igiriya 

or Sinhagiri (Lion Rock Sinhala: සීගිරිය, Tamil: சிகிரியா/சிங்ககிரி, pronounced see-gi-ri-

yə) is an ancient rock fortress located in the northern Matale District near the town of Dambulla in
the Central Province, Sri Lanka. It is a site of historical and archaeological significance that is
dominated by a massive column of granite rock approximately 180 m (590 ft) high.[2]
According to the ancient Sri Lankan chronicle the Cūḷavaṃsa, this area was a large forest, then after
storms and landslides it became a hill and was selected by King Kashyapa (AD 477–495) for his
new capital. He built his palace on top of this rock and decorated its sides with colourful frescoes. On
a small plateau about halfway up the side of this rock he built a gateway in the form of an enormous
lion. The name of this place is derived from this structure; Sīnhāgiri, the Lion Rock
(an etymology similar to Sinhapura, the Sanskrit name of Singapore, the Lion City).
The capital and the royal palace were abandoned after the king's death. It was used as a Buddhist
monastery until the 14th century.[3] Sigiriya today is a UNESCO listed World Heritage Site. It is one of
the best preserved examples of ancient urban planning.[4]

History[edit]
Historical past[edit]
It is likely that the area around Sigiriya may have been inhabited since prehistoric times. There is
clear evidence that the many rock shelters and caves in the vicinity were occupied by Buddhist
monks and ascetics from as early as the 3rd century BC. The earliest evidence of human habitation
at Sigiriya is the Aligala rock shelter to the east of Sigiriya rock, indicating that the area was
occupied nearly five thousand years ago during the Mesolithic Period.
Buddhist monastic settlements were established during the 3rd century BC in the western and
northern slopes of the boulder-strewn hills surrounding the Sigiriya rock. Several rock shelters or
caves were created during this period. These shelters were made under large boulders, with carved
drip ledges around the cave mouths. Rock inscriptions are carved near the drip ledges on many of
the shelters, recording the donation of the shelters to the Buddhist monastic order as residences.
These were made in the period between the 3rd century BCE and the 1st century AD.
In 477 AD, Kashyapa I, the king’s son by a non-royal consort, seized the throne from
King Dhatusena, following a coup assisted by Migara, the King’s nephew and army commander. The
rightful heir, Moggallana, fearing for his life, fled to South India. Afraid of an attack by Moggallana,
Kashyapa moved the capital and his residence from the traditional capital of Anuradhapura to the
more secure Sigiriya. During King Kashyapa’s reign (477 to 495 AD), Sigiriya was developed into a
complex city and fortress.[3][4] Most of the elaborate constructions on the rock summit and around it,
including defensive structures, palaces, and gardens, date from this period.
The Cūḷavaṃsa describes King Kashyapa as the son of King Dhatusena. Kashyapa murdered his
father by walling him up alive and then usurping the throne which rightfully belonged to his half-
brother Moggallana, Dhatusena's son by the true queen. Moggallana fled to India to escape being
assassinated by Kashyapa, but vowed revenge. In India he raised an army with the intention of
returning and retaking the throne of Sri Lanka, which he considered to be rightfully his. Expecting the
inevitable return of Moggallana, Kashyapa is said to have built his palace on the summit of Sigiriya
as a fortress as well as a pleasure palace. Moggallana finally arrived, declared war, and defeated
Kashyapa in 495 CE. During the battle Kashyapa's armies abandoned him and he committed suicide
by falling on his sword.
The Cūḷavaṃsa and folklore inform us that the battle-elephant on which Kashyapa was mounted
changed course to take a strategic advantage, but the army misinterpreted the movement as the
king's having opted to retreat, prompting the army to abandon him altogether. It is said that being too
proud to surrender he took his dagger from his waistband, cut his throat, raised the dagger proudly,
sheathed it, and fell dead. Moggallana returned the capital to Anuradhapura, converting Sigiriya into
a Buddhist monastery complex,[5] which survived until the 13th or 14th century. After this period, no
records are found on Sigiriya until the 16th and 17th centuries, when it was used briefly as an
outpost of the Kingdom of Kandy.

Sigiriya Rock from above

Alternative stories have the primary builder of Sigiriya as King Dhatusena, with Kashyapa finishing
the work in honour of his father. Still other stories describe Kashyapa as a playboy king, with Sigiriya
his pleasure palace. Even Kashyapa's eventual fate is uncertain. In some versions he is
assassinated by poison administered by a concubine; in others he cuts his own throat when
deserted in his final battle.[6] Still further interpretations regard the site as the work of a Buddhist
community, without a military function. This site may have been important in the competition
between the Mahayana and Theravada Buddhist traditions in ancient Sri Lanka.
In Professor Senarath Paranavithana's book The Story of Sigiriya, King Dathusena is said to have
taken the advice of the Persian Nestorian Priest Maga Brahmana on building his palace on Sigirya.
According to Paranavithana, during this period over seventy-five ships carrying Murundi soldiers
from Mangalore arrived in Sri Lanka and landed in Chilaw to protect King Dathusena, most of them
Christians. King Dathusena's daughter was married to Migara, a Christian and the commander of the
Singhalese army.[7] [8]

