Sigiriya
doubles up as a palace and a fortress, located near the town of Dambulla in the Central Province. As
per history, in 477 CE, Kashyapa, the king’s son by a non-royal consort, seized
the throne from the reigning King Dhatusena, following a coup. The rightful
heir, Moggallana, fearing for his life fled to India where he started raising an army to make a comeback. Knowing
the inevitable return of Mogallana, Kashyapa is said to have built this fortress
palace on the summit of Sigiriya. Mogallana finally returned and declared war.
During the battle Kashyapa's was killed and a victorious Mogallana abandoned Sigiriya
and returned back to his fathers capital city Anuradhapura. Sigiriya then became
a Buddhist monastery lasting until the 13th or 14th century. On a small plateau
about halfway up the side of this rock there is a gateway in the form of an
enormous lion. The name of this place is derived from this structure — the Lion
Rock. There was a sculpted lion's head above the legs but the head collapsed some
years back.
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| One of the more prominent Frescoes in Sigiriya |
Sigiriya ranks amongst the most prominent
historical sites in Lanka other than Anuradhapura and Pollonaruwa. A
UNESCO listed World
Heritage Site, it is one of the best maintained sites of ancient
urban planning. A
good attraction for those interested in seeing frescoes;
it is nowhere close to the
famous AJANTA cave paintings in India. The tour (more so a 3
hour trek) in the hot humid climate can sap your energy, but your travails actually
start when your guide drops you at the ticket counter.
For a casual tourist the Entry fee of 30$ is
exorbitant (you get a discount if you are from a SAARC country
though)
and at the end of the tour you may not be sure if you really had your money’s worth, probably you might as
well save your money and visit the other 2 sites for a better view of history and
architecture.
Be sure to put your trekking shoes on for a
steep climb and carry plenty of water, sunscreen and a towel.
The journey will most likely leave you dehydrated
by the time it ends.
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| The Giant Squirrel - now the National Animal of the Country |
The biggest attraction in Sigiriya are the
frescoes of numerous ladies, closely resembling the cave paintings seen in AJANTA
in India. The identity of these ladies is relatively unknown, some
believe they may be the Kings consorts or may be associated with religious
observances. The frescoes are classified as in the Anuradhapura period, but the painting style is considered
unique, the line and style of application of the paintings differing from
Anuradhapura paintings.
The Mirror Wall, when it was originally constructed was so highly polished that
the king could see himself when he walked alongside it. Made of brick masonry and
covered in highly polished white plaster, it has verses dating from as early as
the 8th century.
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| The Mirror Wall |
The Gardens of Sigiriya are
among the oldest landscaped gardens in the world. You can observe three
categories of gardens: water gardens, cave and boulder gardens, and terraced
gardens. The water gardens are seen in the central section of the western
precinct. Some of the gardens are built on ancient architectural principles (char bagh) which is one of the oldest surviving models of this
form. Some have deep pools with fountains fed by shallow streams. Underground
water conduits supply water to some of these fountains.
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| The Cobra Rock - now a part of the Boulder Gardens |
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| Terraced gardens |
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| The Lions Paw |
The
gardens are built symmetrically on an east-west axis and the pools are interlinked
using an underground conduit network fed by the lake, connected to the moats. The boulder gardens have large boulders linked
by winding pathways. The gardens stretch from the northern slopes to the
southern slopes of the hills at the foot of rock. Most of these boulders had a building
or pavilion upon them used as a defense line against enemy attacks. The
terraced gardens are formed from the natural hill at the base of the rock. A
series of terraces rises from the pathways of the boulder garden to the
staircases on the rock. These have been created by the construction of brick
walls
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| Water Gardens |
The
West side of the Palace has a Park for Royals containing water-retaining structures,
sophisticated hydraulic systems, some of which are working even today. The Southern
end contains a man-made reservoir. Five gates were placed at entrances. The
more elaborate western gate is thought to have been reserved for the royals
You may find plenty of shops on the outskirts selling souvenirs and crafts. The charges are high and haggling is necessary, or you may probably end up being taken for a ride
