Sigiriya (Lion's rock) is an ancient rock fortress and palace ruin situated in the central Matale District of
Sri Lanka, surrounded by the remains of an extensive network of gardens, reservoirs, and other structures. A popular tourist destination, Sigiriya is also renowned for its ancient paintings (frescos), which are reminiscent of the Ajanta Caves of India. The Sigiriya was built during the reign of King Kassapa I
(AD 477 – 495), and it is one of the seven World Heritage Sites of Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka, surrounded by the remains of an extensive network of gardens, reservoirs, and other structures. A popular tourist destination, Sigiriya is also renowned for its ancient paintings (frescos), which are reminiscent of the Ajanta Caves of India. The Sigiriya was built during the reign of King Kassapa I
(AD 477 – 495), and it is one of the seven World Heritage Sites of Sri Lanka.
Sigiriya may have been inhabited through prehistoric times. It was used as a rock-shelter mountain monastery from about the 5th century BC, with caves prepared and donated by devotees to the Buddhist Sangha. According to the chronicles as Mahavamsa the entire complex was built by King Kashyapa, and
after the king's death, it was used as a Buddhist monastery until 14th century.
History
In 477 CE, prince Kasyapa seized the throne from King Dhatusena, following a
coup assisted by migara, the king’s nephew and army commander. Kasyapa, the
king’s son by a non-royal consort, usurped the rightful heir, Moggallana, who
fled to South India. Fearing an attack from Moggallana, Kasyapa moved the
capital and his residence from the traditional capital of Anuradhapura to
the more secure Sigiriya. During King Kasyapa’s reign (477 to 495), Sigiriya
was developed into a complex city and fortress. Most of the elaborate constructions
on the rock summit and around it, including defensive structures, palaces and gardens,
date back to this period.
kashyapa was defeated in 495 by Moggallana, who moved the capital again to
Anuradhapura. Sigiriya was then turned back into a Buddhist monastery, which
lasted until the thirteenth or fourteenth century. After this period, no records
are found on Sigirya until the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, when it was
used as an outpost of the Kingdom of Kandy. When the kingdom ended, it was abandoned
again.
The Mahavamsa, the ancient historical record of Sri Lanka, describes King
Kasyapa as the son of King Dhatusena. Kasyapa murdered his father by walling
him alive and then usurping the throne which rightfully belonged to his brother
Mogallana, Dhatusena's son by the true queen. Mogallana fled to India to escape
being assassinated by Kasyapa but vowed revenge. In India he raised an army with
the intention of returning and retaking the throne of Sri Lanka which he considered
was rightfully his. Knowing the inevitable return of Mogallana, Kasyapa is said to
have built his palace on the summit of Sigiriya as a fortress and pleasure palace.
Mogallana finally arrived and declared war. During the battle Kasyapa's armies
abandoned him and he committed suicide by falling on his sword.
Chronicles and lore say that the battle-elephant on which Kasyapa was mounted changed
course to take a strategic advantage, but the army misinterpreted the movement as
the King having opted to retreat, prompting the army to abandon the king altogether.
It is said that being too proud to be surrendered he took his dagger from the waist
band, cut his throat, raised the dagger proudly, sheathed it and fell dead.
[citation needed] Moggallana returned the capital to Anuradapura, converting
Sigiriya into a monastery complex.
Alternative stories have the primary builder of Sigiriya as King Dhatusena,
with Kasyapa finishing the work in honour of his father. Still other stories
have Kasyapa as a playboy king, with Sigiriya a pleasure palace. Even Kasyapa's
eventual fate is mutable. In some versions he is assassinated by poison administered
by a concubine. In others he cuts his own throat when isolated in his final battle.
Still further interpretations have the site as the work of a Buddhist community,
with no military function at all. This site may have been important in the competition
between the Mahayana and Theravada Buddhist traditions in ancient Sri Lanka.
The earliest evidence of human habitation at Sigiriya was found from 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 in the western and northern slopes of the
boulder-strewn hills surrounding the Sigiriya rock, during the third century B.C. Several
rock shelters or caves had been 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 have been made within the period between the third
century B.C and the first century CE.
coup assisted by migara, the king’s nephew and army commander. Kasyapa, the
king’s son by a non-royal consort, usurped the rightful heir, Moggallana, who
fled to South India. Fearing an attack from Moggallana, Kasyapa moved the
capital and his residence from the traditional capital of Anuradhapura to
the more secure Sigiriya. During King Kasyapa’s reign (477 to 495), Sigiriya
was developed into a complex city and fortress. Most of the elaborate constructions
on the rock summit and around it, including defensive structures, palaces and gardens,
date back to this period.
kashyapa was defeated in 495 by Moggallana, who moved the capital again to
Anuradhapura. Sigiriya was then turned back into a Buddhist monastery, which
lasted until the thirteenth or fourteenth century. After this period, no records
are found on Sigirya until the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, when it was
used as an outpost of the Kingdom of Kandy. When the kingdom ended, it was abandoned
again.
The Mahavamsa, the ancient historical record of Sri Lanka, describes King
Kasyapa as the son of King Dhatusena. Kasyapa murdered his father by walling
him alive and then usurping the throne which rightfully belonged to his brother
Mogallana, Dhatusena's son by the true queen. Mogallana fled to India to escape
being assassinated by Kasyapa but vowed revenge. In India he raised an army with
the intention of returning and retaking the throne of Sri Lanka which he considered
was rightfully his. Knowing the inevitable return of Mogallana, Kasyapa is said to
have built his palace on the summit of Sigiriya as a fortress and pleasure palace.