Archaeological remains and features[edit]

The Lion Gate and Climbing Stretch

In 1831 Major Jonathan Forbes of the 78th (Highlanders) Regiment of Foot of the British Army, while
returning on horseback from a trip to Pollonnuruwa, encountered the "bush covered summit of
Sigiriya".[9] Sigiriya came to the attention of antiquarians and, later, archaeologists. Archaeological
work at Sigiriya began on a small scale in the 1890s. H.C.P. Bell was the first archaeologist to
conduct extensive research on Sigiriya. The Cultural Triangle Project, launched by the Government
of Sri Lanka, focused its attention on Sigiriya in 1982. Archaeological work began on the entire city
for the first time under this project. There was a sculpted lion's head above the legs and paws
flanking the entrance, but the head collapsed years ago.
Sigiriya consists of an ancient citadel built by King Kashyapa during the 5th century. The Sigiriya site
contains the ruins of an upper palace located on the flat top of the rock, a mid-level terrace that
includes the Lion Gate and the mirror wall with its frescoes, the lower palaces clings to the slopes
below the rocks. The moats, walls and gardens of the palace extended for a few hundred metres
from the base of the rock. The site was both a palace and a fortress. The upper palace on the top of
the rock includes cisterns cut into the rock.

Close up of the Lion's Paw

Site plan[edit]
Sigiriya is considered to be one of the most important urban planning sites of the first millennium,
and the site plan is considered very elaborate and imaginative. The plan combined concepts of
symmetry and asymmetry to intentionally interlock the man-made geometrical and natural forms of
the surroundings. On the west side of the rock lies a park for the royals, laid out on a symmetrical
plan; the park contains water-retaining structures, including sophisticated surface/subsurface
hydraulic systems, some of which are working today. The south contains a man-made reservoir;
these were extensively used from the previous capital of the dry zone of Sri Lanka. Five gates were
placed at entrances. The more elaborate western gate is thought to have been reserved for the
royals.[10][11]

Frescoes[edit]

Artwork

John Still in 1907 wrote, "The whole face of the hill appears to have been a gigantic picture gallery...
the largest picture in the world perhaps".[12] The paintings would have covered most of the western
face of the rock, an area 140 m (460 ft) long and 40 m (130 ft) high. There are references in the
graffiti to 500 ladies in these paintings. However, most have been lost forever. More frescoes,
different from those on the rock face, can be seen elsewhere, for example on the ceiling of the
location called the "Cobra Hood Cave".
Although the frescoes are classified as in the Anuradhapura period, the painting style is considered
unique;[13] the line and style of application of the paintings differing from Anuradhapura paintings. The
lines are painted in a form which enhances the sense of volume of the figures. The paint has been
applied in sweeping strokes, using more pressure on one side, giving the effect of a deeper colour
tone towards the edge. Other paintings of the Anuradhapura period contain similar approaches to
painting, but do not have the sketchy lines of the Sigiriya style, having a distinct artists' boundary
line. The true identity of the ladies in these paintings still has not been confirmed. There are various
ideas about their identity. Some believe that they are the ladies of the kings while others think that
they are women taking part in religious observances. These pictures have a close resemblance to
paintings seen in the Ajanta Caves in India.[14]

1967 vandalism incident[edit]

On 14 October 1967, an incident of vandalism took place where paint was splashed on the frescoes.
[15][16]
 Luciano Maranzi, an expert trained at the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation
and Restoration of Cultural Property in Rome, assisted the restoration, which took until 11 April
1968. It was considered the most challenging effort undertaken by the Chemical Preservation
Division of the Department of Archaeology.[17] There is continued concern that the original colours of
the frescoes are fading, with a report presented in 2010 suggesting that the 22 frescoes have been
fading since 1930.[18]

Mirror wall[edit]

The mirror wall and spiral stairs leading to the frescoes

Originally this wall was so reflective that the king could see himself as he walked alongside it. Made
of brick masonry and covered in highly polished white plaster, the wall is now partially covered with
verses scribbled by visitors, some of them dating from as early as the 8th century. Most, however,
date from the 9th and 10th century. People of all walks of life, from poets to provincial governors to
housewives, wrote on the wall [1]. Even bhikkhus were not exempt; they wrote poetry on varying
subjects such as love, irony, and experiences of all sorts. This is the only evidence of poetry found in
the Anuradhapura period.[19]
These poems are of high literary value because of their intricate use of symbolism and word-play
techniques. One such example is;
ඇසිමි
Aesimi
දුන්
dun
හසුන්
hasun
හසුන්
hasun
සෙයින්
seyin
විල්
vil
දුත්
dut
Like geese who have seen a lake, I listened to the message given by her.
මුල
Mula
ලා
la
මා
ma
සැනැහි
saenaehi
පුල්
pul
පියුමන්
piyuman
සේය්
sey
බමර්
bamar
දුත්
dut
[20]

