A cave temple among great boulders where the Buddhist Pali Canon was first committed to writing in the 1st century BC.

Overview

Aluvihare is a monastery complex set among huge rock outcrops just north of Matale town, with a series of cave shrines reached by rock-cut steps. The caves hold reclining Buddha statues and vivid murals, including graphic depictions of the Buddhist hells. A small museum and library recall the temple's role in preserving Buddhist scripture, and a working olas (palm-leaf) manuscript tradition continues here.

History

Tradition traces the site to King Devanampiyatissa in the 3rd century BC, but its fame rests on the 1st century BC, when a council of monks wrote down the Buddha's oral teachings, the Tripitaka, on palm leaves for the first time. The temple was damaged during British reprisals after the 1848 Matale Rebellion and has since been restored.