recipients | 31 |
 | |
| Precedence | |
| Next (higher) | None (Highest) |
| Next (lower) | Weerodara Vibhushanaya (Non-combat) |
| Related | Uththama Pooja Pranama Padakkama |
The Parama Weera Vibhushanaya (PWV) (Sinhala: පරම වීර වීභූෂණය parama vīra vibhūṣaṇaya; Tamil: பரம வீர விபுஷனைய) is Sri Lanka's highest military decoration, awarded for acts of exceptional valour in wartime. Parama Weera Vibhushanaya translates as the "Order of the Ultimate Brave", and the award is granted for "individual acts of gallantry and conspicuous bravery of the most exceptional order in the face of the enemy". Corporal Gamini Kularatne, was the first recipient. As of January 2021[update], the medal has been awarded 31 times, of which all were posthumous and arose from actions in the Sri Lankan Civil War. Of the 31 awardees, 28 have been from the Sri Lanka Army, two have been from the Sri Lanka Navy and one has been from the Sri Lanka Air Force.
Ceylon used the British awards system and continued post-independence until 1956, when British imperial honours were suspended. New awards were instituted in 1981. PWV is equivalent to the Victoria Cross in the United Kingdom, the Medal of Honor in the United States and Param Vir Chakra in India.