The name "Sigiriya" is of Sinhala origin. In the language of local residents, it meant "Lion's rock." This is the name of a rocky plateau with an average height of about 200 meters - the pride of Sri Lanka, a wonderful grandiose creation of nature, located in the heart of the island.
Sigiriya (Sri Lanka) is recognized as the most popular attraction, a business card, and therefore in 1982 it was listed as a UNESCO monument.
How did the rocky plateau of Sigiriya arise?
This masterpiece of nature appeared many millions of years ago as a result of volcanic activity. At the beginning there was a huge volcano, which one day woke up and began to throw molten magma from the bowels of the earth. Spreading, the lava gradually hardened and layered. This went on for a long time. After the volcano calmed down, the eruption ceased, for some period the top of the mountain was destroyed. As a result of the described processes, a rocky plateau formed.
Now Sigiriya is famous for this attraction. Lion Rock (Sri Lanka) flaunts in many photographs of tourists from around the world.
Buddhist monastery
Several centuries before Christmas, Buddhist monks settled in the caves of Sigiriya.
In the 70s of the fifth century AD, power in Sri Lanka was treacherously seized by Kasap, the son of King Dhatusen and the concubine. From early childhood, he dreamed of taking the throne, and now the right moment has come. He got rid of his father in a cruel way: he walled up a wall. The youngest son, Moggalan, born of the king’s wife, prudently left Sri Lanka and for some time found refuge in South India. There he hatched plans for revenge: it was necessary to assemble an army in order to restore justice by force - to return the power that rightfully belonged to him. Mount Sigiriya in Sri Lanka has been of particular importance since ancient times.
In terms of impregnability, the peak of a high cliff could serve as the best fortress for a traitor brother. There, Kasapa founded a residence in which he built luxurious palaces, rooms with numerous concubines, pools, gardens. The city on top of the mountain, located in the middle of the jungle, temporarily became the capital of Sri Lanka instead of Anuradhapura.
Building a walled city among the jungle
The design and construction of the city was carried out taking into account the then complicated mathematical calculations. In particular, the square module was very accurately observed. All buildings and structures were erected, clearly guided by the palace complex, which served as a kind of center of coordinates. The center line connecting east to west determined the direction of the entrances to the houses. All objects of the western part of the city are located using such a technique as an “echo”. It consisted of repeating the arrangement of other objects on both sides of the south-north line. In the development of Sigiriya, there was a successful combination of two mutually exclusive concepts of geometry: symmetry and asymmetry.
Below the mountain there are beautiful gardens, among them grandiose fountains were built. Rock Sigiriya (Sri Lanka) is a place that inspires and impresses with its unearthly beauty.
Organization of city water supply
Water for household needs of the population and filling pools, ponds, fountains and baths was delivered by a system of ingenious mechanisms and devices. The need for water of the ruler with his servants, as well as the troops, was fully satisfied. The pools were L-shaped. From the moats, water was delivered through pipes made of burnt clay. The system of these utilities was in the ground. As you can see, Sigiriya (Sri Lanka) has a very rich history.
The passage of time could not completely destroy everything that was created by the hands of the then masters. The foundation remained from the former luxury of the royal palace. In addition, canals and walls around the palace, as well as swimming pools, are accessible for viewing by modern tourists. The reliability of the ancient tanks in which water was collected and stored is amazing. They are now able to function!
Wonderful gardens
The description of Sigiriya will be incomplete if you ignore the stone and water gardens in the form of terraces, which are recognized as the best in the whole world. They equipped all the plateau sites suitable for this. The source of moisture that supports the vital activity of plants was reservoirs. Filling was carried out artificially. Water was distributed in all directions with a special irrigation system. And now they do not make admiring projects of engineering structures. Oddly enough, they are still in working condition today!
Unusual landscapes adorned the rock of Sigiriya (Sri Lanka). Photo gardens are often used by designers of modern landscapes.
