SIGIRIYA

Sigiriya Rock Fortress

The lion mountain Sigiriya rock fortress was built by great builder King Kasyapa in the 5th century A.D. It was an ancient Sinhalese Kingdom for more than 18years. Sigiriya ranked closely with the Great Wall of China and the Taj Mahal of India and qualifies to be the 8th wonder of the world. This is the Asia's oldest surviving landscape garden.

King Kasyapa is the son of King Dhatusena who killed his father by walling him alive and then abducting the sovereignty which legally fitted to his brother. Mogallana is the brother of King Kasyapa. He escaped to India with vowed revenge and built an army with the intention. Finally king Mogallana reached to Kashyapa, in the battlefield Kasyapa's armies defeated. The King Kashyapa had committed suicide at the foot of his rock castle. After the victory of king Mogallana, he turned to Anuradapura as his kingdom and changed Sigiriya to a hermitage.

Sigiriya is an enormous rock, consists of a 180m tall granite rock fortress and castle ruin in the central Matale District. The fictions surrounding King Kasyapa have been passed from generation to generation and still have the power to instill admiration. The planning of the citadel is an extremely elegant. The ruins of various chambers, stairways, extensive network of gardens, reservoirs, and other structures can be seen. About half way to the top there is a massive stone stairway. Stands majestically gigantic pair of lion’s feet which ruined of a huge head of a lion whose open mouth served as the entrance to the kingdom.

At the summit there is a castle. Tradition says that the summit to have been made only for the use of a King Kasyapa and his Queen .Sigiriya covers an area of around 1.6 hectares. The remains of the foundations show that the top would have been completely covered with buildings. The city was walled and very complex rampart system as an "eco plan" duplicating the lay-out in design .The design and glorious views that it still enjoys to this day. Everyone will suggest that Sigiriya would have been more of a kingdom of pleasure than a citadel. The beautifully and elaborately landscaped water gardens are well planned. A pond lifted out of solid rock measuring 27m x 21m, looks like a modern rooftop pond. As per historical books, Ponds were always full of water even in the dry season. You will agree that, this is a brilliant recipe of human mind and the natural world when you visit here at least one time. This is why Sigiriya is such an incredible tourist attraction place all over the year.

There had also been an auditorium with seats carved on to the rock. Tradition says that many ancient Sinhalese plays were first performed here during King Kasyapa's dominion.

Sigiriya is also well-known for its ancient apsara paintings on the western rock face, which are reminiscent of the Ajanta Caves of India. Only 22 out of an assessed 500 pictures now remain in good condition now. When you are climbing Sigiriya you will see a mother cuddling an infant to her and scaling the steep climb to the top. Perhaps these young mothers hope to instill the spirit of Kasyapa into the lives of their kids by showing them the greatest monument to his memory the remnants of his palace in the sky.

Visit Sigiriya, climb rock citadel, "Palace in the sky".

The Museum at Sigiriya

The state of the art museum subsidized by japan through JICA will unfold the beauty, legend and architectural marvels of Sigiriya before your eyes.   

Sigiriya museum is an archaeological museum, visitor information Centre and research facility in one. Managed by the central cultural fund (CCF), the museum showcases the results of nearly three decades of archaeological research at Sigiriya and surrounding area.The museum offers you a concise understanding of the history of Sigiriya from prehistory to present. Films and special events are scheduled for the future. A stop by the museum before your site visit is recommended.