What is the history of the ancient city Sigiriya?

Sigiriya, sometimes, called Sinhagiri, is an ancient rock fortress located in the northern Matale District near the town of Dambulla in Sri Lanka. A site of historical and archaeological significance, Sigiriya is dominated by a massive 200 metre-high column of rock surrounded by dense jungle. It gets its name from the giant lion statue between whose paws lies a staircase which gives access to the site.

Built in the 5th Century, Sigiriya is home to an ancient palace, beautiful gardens and fabulous frescos. It remained covered by the jungle until British archaeologists discovered it in the 1800s.

Today, Sigirita is a UNESCO World Heritage Site visited by thousands of tourists every year.

History of the city

Sigiriya was built by King Kashyapa I, who ruled the Moriya, the native Sinhalese dynasty. According to legends, Kashyapa orchestrated the assassination of his own father King Dhatusena, and expelled his half-brother to usurp the throne. Fearing attack by his half-brother, Kashyapa moved his capital from Anuradhapura to Sigiriya and built a giant fortress and palace on top of the cliff there.

Sigiriya remained the capital of the Moriya until Kashyapa’s half-brother returned and defeated Kashyapa. Unwilling to concede defeat, Kashyapa killed himself. Following his death, Sigiriya is said to have been used as a Buddhist Monastery until the 14th Century.

After the 14th Century, Sigiriya remained hidden from the outside world and was known only to the world and was known only to the locals. Once the British took over Sri Lanka, civil servant George Turnour worked with a Buddhist monk to translate an ancient 5th Century chronicle, the Mahavamsa, from the Sri Lankan Pali language into English. He also studied the Culavamsa, which narrated the story of Kashyapa. In 1827, Jonathan Forbes, a Scottish officer, befriended Turnour and decided to look for Sigiriya upon hearing Kashyapa’s story.

In 1831, he set off to find Sigiriya, based on information given by the locals. Eventually, he found the large rock and noticed platforms and galleries cut into the rock face. Forbes, however, was unsure if it was the Sigiriya he had read about in texts and decided to abandon the expedition. A few years later, when he returned, he traced the moat around the gardens at the foot of the rock. However, he did not climb it.

Finally, British mountaineers reached the top in 1851, and the task of surveying the site fell in the hands of the Archaeological Commissioner of Ceylon, Harry C.P. Bell. Bell’s study at the end of the 19th Century has since served as the basis for all the studies conducted on the site.

Mirror Wall

This wall was once so highly polished than the king could see his reflection as he walked alongside it. Today, however, the polish has faded, and what’s left are scribbles by visitors on a range of subjects – some dating back to the 8th Century.

The wall is currently barricaded to protect the scribbles and whatever little polish remaining on the wall.

Lion’s Paws

The lion’s paws are located at the northern end of the rock. Sigiriya derives its name from this. The paws were discovered by Bell in 1898. At the time, a gigantic lion stood here. The final ascent to the top began here on a staircase that would pass between the lion’s paws and end at its mouth. Today, however, the 5th Century lion’s head has disappeared and only its paws and a few flights of stairs remain.

Frescoes and paintings

When it was found, Sigiriya’s rock face had extensive galleries decorated with wall paintings. These wall paintings are some of Sri Lanka’s most prized possessions. There are a total of 21 surviving frescoes in Sigiriya. These mostly represent apsaras, celestial singers and dancers.

The walls of the rock face have over 1,000 graffiti done by monks and pilgrims who visited the site between the eighth and 13th Centuries.

Gardens

Found at the foot of the rock, the gardens of Sigiriya are among the oldest landscaped gardens in the world. They are divided into three distinct forms – water gardens, boulder gardens and terraced gardens.

The water gardens include bathing pools, little islands with pavilions, and landscaped borders among others. The boulder gardens features boulders that once served as the base for monastery buildings, while the terraced gardens are formed from a natural hill at the base of the rock.

 

Picture Credit : Google