Sigiriya
it is the morning of December 22nd, we have just had our breakfast at the Victoria chalets and we are now on the road to sigiriya a 2.5 hour journey from our current destination.
Sigiriya, one of eight UNESCO world heritage sites was the capital of Sri Lanka during the 5th century AD rule under King Kashyapa, it's main attraction is the Sigiriya rock, which is a 500m high magma plug from an extinct volcano, Sigiriya means' Lion's Throat, which is a fitting name when history cites that the rock once contained a massive carving of Lion through which the palace at the top would be entered via the Lion's throat, all that survives today unfortunately are the Lion's paws.
The rock aside, the rest of Sigirya itself is truly astounding, the ruins of the water gardens, the design and plans make you realise that the ancient Sri Lankan's were engineering marvels, especially when it came to irrigation technology, the ancient technology that pumped water from the ground 500m up still functions even today!
OK now back to the trip, where was I? Oh yes, we arrived in Sigirya and it was raining, "oh crap" we all thought, but soon the rain started to cease, we inquired with one of the tour operators whether it was safe to climb in the rain and they said it was OK, so after collecting our stuff and several umbrellas we began our ascend.
Near the top of the rock, one marvels at the beautiful frescoes, rock paintings of beautiful damsels, who are supposed to be King Kashyapas concubines, some suggest they represent deities. Then there is the ruins of the Lion entrance, only the paws survive, but one look at it and you wonder in awe! One can only imagine the sheer size it must have been before falling victim to natural disaster.
Once you reach the top, you are greeted with views that are truly astonishing, look down and you see the layout of the ancient ruins, the water gardens, the intricate details is all there to see, one also learns the reason the king chose to have the palace atop this rock! It gives you a bird's eye view of the entire plains, no enemy could approach unnoticed. It is like something out of a fantasy flick, one finds it hard to believe places like this exist.
After taking about a few hundred photos, we began our descend, soon we were back on the road heading back to the chalets. We were all pretty tired but I am certain Sigiriya had left a lasting impression especially for those who had seen it for the first time. for me it was my eighth time, would I go again? Absolutely.
Sigiriya, one of eight UNESCO world heritage sites was the capital of Sri Lanka during the 5th century AD rule under King Kashyapa, it's main attraction is the Sigiriya rock, which is a 500m high magma plug from an extinct volcano, Sigiriya means' Lion's Throat, which is a fitting name when history cites that the rock once contained a massive carving of Lion through which the palace at the top would be entered via the Lion's throat, all that survives today unfortunately are the Lion's paws.
The rock aside, the rest of Sigirya itself is truly astounding, the ruins of the water gardens, the design and plans make you realise that the ancient Sri Lankan's were engineering marvels, especially when it came to irrigation technology, the ancient technology that pumped water from the ground 500m up still functions even today!
OK now back to the trip, where was I? Oh yes, we arrived in Sigirya and it was raining, "oh crap" we all thought, but soon the rain started to cease, we inquired with one of the tour operators whether it was safe to climb in the rain and they said it was OK, so after collecting our stuff and several umbrellas we began our ascend.
Near the top of the rock, one marvels at the beautiful frescoes, rock paintings of beautiful damsels, who are supposed to be King Kashyapas concubines, some suggest they represent deities. Then there is the ruins of the Lion entrance, only the paws survive, but one look at it and you wonder in awe! One can only imagine the sheer size it must have been before falling victim to natural disaster.
Once you reach the top, you are greeted with views that are truly astonishing, look down and you see the layout of the ancient ruins, the water gardens, the intricate details is all there to see, one also learns the reason the king chose to have the palace atop this rock! It gives you a bird's eye view of the entire plains, no enemy could approach unnoticed. It is like something out of a fantasy flick, one finds it hard to believe places like this exist.
After taking about a few hundred photos, we began our descend, soon we were back on the road heading back to the chalets. We were all pretty tired but I am certain Sigiriya had left a lasting impression especially for those who had seen it for the first time. for me it was my eighth time, would I go again? Absolutely.
 |
| The Sigiriya Lion Rock |
 |
| Sigiriya Fresco |
 |
| The remains of the Lion. |
Wow that sounds like quite a place & to visit 8 times must mean you find it so :-)
I love the layout of your blog by the way, that picture behind is amazing, how did you get it like that & did you take it? x
Hi thanks, yes I took the photo, it's the Dalada Maligawa. I changed the layout in design, and in there you get an option to upload your own pic. :)
Hey, thanks, I've just managed to upload one of my Iceland pics as my background woohoo :-)
great stuff! is that of the aurora borealis by any chance...off to check your blog now!