[21]

Like a bee who has seen full-blown lotuses, the bewildered heart of mine was consoled.
This lovely couplet shows that the Sinhalese of old were great poets. They not only had a wonderful
sense of rhyme and metre, but also resorted to a poetic device we call ‘play on words’ as we see in
the combination of hasun (message) with hasun (geese). The poet’s eagerness to hear from his lady
love is compared to the bee’s fascination for lotus blooms, whose large petals provide it an easy
landing pad to drink its nectar and frolic if it wishes.[22]
Out of the 1500 plus poems, most are addressed to the ladies on the frescoes. Men praised their
beauty and women shared their envy. A contemporary female, clearly less enamoured with the
frescoes, records different, if equally passionate emotions:
"A deer-eyed maiden of the mountain side arouses anger in my mind. In her hand she holds a string
of pearls, and in her eyes she assumes rivalry with me."[2]
Further writing on the mirror wall now has been banned for the protection of the old writings.
The Archaeological Commissioner of Ceylon, Senarath Paranavithana, deciphered 685 verses
written in the 8th, 9th and 10th centuries CE on the mirror wall. One such poem from these long-past
centuries,[23]
බුදල්මි
සියොර ආමි සිහිගිරි
බැලීමි ගි බොහො ජන
ලිතූයෙන් නොලිමි [24]
Roughly translated from ancient Sinhala, is: "I am Budal [the writer's name]. Came
with hundreds of people to see Sigiriya. Since all the others wrote poems, I did
not!"[25]

Gardens[edit]
The gardens of Sigiriya are one of the most important aspects of the site, as they
are among the oldest landscaped gardens in the world. The gardens are divided
into three distinct but linked forms: water gardens, cave and boulder gardens, and
terraced gardens.

Water gardens[edit]

A pool in the garden complex

The gardens of Sigiriya, as seen from the summit of the Sigiriya rock

The water gardens can be seen in the central section of the western precinct. Three
principal gardens are found here. The first garden consists of a plot surrounded by
water. It is connected to the main precinct using four causeways, with gateways
placed at the head of each causeway. This garden is built according to an ancient
garden form known as char bagh, and is one of the oldest surviving models of this
form.
The second contains two long, deep pools set on either side of the path. Two
shallow, serpentine streams lead to these pools. Fountains made of circular
limestone plates are placed here. Underground water conduits supply water to
these fountains which are still functional, especially during the rainy season. Two
large islands are located on either side of the second water garden. Summer
palaces are built on the flattened surfaces of these islands. Two more islands are
located farther to the north and the south. These islands are built in a manner
similar to the island in the first water garden.
The third garden is situated on a higher level than the other two. It contains a large,
octagonal pool with a raised podium on its northeast corner. The large brick and
stone wall of the citadel is on the eastern edge of this garden.
The water gardens are built symmetrically on an east-west axis. The outer moat
connects them on the west and the large artificial lake to the south of the Sigiriya
rock. All the pools are also interlinked using an underground conduit network fed by
the lake, and connected to the moats. A miniature water garden is located to the
west of the first water garden, consisting of several small pools and watercourses.
This recently discovered smaller garden appears to have been built after the
Kashyapan period, possibly between the 10th and 13th centuries.

Boulder gardens[edit]
The boulder gardens consist of several large boulders linked by winding pathways.
The gardens extend from the northern slopes to the southern slopes of the hills at
the foot of Sigiris rock. Most of these boulders had a building or pavilion upon them;
there are cuttings that were used as footings for brick walls and beams. They used
to be pushed off from the top to attack enemies when they approached.

Views from the top of Sigiriya rock

Terraced gardens[edit]
The terraced gardens are formed from the natural hill at the base of the Sigiriya
rock. A series of terraces rises from the pathways of the boulder garden to the
staircases on the rock. These have been created by the construction of brick walls,
and are located in a roughly concentric plan around the rock. The path through the
terraced gardens is formed by a limestone staircase. From this staircase, there is a
covered path on the side of the rock, leading to the uppermost terrace where the
lion staircase is situated.

Sigiriya as seen from the nearby Pidurangala Rock.

In popular culture[edit]
  Some scenes from the music video for the 1982 single "Save a Prayer"
by Duran Duran were filmed at the top of Sigiriya.[26]
 Sigiriya was featured in the eleventh episode of The Amazing Race 6 in
2005.[27]
 Sigiriya features in Arthur. C. Clarke's 1979 science fiction novel The
fountains of paradise.
z