靠近岛屿南端的一座古老寺庙小镇，曾经是一个伟大的中世纪朝圣港口，举办著名的埃萨拉节。

概述

德维努瓦拉（Devinuwara），“众神之城”，是一座历史悠久的寺庙小镇，位于马特勒东南部，靠近斯里兰卡最南端。它的多宗教建筑群以乌普尔万（毗湿奴）德瓦拉亚神庙和毗邻的佛教寺庙为中心，每年在德维努瓦拉埃萨拉节期间都会举办盛大的佩拉赫拉游行和集市，热闹非凡。古代石雕的碎片让人想起曾经矗立在这里的一座更大的中世纪圣城。

历史

The sacred complex was founded as early as the 7th century AD under King Dappula and reached its height between the 13th and 15th centuries as one of the island's most celebrated pilgrimage ports, its gilded temple roof a landmark for sailors and its shrines visited by travellers such as Ibn Battuta and the Chinese admiral Zheng He. The city was sacked and burned by a Portuguese raid in 1587, and the present Vishnu devale was rebuilt in the 17th century under King Rajasinghe II of Kandy.