A 5th-century royal citadel atop a 200-metre granite monolith, famous for its frescoes, mirror wall and lion-paw gateway.

Overview

Sigiriya rises almost 200 metres from the surrounding plain as a sheer column of rock crowned by the ruins of King Kashyapa's palace. The approach leads through symmetrical water gardens and boulder gardens before a staircase climbs past a sheltered gallery of the celebrated Sigiriya frescoes, the polished Mirror Wall covered in ancient graffiti, and the giant lion's paws that once framed a gateway into the jaws of a brick lion. The summit rewards the climb with the palace foundations, bathing pools cut into the rock, and sweeping views over the jungle to Pidurangala.

History

Sigiriya was built between 477 and 495 CE by King Kashyapa I, who seized the throne from his father and moved the capital here to an all-but-impregnable rock. After his defeat the site became a Buddhist monastery until about the 14th century, then lay largely forgotten until British-era antiquarians documented it. It was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982 and is often called the eighth wonder of the ancient world.