Matale is a town in the hill country of Sri Lanka. The Knuckles Mountain Range is a special landmark of Matale. Matale is 142 kilometres (90 miles) from Colombo and 26 kilometres (17 miles) from Kandy.  The Matale administrative district also contains the historic Sigiriya rock , Aluwihara rock cave temple and Dambulla Cave Temple. Surrounding the town are the Knuckles foothills called Wiltshire. It is a mainly agricultural area, where tea, rubber, vegetable and spice cultivation dominate.

 Special Places in Matale

• Sigiriya Rock
• Dambulla Cave Temple
• Aluwihara rock cave temple

It is an area steeped in history and village living. The Aluvihara Temple, on the North side of the town, is the historic location where the Pali Canon was first written down completely in text on ola (palm) leaves. Situated near Aluvihara are numerous monastery caves, some of which exhibit fine frescoes.

History of Matale

Matale was a site of a major battle in 1948 when the Matale Rebellion started and the British garrison in the Fort Macdowall in Matale was placed under siege by the rebels.Christ Church, Matale was consecrated by Bishop James Chapman on 30 December 1860. The Church site chosen was Fort McDowall, commanding a view of the entrance to Matale via Trincomalee. The Church having been erected and furnished, the Revd William Frederick Kelly, Minister and Chaplain in Matale, and 36 others sent their petition to the Rt Revd James Chapman, D.D., to dedicate and consecrate Christ Church. The Parsonage was opened on 16 August 1862. The 75th Anniversary was celebrated in 1935. The centenary was celebrated on 28 and 29 January 1961. The 125th Anniversary was celebrated on 6 September 1986. Land for sale in Matale, The church was gutted by fire in 1985 and was completely restored. Services were held in the Baptist Church in the interim period.

Matale is a name given by the "Hela" people ; "Hela" is how the Sinhalese were known in ancient times. In Pali, Matale has been referred to as "Maathula" and means " Uncle". In the Hela language, it means a large group of people, a very large plain and a large fountain. The history of Matale could be traced back to King Pandukabhaya. We find the word "Maatuka" in one of the cave inscriptions written in the Brahmi script. That is the oldest word used for Matale.

Historians are of the view that Matale was a settlement established by "Shiva" , a minister and an uncle of King Pandukabhaya . It was established at the same time other settlements like Upatissa, Uruwela , Anuradha etc were established in Sri Lanka.