| Aluvihare Rock Temple | |
|---|---|
මාතලේ අලුවිහාරය | |
 The main entrance of the Aluvihare Rock Temple | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Buddhism |
| District | Matale |
| Province | Central Province |
| Location | |
| Location | Aluvihare, Sri Lanka |
| Geographic coordinates | 07°29′49.9″N 80°37′18.7″E / 7.497194°N 80.621861°E |
| Architecture | |
| Type | Buddhist Temple |
The Aluvihare Rock Temple (also called Matale Alu Viharaya) is a sacred Buddhist temple located in Aluvihare, Matale District of Sri Lanka. Surrounded by hills, the Aluvihara cave temple is situated 30 km north of Kandy on the Matale-Dambulla road. The history of Aluvihare Rock Temple is traced back to the 3rd Century B.C to the reign of King Devanampiyatissa. It is believed that the King built the dagoba, planted the Bo sapling and founded the temple after the introduction of Buddhism to the country during his reign.
Aluvihare Rock Temple was the historic location where the Pāli Canon was first written down completely in text on ola (palm) leaves.[2] Many monastery caves, some of which exhibit frescoes are situated near this temple.[3]
- ^ "Protercted Monument List 2012-12-12" (PDF). Department of Archaeology. 12 December 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-11-23. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
- ^ "Matale District". Ceylon Today. Archived from the original on 11 July 2015. Retrieved 10 July 2015.
- ^ "Matale". Cultural Triangle. Retrieved 10 July 2015.