- Sigiriya
Infobox World Heritage Site
Name = Ancient City of Sigiriya
State Party = SRI
Type = Cultural
Criteria = ii, iii, iv
ID = 202
Region = Asia-Pacific
Year = 1982
Session = 6th
Link = http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/202Sigiriya (Lion's rock) is an ancient rock fortress and ruins of a castle situated in central
Matale District ofSri Lanka . It is a popular tourist destination and also popular for the ancient paintings ("frescos") very similar to the paintings inAjanta Caves ofIndia . It was built during the reign of King Kasyapa (477 – 495 AD) and one of the sevenWorld Heritage Sites of Sri Lanka .cite web | title = UNESCO page - Ancient City of Sigiriya | publisher = UNESCO.org | url = http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/202 | format =html | accessdate = 2008-01-18] [cite web|url=http://www.asiaexplorers.com/srilanka/sigiriya.htm|title=Exploring Sigiriya Rock|work=AsiaExplorers.com|accessdate=2008-05-05]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 BuddhistSangha .The garden and palace were built by Kashyapa. Following Kasyapa's death, it was again a monastery complex up to about the 14th century, after which it was abandoned. The ruins were discovered in 1907 by British explorer John Still. The Sigiri inscriptions were deciphered by the archeologistSenarath Paranavithana who published a renowned two volume work, published by Oxford, known as "Sigiri Graffiti". He also wrote the popular book "Story of Sigiriya". [cite web|url=http://www.lankalibrary.com/heritage/sigiriya.html|title=The Story of Sigiriya|work=WWW Virtual Library Sri Lanka|accessdate=2008-05-05] TheMahavansa , 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 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 the course just to get to a better fighting position/place but the army misinterpreted it as the King fleeing. Thereafter the army abandoned the king altogether. Moggallana returned the capital to Anuradapura and turned 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.
.cite web | title = The Sigiriya Story | publisher = Asian Tribune | url = http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/202 | format =html | accessdate = 2006-11-24] 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 andTheravada Buddhist traditions in ancient Sri LankaThe site located in
Central Province ,Matale District (N7 57 00)(E80 45 00) co-ordinates.cite web | title = World Heritage Tour page - Sigiriya | publisher = World Heritage Tour | url = http://www.world-heritage-tour.org/asia/lk/sigiriya/map.html | format =html | accessdate = 2008-01-18]Archaeological remains and features
Sigiriya rock is the hardened magma plug from an extinct and long-eroded
volcano . It stands high above the surrounding plain, visible for miles in all directions. The rock rests on a steep mound that rises abruptly from the flat plain surrounding it. The rock itself rises 370m and is sheer on all sides, in many places overhanging the base. It is elliptical in plan and has a flat top that slopes gradually along the long axis of the ellipse.cite web | title = Encyclopædia Britannica Article about Sigiriya | publisher = Encyclopædia Britannica | url = http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9067705/Sigiriya | format =html | accessdate = 2008-01-18]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
moat s, 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. Sufficient remains to provide the visitor with 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. [cite web|url=http://en.epochtimes.com/news/5-5-4/28449.html|title=Sri Lanka: Slip Into Antiquity|work=The Epoch Times|accessdate=2005-05-04]
ite plan
Sigiriya is considered as one of the most important sites of urban planning of the first millennium, the site plan is considered very elaborate and imaginative. The planning had combined concepts of symmetry and asymmetry to intentionally interlock the geometrical plan and the natural form of the surroundings. The west side of the rock lies a park for the royals which is symmetrically planned, the park contains water retaining structures which includeds sophisticated sub/surface hydraulic systems of which some 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.cite web | title = Sigiriya - The fortress in the sky| publisher = Sunday Observer | url = http://www.sundayobserver.lk/2004/10/10/juniorob06.html| format =html | accessdate = 2004-10-10] cite web | title = Sigiriya| publisher = BuddhaNet| url = http://www.buddhanet.net/sacred-island/sigiriya.html| format =html | accessdate = 2008-02-28] cite web | title = Sigiriya: the most spectacular site in South Asia| publisher = Sunday Observer | url = http://www.dailynews.lk/2006/08/03/fea03.asp|format =html | accessdate = 2006-08-03]
The Gardens
The landscape of the Sigiriya city is considered to one of the most important aspects of the site, the gardens are one of the oldest landscaped gardens of the world. Gardens take three distinct but linked forms they are Water, Cave and boulder gardens. The water gardens are the more sophisticated in design and can be seen in the western precinct. The water gardens contained pools of various depths with streams flowing over slabs of marble. Underground hydraulic systems provide water into the fountains which even operate today. Other water gardens found combines pavilions with water courses which were used to cool the pavilions. Boulder gardens had a different design concept to the water gardens, the gardens included pathways, pavilions etc.
The Mirror Wall
Originally this wall was so well polished, the king could see himself whilst he walked alongside it. Made of a kind of porcelain, the mirror wall now contains verses scribbled by visitors to the rock. Well preserved it has verses dating from the 8th century. People of all types wrote on the mirror wall, they took to varying subjects like love, irony, experiences of all sorts. It has now been banned to write on the mirror wall.
Frescos
John Still in 1907 had observed that; "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 meters long and 40 meters 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.
Classified as in the
Anuradhapura period but the painting style technique used to paint is considered unique. The line and application style of the paintings differ from theAnuradhapura paintings. The lines are painted in a form which enhances the sense of volumeness of figures. The paint has been applied in sweeping action strokes using more pressure on one side giving the effect of a deeper colour tone towards the edge. Other paintings of theAnuradhapura period contains similar approaches to painting but they do not have the sketchy nature of the sigiriya lines as the painting of the Anuradhapura period has a distinct line which was the artists boundary which does not resemble that of the Sigiriya style.* Sigiriya is used as the location of many of the events in the science-fiction novel
The Fountains of Paradise byArthur C. Clarke , although Clarke changed the name to Yakkagala in the book.Further reading
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