The Wekande Jummah Masjid made history when it completed 232 years of its existence on 1st Muharram 1433 is the oldest Jummah Masjid in Slave Island as well as one of the oldest in Colombo. . This is in it itself a striking phenomenon- an unbroken history of service to the Muslims in a non-Muslims country but the circumstances surrounding its founding are no less remarkable. The land on which the mosque was built was purchased in 1786 (A.H. 1201)by Pandan Bali, a Javanese noble man who had been exiled to Ceylon with his family and retinue. Pandan Bali purchased the land in extent 1 morgen 383 square perches & 48 square feet and donated it in 17th August 1786 (A.H.1201) to Sabu Latiff, the scion of a long line of priests from Java, for use as a Mosque and graveyard for Muslims.
The masjid was donated by Pandan Bali a wealthy civilian who came with the Malays of Military contingent that arrived with the Dutch. He got married in Beruwala and longing for a child. Then he made a vow to build a mosque if he was blessed with a child. A baby girl was born and she was named as Sariya Umma (also known as Pallie Umma). Pandan Bali fulfilled his vow by donating a land with a masjid and a burial ground. The descendants of Pandan Bali are currently known by the surname ‘Pallie’.
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