The luxury of the royal palace is admirable
The visitor who entered the Mirror Hall will not remain indifferent. It was located in front of the king’s chambers. The surface of the walls was a very thin ball of porcelain. The figure of the king, who walked along this hall, was reflected in the mirrored walls, each time causing a feeling of pride. The wall in some places has undergone destruction. Also, thieves could not get past her porcelain cladding. On the surviving remains tourists wrote their poems, in which the poet's talent was present. Now unauthorized painting is punishable. Researchers have concluded that the earliest records were made in the eighth century. Archeologists do not cease to interest even today the amazing rock of Sigiriya (Sri Lanka). A rich history was in these parts.
Part of the rock, located from the west, after preliminary polishing was turned into a huge rock painting, the length of which was 140 meters. On it, unknown artists depicted young women of beautiful appearance with almost no clothes. These are probably royal wives and concubines.
For many years, scientists can not come to a consensus on the plots that underlie the creation of frescoes. Some believe that these are in deep sorrow the queen and servants who came with flowers to say goodbye to their master. According to another hypothesis, the artists depicted celestial nymphs, characters of Sri Lanka myths.
Castle today
Again, unfortunately, modern visitors have the opportunity to contemplate only what is left of the cave painting - only 17 of the 500 frescoes. The masters used a special composition, which included honey of wild bees and egg white, to protect and preserve the original type of painting. This explains the durability of the masterpieces of painting, made at a height of up to 100 meters. These works of art were hidden for a long time by the rock of Sigiriya (Sri Lanka).
Now it is under state protection. Although under the influence of ruthless time, the images have worn out significantly, they are still visible. Researchers revealed the composition of the paint, which gave it significant stability. The main components were wax and egg white.
Kasap's throne room now represents the ruins. It houses a stone throne of enormous size, seated on which, the king enjoyed the sight of dancing concubines. In a cave called “Cobra Hood”, the surfaces of the ceiling and walls are covered with frescoes that introduce the visitor to the historical moments of the autocrat’s life. Of unusual beauty was an ancient castle (Sigiriya, Sri Lanka).
For modern archaeologists, it remains a mystery how to deliver enough heavy building material from which a fortified city was built on a cliff top.
The death of King Kassapa
The self-proclaimed ruler of Casapa I took measures to make his residence impregnable. Along the edge of the rocky plateau, he ordered to dig holes in the form of channels, and then completely filled it with water. You can get to the top only through the Lion Gate. They represented a huge figure of a lion carved in rocky rock, between the paws of which steps led to the head itself. The last stage is the open mouth of the beast. As you know, among most peoples, the figures of a lion were associated with such qualities as power and strength. Unfortunately, from those distant times only the paws of a huge stone beast have survived.
In the middle of the way of storming the enemy fortress city, a rather powerful system of defensive structures was to delay. On the narrow paths, which are carved into the rock, sentinels vigilantly stood. Drowning in a small area led to the death of the sentinel due to falling down from the cliff. Sigiriya (Sri Lanka) should always be protected.
It would seem that in his fortress the king-impostor should have felt completely safe. Fate took him to the reign of almost twenty years, which ended on a sad note. Perhaps he would have avoided the fateful fate if he had not decided to battle with the army of Moggalan, a place for which he chose on the plain at the foot of the cliff. They say that the king sat on an elephant, like a real military leader. The outcome of the battle was not decided in favor of Kasapa. An elephant summed up, which, instead of going to the enemy, yielding to habit and instinct, headed to the nearest pool of water. Following their commander, warriors rushed, deciding that he was leaving the battlefield. Anticipating the defeat, his soldiers fled from the battlefield, and the king, not wanting to be captured, where he was awaited by a shameful execution, cut his throat.
People who walk in the clouds
The capital, as before, was Anuradhapura. After the efforts of Mogallan partially destroyed the fortress built by the traitor brother, Buddhists settled in the city, turning Sigiriya into a monastery. As such, there was a rock until the 14th century. Then the monastery fell into decay, they forgot about it.
The civilized world learned about Sigiriya in 1907, thanks to the essays of a researcher from England that appeared.
An interesting phenomenon is observed on the Sigiriya plateau in the afternoon, when the clouds are very low. Although in reality people are immersed in clouds to the waist, from the side it seems that they are walking in the sky.
Beautiful at any time of the year, Sigiriya rock (Sri Lanka). How to get there? First you need to get to Colombo airport, there to buy a train ticket. Tourists travel from Negombo to Sigiriya by bus; the trip takes about 5 hours.