The story of the Rock is fascinating! Prince Kassapa knew his half-brother Moggallana was going to inherit his father's throne. Not willing to accept this, in 473 AD he murdered his father by burying him alive and took over the kingdom. Prince Moggallan fled to India, leaving the Kingdom of in the hands of Kassapa. Kassapa lived in fear of his brother’s and decided to move his royal city to a safer. He found the place on the top of Sigiriya Rock. Construction lasted seven years. Stairs were cut into the rock, and materials required for his palace were brought up piece by piece. In front of the rock, a breathtaking pleasure garden was installed. Moggallan returned in 491, and somehow managed to get Kassapa to come down from the rock and lead his men into battle. When Kassapa’s elephant reached unsteady earth, it began to back up. The King’s men assumed that he had lost his nerve and retreated for the safety of the rock, leaving Kassapa alone. Seeing that his fate was sealed, Kassapa killed himself with his sword.
Nature’s awesome beauty and the ingenuity of mankind come together majestically at Sigiriya Rock. A massive 320-meter granite stone set incomprehensibly in the jungle, the “Lion Rock” was attracting admiration long before King Kassapa built his castle on top of it, and continues dropping jaws today.
Sigiriya is one of the top touristic sight in all Sri Lanka, and for good reason. A visit to Sigiriya is unforgettable. And Sri Lanka knows that and charges $30 per foreigner head to enter the site. The locals only pay $0.40. I almost wanted to go back in outrage but swallowed my pride and bought the tickets. I’m glad we did.
After entering the grounds, we were greeted by a marvelously restored 5th century pleasure gardensa. First, a Water Garden with an expansive and complicated set of pools and ponds, and further ahead the King’s Boulder Garden. Here, we saw the Cobra-Hooded Cave. Before Kassapa’s arrival, Buddhist monks had considered Sigiriya a sacred place, and built temples around the base of the rock.
We started our ascent well before the sun was at full strength. This was a wise; we avoided both heat and crowds.
Midway up, we encountered the Mirror Wall and the Hall of Maidens. The rock at the Mirror Wall had been polished smooth and flat and coated with a shiny plaster, so that the King could admire his reflection during his ascent. Today luster is gone and it looks like a stone wall. The fresco gallery, found just above the Mirror Wall is just impressive. The Damsels of Sigiriya are some of the most famous ancient paintings in the world, and they very well conserved.
After the Mirror Wall and damsel gallery, we emerged at a large terrace. We were exhausted and stunned to see that we had only completed about half our journey. Before us, two immense lion paws carved out of the rock indicated the beginning of the ascent’s second half. Under the pretense of admiring the lion, we took take a break before climbing up to the summit.
A massive, 60-foot lion was chiseled out of the rock. The steps which continued up to the royal palace started at the lion’s feet, wrapped around his body and eventually entered his mouth. Today, all that remain are the paws, but they give a good idea of the statue’s scale. It’s hard to appreciate how impressive it must have been 1500 years ago. It would be impressive now.
The final flight of stairs, hugging tightly to the stone wall, is not for those who suffer from vertigo. If we, on these steps of modern steel, were so close to throwing up, how terrifying must they have been during the time of Kassapa?
Once we gained the summit the ascent made perfect sense, as the view is unobstructed for miles around. From the top of Sigiriya, you truly feel at the top of the world. The palace is presently nothing but rubble, but you can easily imagine it must have been an amazing building. You can smell history, and the panoramas over the jungle and gardens below couldn’t be better. The descent promises to be no less dizzying.
We start our descent and at the lion's paws make friends with a bunch of monkeys. Kids get the photo op for a new Facebook cover.
Down at the entrance it's already very crowded. It was good to get up early. Back at the hotel, we take a shower and hit the road.
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