"Sigiriya The Palace & Fortress in The Sky"
Sigiriya, the spectacular 'Lion rock' fortress, stands majestically overlooking the luscious green jungle surroundings, and is one of Sri Lanka's major attractions.
This
was built by King Kasyapa, a son of King Dhatusena, by a palace consort.
As legend goes, King Dhatusena was overthrown and walled in, alive by Kasyapa
in 473 AD. Mogallana, Dhatusena's son by the true queen fled to India, vowing
revenge.
Kasyapa fearing an invasion built this impregnable fortress at Sigiriya.
When the invasion finally came in 491, Kasyapa rode out to battle in his war elephant.In an attempt to out-flank his half-brother, Kasyapa took a wrong turn, where his elephant got stuck in the mud. His soldiers, thinking Kasyapa was retreating fled abandoning him, and he took his own life.
Sigiriya later became a monastic refuge, but eventually fell into disrepair.
Water Gardens
The
beautifully and elaborately landscaped water gardens, contain a complex network
of underground water distribution system, which provides water to the Royal
baths, the many little moated islands & fountains, some fountains still
work during the rainy season! A superb view of the Gardens could be had from
halfway up the rock.
Frescoes - The Sigiriya Damsels
About halfway up the rock is a sheltered gallery of frescoes painted on
the sheer rock face. The 'Heavenly Maidens' are similar in style to the paintings
of Ajantha in India. Some of them are still in remarkably good condition.
Only 22 out of an estimated 500 pictures now remain. Flash photography is
not allowed at this site.
The Mirror Wall with Graffiti
Beyond
the fresco gallery, the pathway circles the the sheer face of the rock, and
is protected by a 3m high wall. This wall was coated with a mirror-smooth
glaze, in which visitors over 1000 years ago noted their impressions of the
women in the gallery above. The graffiti was mostly inscribed between the
7th and 11th Century AD. 685 of them have been deciphered and published.
The graffiti are a great source for the scholars to study the development
of the Sinhala language and script.
Lion Platform
The Northern end of the rock the pathway emerges to a platform, from which
the rock derives its name Sigiriya (the Lion Rock). At one time a gigantic
brick lion sat at the end of the rock, and the final ascent to the summit
was between the lions paws and into it's mouth! Today the lion has disappeared,
only the paws and the first steps are visible.
The Summit
Covering an area of around 1.6 hectares, the remains of the foundations
show that the summit would have been completely covered with buildings. The
design, layout and magnificent views that it still enjoys to this day, suggest
Sigiriya would have been more of a royal palace of pleasure than a fortress.
A pond scooped out of solid rock measuring 27m x 21m, looks like a modern
rooftop pool. A smooth slab of flat stone, often referred to as the kings
stone throne, faces the rising sun.
