{"id":670119,"date":"2022-05-14T19:17:00","date_gmt":"2022-05-14T16:17:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tourism.com.de\/?p=670119"},"modified":"2024-04-20T01:36:00","modified_gmt":"2024-04-19T22:36:00","slug":"sigiriya-fortress-lion-rock-sigiriya-in-sri-lanka-photo-description-map","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tourism.com.de\/en\/sigiriya-fortress-lion-rock-sigiriya-in-sri-lanka-photo-description-map\/","title":{"rendered":"Sigiriya Fortress, Lion Rock (Sigiriya) in Sri Lanka – photo, description, map"},"content":{"rendered":"

There are so many mysterious places<\/a> connected with the ancient past in all corners of our plane<\/a>t that ethnographers and archaeologists do not get bored. Expeditions, excavations, the sea<\/a>rch for precious information collected bit by bit – such is the painstaking work of those who “revive” the past. Written documents that tell about events related to ancient monuments become truly priceless for them. Similar historical chronicles tell about King Kasyapa, whose name is associated with the ruins of the ancient fortress of Sigiriya, located<\/a> in the Matale district of Sri Lanka<\/a>.<\/p>\n

History<\/a> of the fortress<\/h2>\n

Sigiriya in translation means “lion rock” and is one of the most beautiful mountainous places in Sri Lanka<\/a>. On the rock there are famous artifacts in the form of the remains of an ancient palace<\/a> fortress built in the 5th century BC.<\/p>\n

Rock caves have served as a monastery since prehistoric times. This place was chosen by the king for his reside<\/a>nce not by chance: hard-to-reach high rocks served as a safe haven for Kasyapa, who feared the revenge of his brother Mogallana for the death of his father, in which he was guilty.<\/p>\n

According to the chronicles, Kasyapa, seized by the desire to sit on the royal throne, killed Dhatusen's father in an unprecedentedly cruel way, immuring him alive in the wall. Mogallan, who was supposed to inherit the throne, was forced to hide in India, where he gathered an army to overthrow the illegal ruler.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Assuming that his brother would take revenge on him for killing his father and seizing the throne, Kasyapa built an impregnable fortress on a rock with luxurious palaces, surrounding them with artificial gardens. During the same time, Mogallana gathered a powerful army, brought it to Sri Lanka<\/a> and declared war on his brother. Even such a reliable fortress did not save the life of the impostor king: his army turned out to be weaker not only physically, but also morally. The warriors did not really want to protect their father's murderous king, and they deserted from the battlefield, leaving him without protection. According to one of the legends<\/a>, even the war elephant Kasyapa betrayed the king, sharply turning back and running away from the battlefield. After that, the illegal king fell on the edge of his sword and ingloriously said goodbye to life.<\/p>\n

\"Sigiriya<\/a><\/p>\n

There is another version according to which the Sigiriya fortress was built by Dhatusen, and the son completed the construction in memory of his father and used the palace for entertainment<\/a>, as he was a great lover of entertainment. It is no longer possible to establish exactly whose merit is greater in the creation of the fortress complex, but it is certain that this monument of history<\/a> and culture is taken under the protection of UNESCO. And the notoriety of King Kasyapa presented various options for his death: suicide, poisoning…<\/p>\n

\"Sigiriya<\/a><\/p>\n

The fortress built by him again began to be used as a monastery, in which the monks atoned for the sins of the power-hungry paricide. Now these picturesque ruins covered with ancient legends are a place of pilgrimage for many tour<\/a>ists who gather here to immerse themselves in the contemplation of inexplicably wonderful views of nature, against which the remains of a once majestic palace surrounded by a fortress rise.<\/p>\n

Sigiriya complex as an architectural monument<\/h2>\n

Here you can see the remains of the Upper Palace, located on the upper plane of the cliff, among which the middle terrace is quite well preserved with the amazing Lion Gate, which is the remains of the entrance walls with steps between them, along the edges of which massive lion paws are car<\/a>ved from stone. Looking at them, it is hard to imagine that this is the creation of the hands of masons who carved a real work of art.<\/p>\n

\"Sigiriya<\/a><\/p>\n

The magnificent frescoes with five hundred images of graceful female figures preserved on the Mirror Wall, which is made of a material similar to porcelain and polished to a mirror shine, make a strong impression. From the frescoes, one can draw a conclusion about the everyday and cultural traditions<\/a> of the ancient Sri Lanka<\/a>ns, about the artistic level of the crafts of that era, despite the fact that many of them have already been erased by time. Art critics recognize the painting style of the frescoes as unique, consisting in applying paints (the brightness of which has not faded) with long strokes, drawing lines that create a feeling of three-dimensional images. Drawings can be seen in different places of the rock, for example, in a cave called “Cobra's Hood”.<\/p>\n

\"Sigiriya<\/a><\/p>\n

The lower palace was a grand structure surrounded by stone and water gardens, canals and fountains<\/a>. Even the remains of buildings testify to the extraordinary splendor and luxury in which the royals were buried.<\/p>\n

Water Gardens of Sigiriya<\/h2>\n

They are divided according to the generally accepted scheme in the central part<\/a> of the fortress territory. The first of them is an island<\/a> in the middle of the water, connected to neighboring plots of land by 4 embankments. The second consists of 2 long pools<\/a>, equipped on both sides of the path. Water was supplied to the pools by two channels, next to which fountains were preserved, fed by water from underground sources. After the rains, some of them are active, to the delight of tourists<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Sigiriya<\/a><\/p>\n

Here, on two large island<\/a>s, small summer<\/a> palaces were built. The third stone garden was located a little higher and was an octagonal pool, to which water arteries led. The whole system of water gardens, worthy of the highest appreciation and admiration, was interconnected by an underground water supply, connected to an external moat, originating from a huge artificial lake. It was a single complex organism, created by brilliant design<\/a>ers to match Archimedes and Leonardo da Vinci.<\/p>\n

stone gardens<\/h2>\n

This is a collection of large boulders of various shapes, between which narrow paths wind. They occupy the space at the foot of the cliff from the north<\/a>ern slopes to the southern ones. It was here, on top of one of the blocks, that the Royal Audience Hall was located, which is reminiscent of the remains of a five-meter royal throne carved from granite.<\/p>\n

\"Sigiriya<\/a><\/p>\n

Climbing Sigiriya is not only the most exciting, but also a rather difficult two-hour journey through endless steep stairs, mountain turns of paths, and over a suspension bridge<\/a>. Each trail has its own name, one part is called the Elephant Road; the other leading to the palace is the Lion's Road, and the path through the stone garden is the Cobra's Road, because one of the stones resembles this snake.<\/p>\n

Those who climb to the very top of the cliff are rewarded for the difficult climb with such a magic<\/a>ally fabulous view of the pictures of nature opening below that everyone stops feeling tired and feels only happiness from being in this amazing place.<\/p>\n

Did the article inspire you to travel<\/a>? Don't forget to check out our Sri Lanka travel guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Sigiriya fortress on the map<\/a><\/h2>\n