Aluvihara rightly assumes its significance in the annals of the history of the world of Buddhism for the single most important fact that in this historic capacity, the Teaching of the Buddha was first reduced to writing.

Since the Buddha’s demise (Parinibbana), the Teaching of the Buddha continued from generation to generation by the community of Sangha, (Monastic Order) by word of mouth. At this venue 500 monks sat down and committed the Tipitaka to write in the 1st Century BC, patronized by a provincial ruler during the time of King Walagamba (Vattagamini). Arahant Kuntagatta Tissa presided over his assembly.

According to our great chronicles, this Fourth Buddhist Council convened to preserve the true Teaching of the Buddha because the arahant monks saw the degradation of the Dhamma, and the people, at that time, were not practicing the true Dhamma.

In the annals of the history of Buddhism, three Buddhist Councils were held at Rajagaha, Vesasli and Pataliputta in India respectively and the contents of the Teaching were continuously recited and ratified through oral memory. In this way, Buddhism, to a great extent, had been conserved and trans-mitted verbally by the forebears of the Theravada School until it was written down at Aluvihara.

Several short stone inscriptions discovered at Aluvihara prove evidence that these rock caves had been shelters of the forest monks from the 3rd Century BC. Also, the two artifacts, Yantra Gala (a stone cube cut into twenty-five compartments) and Chatra Gala (a circular stone slab) uncovered in ruins of old Dagaba reveal that this monastery dates back to the 3rd Century BC.

In the 5th Century AC, the great commentator, Venerable Buddhaghosha was supposed to have arrived and lived in Aluvihara for a short time. One of the caves was dedicated to him and now that cave replicates the Arahant monks’ assembly who convened here at Aluvihara for the Forth Buddhist Council.

King Sri Vijaya Rajasinghe (1739-1747) crafted various postures of the Buddha in the caves at Aluvi-hara. It is said that the Buddha images and the murals in the caves were also restored to its original form by this king. The porticos of the cave temple were illustrated with the former birth stories of the Buddha as it had been the theme of the Kandyan artist of that era. Architecture and sculpture that flourished in the 12th Century and the 18th Century AC were extensively influenced by the classical Hindu culture that prevailed at those times, which later affected the Kandyan artist (18th Century) too. As a result, some Hindu god statues and paintings can also be seen here in recent constructions.

These temples were destroyed by the British troops in 1803, and only two out of eight cave temples had been since restored. In 1820 this temple was repaired by the British government at a cost of 500 rix dollars.

The entire text of Pali Tipitaka was written down on palm-leaf manuscripts at Aluvihara between the years 1981-1991. The newly written copy is on display in the library.

A demonstration of how palm leaves are traditionally written is performed for larger groups of tourists on request.