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 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. -
tourslanka.com |