ALUVIHARA ROCK CAVE TEMPLE

Aluvihara, which means monastery of ashes, is a troglodytic monastery. According to the legend, it would have been born from the ashes of a campfire lit by a giant to heat his cooking pot.

This temple, also called Matale Alu Viharaya, is said to have been founded in the 3rd century BC during the reign of King Devanampiya Tissa, the founder of Anuradhapura. He is said to have built the stupa, planted the Bo tree and built the temple after the introduction of Buddhism in the country. It is here that the Tipitaka, the first transcription of Buddha's doctrines in the Paleolanguage, was written in the 2nd century BC. This information is difficult to verify, as the monastery's library and archives burned down in 1848, when the British attempted to arrest a rebel leader on these premises. Many parts of the complex were also destroyed by this fire and its consequences are still visible today in some parts of the site. Today, the monks are meticulously reconstructing the lost work, reproducing the sacred texts on leaves of tallipot, a kind of palm tree. One can observe the rigor of this work by visiting their workshop.

During the visit of the various rooms cut in the rock, one will notice interesting frescos and a statue of Buddha lying down of 10 meters. One will not fail to admire the view on the valley from the upper part of the rocky promontory.