Mogallana finally arrived and declared war. During the battle Kasyapa's armies
abandoned him and he committed suicide by falling on his sword.
Chronicles and lore say that the battle-elephant on which Kasyapa was mounted changed
course to take a strategic advantage, but the army misinterpreted the movement as
the King having opted to retreat, prompting the army to abandon the king altogether.
It is said that being too proud to be surrendered he took his dagger from the waist
band, cut his throat, raised the dagger proudly, sheathed it and fell dead.
[citation needed] Moggallana returned the capital to Anuradapura, converting
Sigiriya into a monastery complex.
Alternative stories have the primary builder of Sigiriya as King Dhatusena,
with Kasyapa finishing the work in honour of his father. Still other stories
have Kasyapa as a playboy king, with Sigiriya a pleasure palace. Even Kasyapa's
eventual fate is mutable. In some versions he is assassinated by poison administered
by a concubine. In others he cuts his own throat when isolated in his final battle.
Still further interpretations have the site as the work of a Buddhist community,
with no military function at all. This site may have been important in the competition
between the Mahayana and Theravada Buddhist traditions in ancient Sri Lanka.
The earliest evidence of human habitation at Sigiriya was found from 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 in the western and northern slopes of the
boulder-strewn hills surrounding the Sigiriya rock, during the third century B.C. Several
rock shelters or caves had been 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 have been made within the period between the third
century B.C and the first century CE.
Archaeological remains and features
In 1831 Major Jonathan Forbes of the 78th Highlanders of the British army while
returning on horseback from a trip to Pollonnuruwa came across the “bush covered
summit of Sigiriya". 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.
Sigiriya consists of an ancient castle built by King Kasyapa during the 5th century
AD. The Sigiriya site has the remains of an upper palace sited 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 palace that clings to the slopes below the rock, and the
moats, walls and gardens that extend for some hundreds of metres out from the base
of the rock.
The site is both a palace and fortress. Despite its age, the splendour of the palace
still furnishes a stunning insight into the ingenuity and creativity of its builders.
The upper palace on the top of the rock includes cisterns cut into the rock that still
retain water. The moats and walls that surround the lower palace are still exquisitely
beautiful
Site plan
Sigiriya is considered 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 even today. The south contains a man made reservoir,
these were extensively used from previous capital of the dry zone of Sri Lanka.
Five gates were placed at entrances. The more elaborate western gate is thought
to be reserved for the royals
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 even today. The south contains a man made reservoir,
these were extensively used from previous capital of the dry zone of Sri Lanka.
Five gates were placed at entrances. The more elaborate western gate is thought
to be reserved for the royals
Frescoes
John Still in 1907 suggested, "The whole face of the hill appears to have been a
gigantic picture gallery... the largest picture in the world perhaps". The
paintings would have covered most of the western face of the rock, covering
an area 140 metres long and 40 metres high. There are references in the graffiti
to 500 ladies in these paintings. However, many more are lost forever, having
been wiped out when the Palace once more became a Monastery so that they would
not disturb meditation.[citation needed] Some more frescos different from the
popular collection can be seen elsewhere on the rock surface, for example on the
surface of the location called the "Cobra Hood Cave".
Although the frescoes are classified as in the Anuradhapura period, the painting
style is considered unique,[citation needed] 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 voluminousness of 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 Mirror Wall
Originally this wall was so well polished that the king could see himself
whilst he walked alongside it. Made of a kind of porcelain, the wall is now
partially covered with verses scribbled by visitors to the rock. Well preserved,
the mirror wall has verses dating from the 8th century. People of all types wrote
on the wall, on varying subjects such as love, irony, and experiences of all sorts.
Further writing on the mirror wall has now been banned.
The rough translation is: "I am Budal (name of the person). (I) Came with all my
family to see Sigiriya. Since all the others wrote poems, I did not!" He has left
an important record that Sigiriya was visited by people from a very long time.
Its beauty and majestic appearance made people awe of the technology and skills
required to build such a place
The water gardens
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 an island
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 bhag, 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 further to the north and
the south. These islands are built in a similar manner 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. They are connected
with the outer moat 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 several small pools and water courses.
This recently discovered smaller garden appears to have been built after the Kasyapan
period, possibly between the tenth and thirteenth centuries
The boulder gardens
The boulder garden consists several large boulders linked with winding pathways.
The boulder gardens extend from the northern slopes to the southern slopes of the
hills at the foot of Sigiriya rock. Most of these boulders had a building or pavilion
upon them. There are cuttings on these boulders that were used as footings for brick
walls and beams.
The audience hall of the king was situated in the boulder garden, the remains of
which are seen on the flattened and polished summit of a large boulder. There is
also a five metre long granite throne in this hall. The throne is carved from the
boulder itself, and is not separated from it. Another notable feature in the boulder
garden is the Cistern rock, named after a large, carved cistern on top of the rock.
A large archway, created by two boulders, provides access to the terraced gardens.
The terraced gardens
The terraced gardens are formed from the natural hill at the base of the Sigiriya rock.
A series of terraces, each rising above the other, connect 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.
