Aluvihara Temple in Matale is a very significant place of worship among Buddhists. This temple takes a very prominent place among Buddhists in Ceylon because this is where a very momentous incident occurred. The Tripitaka or the Buddhist scriptures were written on Ola leaves creating a tremendous change in Buddhist literature. These scriptures were written in Pali by a council of Buddhist monks under the patronage of King Valagamba who reigned in Sri Lanka during 104 – 177 BC. Before this historic episode, the Tripitaka had initially come along from word of mouth from the priests at the time.
The Tripitaka is segmented into three key divisions which are Basket of Discipline – Vinaya Pitakaya, Basket of Discourse – Suthra Pitakaya and Basket of Metaphysics – Abhidarma Pitakaya. This temple is a cave of rocks with a renowned Pandol built from concrete at the entrance point. The entrance canopy leads the pilgrims through a steep rise of stone steps to the front terrace.
When you reach the terrace many rock cave shelters appear. From this place steps rise round and round paving the path to the other caves. This remarkable site of worship is visited by tourists both local and foreign. The library houses some of the valuable antiques and scripts belonging to a bygone era. There are also precious Buddha statues that were gifted from fellow Buddhist countries like Myanmar, Cambodia, China, Siam and Japan along with some other relics belonging to old Lanka.
The gallery of the library houses Buddha statues of different makes like clay, marble, brass and also gold plated statues. It is said that the scripts on Ola leaves were written in seven rock caves during the reign of King Valagamba and now only 3 of these significant rock caves remain. This place would surely give you a proper understanding about Buddhist literature and the efforts taken by the rulers and priests to protect the religion.
If you choose a hotel in Sigiriya it would be fascinating, so you can visit many places at once. Hotel Sigiriya is a fine hotel out of the hotels Sigiriya has to offer. It would also give you a clear view of the rock at a distant.