Sigiriya - the Fortress in the sky.

One of Asia's major archaeological sites, Sigiriya which is referred by locals as the eighth wonder of the world is an ancient palace and rock fortress complex located in the northern Matale district near the town of Dambulla in the Central province, Sri Lanka.

Sigiriya also called Lion Rock or Lion Mountain where the Sinhalese king Kashyapa (477-495CE) built a palace in the shape of a monumental lion. It was erected on this massive rocky plateau which is 370m above the sea level.

King Kashyapa constructed his royal residence on the summit of the rock in order to protect himself from his chief enemy who was none other than his brother Moggallana, the rightful heir to the throne but he was defeated in 495CE and the palace fell into ruin. After his death, Sigiriya became a Buddhist monastery again until the 14th century.

One of the Sigiriya's most distinguishing features is its great Lion Staircase. Though the portions of the body were destroyed the two colossal lion paws are preserved even today.

Another most famous, significant feature of the Sigiriya complex is the fifth-century paintings or the frescoes are depicting females with the nude upper body carrying flowers and are considered to be the portraits of King Kashyapa's wives.

Many scholars have interpreted about Sigiri frescoes. H.C.P.Bell's idea was that they portray the ladies of King Kashyapa's court in a devotional procession to the shrine at Pidurangala. Prof.Senarath Paranavitana's suggestion was that these ladies represent Lightening Princess (Vijju Kumari) and Cloud Damsels (Meghalata).

The next striking feature of Sigiriya is the Mirror Wall and has been substantially preserved in its original form. This wall has a highly polished plaster finish from which it gets its ancient name, 'the Mirror Wall'. The polished inner surface of the mirror wall contains Sigiri Graffiti. The visitors who had greatly inspired by the paintings composed poems addressing mostly to the ladies depicted in them and inscribed their verses on the highly polished surface of the mirror wall.

The amazing garden structures of Sigiriya are known as the oldest landscaped gardens in the world. Water gardens, cave and boulder gardens and stepped or terraced gardens are encircling the rock and a combination of these three garden types is also seen in the palace gardens on the summit of the rock.

Sigiri Rock fortress and the ruins of the palace present the uniqueness of the fifth-century urban planning, architecture, gardening, engineering, hydraulic technology and art. Hence, Sigiriya was designated UNESCO World Heritage site in 1982.

📷 courtesy: The Cultural Triangle of SL