Aluvihare ( si, අලුවිහාරය ta, அலுவிஹார்) is a suburb of
Matale
Matale ( Sinhala: මාතලේ, ta, மாத்தளை, translit=Māttaḷai) is the administrative capital city of the Matale District. It is the most urbanised and populated centre in the district. Matale is also the second largest muni ...
,
Central Province of
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
. It is located north of
Matale
Matale ( Sinhala: මාතලේ, ta, மாத்தளை, translit=Māttaḷai) is the administrative capital city of the Matale District. It is the most urbanised and populated centre in the district. Matale is also the second largest muni ...
and north-east of
Colombo
Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo me ...
.
The suburb is situated on the
Kandy-Jaffna highway (A9).
It was founded by
King Devanampiyatissa
Tissa, later Devanampiya Tissa, was one of the earliest kings of Sri Lanka based at the ancient capital of Anuradhapura from 247 BC to 207 BC. His reign was notable for the arrival of Buddhism in Sri Lanka under the aegis of the Maurya ...
, around 300 B.C. but did not receive the name Aluvihare until a later date.
The Aluvihare family originated from the area, an important family responsible for looking after the
Aluvihare Rock Temple
The Aluvihare Rock Temple (also called Matale Alu Viharaya) is a sacred Buddhist temple located in Aluvihare, Matale District of Sri Lanka. Surrounded by hills, the Aluvihara cave temple is situated 30 km north of Kandy on the Matale-Dambulla road ...
, and thus serving the
Buddhist
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
community in
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
.
[http://www.dinamina.lk/2017/06/09/විශේෂාංග/35404]
Today, Aluvihare is a popular attraction to both tourists and Buddhists wanting to visit the
Aluvihare Rock Temple
The Aluvihare Rock Temple (also called Matale Alu Viharaya) is a sacred Buddhist temple located in Aluvihare, Matale District of Sri Lanka. Surrounded by hills, the Aluvihara cave temple is situated 30 km north of Kandy on the Matale-Dambulla road ...
.
See also
*
Aluvihare Rock Temple
The Aluvihare Rock Temple (also called Matale Alu Viharaya) is a sacred Buddhist temple located in Aluvihare, Matale District of Sri Lanka. Surrounded by hills, the Aluvihara cave temple is situated 30 km north of Kandy on the Matale-Dambulla road ...
*
Nalanda Gedige
Nalanda Gedige ( si, නාලන්දා ගෙඩිගේ; ta, நாலந்த கெடிகே) is an ancient complete stone temple near Matale, Sri Lanka and its original site is considered the geographical centre of Sri Lanka. The ...
*
List of settlements in Central Province, Sri Lanka
Central Province is a province of Sri Lanka, containing the Kandy District, Matale District, and Nuwara Eliya District. The following is a list of settlements in the province.
__NOTOC__
A
Abasingammedda, Adhikarigama, Agalakumbura, Agala ...
References
Populated places in Matale District
{{MataleDistrict-geo-stub