Sunday, May 15, 2016

Aluvihare rock temple, Sri Lanka.

On the A9 road from Mathale          
At Aluvihare


Aluvihare Rock Temple

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Aluvihare Rock Temple
මාතලේ අලුවිහාරය
Matale aluviharaya.jpg
The main entrance of the Aluvihare Rock Temple
Basic information
LocationAluvihare, Sri Lanka
Geographic coordinates07°29′49.9″N 80°37′18.7″ECoordinates: 07°29′49.9″N 80°37′18.7″E
AffiliationBuddhism
DistrictMatale
ProvinceCentral Province
Heritage designationArchaeological protected monument[1] (11 October 1974)
Architectural description
Architectural typeBuddhist Temple
The Aluvihare Rock Temple (also called Matale Alu Viharaya) is a sacred Buddhist temple located in Aluvihare, Matale District of Sri Lanka.[2] 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.[3] Many monastery caves, some of which exhibit frescoes are situated near this temple.[4]