Aluvihare Temple
The Aluvihare Buddhist temple is located in the Matale district of Sri Lanka.
Surrounded by hills, the Aluvihara rock temple is located 30 km north of Kandy on the Matale-Dambulla road.
The history of the rock temple of Aluvihare carved in the rock dates back to the third century BC. until the reign of King Devanampiyatissa.
The king is believed to have built the dagoba, planted the Bo sapling, and founded the temple after the introduction of Buddhism into the country during his reign.
Aluvihare Rock Temple was the historical place where the Canon Pāli was for the first time completely written in the text on ola leaves (palm).
It is at the Aluvihare temple that you must go and absorb the traditions of Sri Lanka Buddhism that have not changed since feudal times.
At first glance, the temple is intriguing, spreading over several levels through rocks and lush vegetation.
Coconut palms with feathered fronds; houses with colonnaded verandas and roofs of boulders; entire villages assigned to provide feudal services: everything is here.
Inside its premises there are also thirteen caves.
For more than 2,300 years, monks have inhabited these caves, engaged in their search for Nirvana.
The oldest sign left by them on the rocky boulders is a sacred imprint to represent the Buddha.
The dark main rock cave is occupied by a giant reclining Buddha, enthusiastically served by images from divine and human characters.
Another cave with a Buddha statue is painted with graphic images of Buddhist hell: a warning for pilgrims.
However, Aluvihare is known above all because a historical event of Buddhist history took place inside its caves.
In the first century BC, a huge number of monks in the country fell victim to a 12-year famine.
At that time, all the Buddha’s teachings were still passed on orally from generation to generation by the monks, so the doctrine was threatened with extinction.
After the famine, one of the first priorities was to commit doctrine to writing.
The original hola leaf manuscripts, on which the words and philosophy of the Buddha were engraved, had survived, somehow incredibly, until the mid-nineteenth century.
But during the Matale rebellion of 1848 many parts of the temple were destroyed and the library with the precious collection was completely lost.
Sri Lanka is indeed the perfect place for children and for people who like animals and nature.
This country is incredibly green.
It is impossible not to find elephant herds on safari or even on the same road traveling.
It is also very easy to see leopards, macaques and other types of monkeys, giant squirrels, jackals, etc. etc
Furthermore, walking with children and adults through the Peradeniya Botanical Garden is a delight. Along with the giant trees and millions of plants, we will also find monkeys and other animals in this immense place.
