9 interesting facts about Sigiriya– Sri Lanka’s striking rock fortress

The word Sigiriya is coined from the Sinhalese word ‘Singha’ – Lion and ‘Giriya’ – Paw, which makes the entry point to the castle atop. The eighth wonder of the world and declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1982, you’ll find this rock within a short distance from any Sigiriya hotel.

One of the most striking features of Sigiriya is the mirror wall. Back in the days, the mirror used to be so highly polished, so much so that King Kasyapa could see his reflection as he walked by. The mirror wall is now painted with poems and inscriptions written by those who visit Sigiriya. The oldest of these inscriptions are dated from the 8th century, proving that the rock was a tourist destination more than a thousand years ago. Today, however, painting on the wall is strictly prohibited.

During the reign of Kasyapa, the western wall of Sigiriya was almost entirely covered by frescoes, a type of mural painting. The frescoes depicting females are considered to be either portraits of Kasyapa’s wives and concubines or priestess’ performing religious rituals. Despite the unknown identities, these unique paintings celebrate female beauty and have incredible historical significance.

Serving as a monastery since the 3rd century, the rocky plateau of Sigiriya, was later constructed into the official royal residence in the latter part of the 5th century by King. After the death of the king, Sigiriya became a Buddhist monastery again until the 14th century after which it was abandoned.

45 minutes from Heritance Kandalama, the architecture of Sigiriya is truly awe-inspiring. The complex includes remnants of a ruined palace together with vast gardens, canals, alleys, an extensive network of fortifications, ponds, and fountains. Only a glance around this complex proves that the creators of this monument used unique and creative technical skills and technologies. The gardens of Sigiriya are among the oldest landscaped gardens in the world, with water gardens, terraced gardens, cave and boulder gardens.

The gardens are located in the western end, complete with a complex hydraulic system consisting of lakes, dams, canals, fountains, and bridges on the surface and also underground water pumps. During the rainy season, all channels are filled with water, which circulates right throughout the entire area. The fountains of Sigiriya assumed to have been built in the V century, are thought to be the oldest in the world.

There is no record of the activity at Sigiriya between the 14th and 16th century. By the 17th century, it was used as an outpost for the Kingdom of Kandy independent monarchy. The abandoned Sigiriya was re-discovered by British Army Major Jonathan Forbes, in 1831. He came across the site while horseback riding through Sri Lanka. Archaeologists, a few decades later, spent time on a research operation in the region.

The elevated position acted as a defensive stronghold, offering fantastic 360-degree views. Sigiriya acted as both a palace and a fortress, with 5 gates. the site plan consisted of a citadel, a palace on top of the rock and lower palaces at the ground level. Today, the complex stands as one of the best-preserved examples of ancient urban planning.

in 480 AD, a former Sri Lankan ruler by the name of King Kasyapa built his castle atop this rock. He ruled from 477 to 495 CE. The reason he chose this as his royal residence was due to fear of an attack from his brother, Moggallana, the rightful heir to the throne. The location of the fortress made is hard for the enemy to make a surprise attack on the kingdom. Moggallana defeated Kasyapa in 495 CE. One version of Kasyapa’s demise is that with no troops left for support and death imminent, Kasyapa drew his dagger and slashed his own throat. After the battle, King Moggallana moved the capital back to its historic seat in Anuradhapura.