Sigiriya

One should not miss the awesome tourist experience of Sigiriya, which is declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982. The rock of Sigiriya is located 22km north-east of Dambulla in the North Central Province. From the third century BC, Buddhist monks inhabited Sigiriya, but it was only after parricidal King Kassapa’s usurping of the throne in 487AD that the palace and gardens were built and the rock fortified.

 
Once you enter this Asia’s oldest landscape garden, you will see the well-kept symmetrical Water Gardens consisting of the remains of four L-shaped pools either side of the main walkway, which were once used for bathing, each one connected by underground channels. Surrounding these pools are four fountains, still active during the rainy season, which are fed by gravity from the moats and demonstrate the early sophistication of the design here. Other features you will pass on the way up are Octagonal Pond, Boulder Garden, Audience Hall, Cistern, the beautifully painted Sigiri frescoes. There are 22 frescoes today out of the original 500 frescoes which have been protected in a depression in the rock from the wind and rain. The paintings are believed to be of apsaras, heaven-dwelling nymphs, and are similar in style to the rock paintings at Ajanta in India.
 

You will then pass the Mirror Wall. It was once clearly covered with graffiti; their poems and thoughts written by visitors dating from the sixth century, though a lot has faded now and some of the wall has broken away. This has been very important for experts studying the development of the Sinhala language over the years. The huge lion’s claws through which there is a stone staircase to continue your climb, is possibly the most significant feature of Sigiriya, and gives the rock its name. From the summit you can observe the breathtaking 360-degree panoramic views of Pidurangala Rock, the Sigiri Wewa and Mapagala Rock.
 

On the summit lies the remains of the Royal Palace built for the King Kassapa. Although few ruins still remain such as a pool, an eastern, sunrise-facing throne constructed from solid rock, and remains other buildings and royal gardens. It is one of the most remarkable archaeological sites in Sri Lanka.
 
(Content Source : Travel Sri Lanka Magazine)