Rocky plateau of Sigiriya (Sri Lanka)

The name "Sigiriya" is of Sinhalese origin. In the language of the locals it meant "Lion's Rock". This is the name of a rocky plateau with an average height of about 200 meters - the pride of Sri Lanka, a beautiful and grandiose creation of nature, located in the heart of the island.

Sigiriya (Sri Lanka) is recognized as the most popular tourist attraction, a visiting card, and therefore in 1982 it was listed as a UNESCO monument.

How did the rocky plateau of Sigiriya come about?

This masterpiece of nature appeared many millions of years ago as a consequence of volcanic activity. At first there was a huge volcano, which one day woke up and began to throw out of the bowels of the earth a molten magma. Spreading, the lava gradually froze and layered. This went on for a long time. After the volcano calmed down, the eruption ceased, for some time, the mountain top was destroyed. As a result of the described processes, a rock plateau was formed.

Now this landmark is famous for Sigiriya. Lion's Rock (Sri Lanka) flaunts in many photos of tourists from around the world.

Buddhist Monastery

Several centuries before Christmas in the caves of Sigiriya Buddhist monks settled.

In the seventies of the fifth century AD, power in Sri Lanka was treacherously captured by Kasap, the son of King Dhatusen and a concubine. From early childhood, he dreamed of taking the throne, and now the right moment has come. From his father he got rid of the cruel way: walled in. The younger son Moggalan, born of the king's wife, prudently left the borders of Sri Lanka and for some time found a haven in South India. There he hatched plans for revenge: it was necessary to assemble an army in order to restore justice by a forceful way - to return the power that he had by right. Mount Sigiriya in Sri Lanka had a special significance since ancient times.

In terms of inaccessibility, the top of a high cliff could serve as the best fortress for a traitorous brother. There Kasapa founded a residence in which he built luxurious palaces, rooms with numerous concubines, swimming pools, gardens. The city on top of the mountain, located in the middle of the jungle, temporarily became the capital of Sri Lanka instead of Anuradhapura.

Building a fortress city among the jungle

The design and construction of the city were carried out taking into account complicated at that time mathematical calculations. In particular, the square module was very accurately observed. All buildings and structures were erected, clearly oriented to the palace complex, which served as a kind of center of coordinates. The center line, connecting the east and west, determined the direction of the entrances to the houses. All objects of the western part of the city are located with the use of such a technique as "echo". It consisted in the repetition of the arrangement of other objects on either side of the line south-north. In the construction of Sigiriya, a successful combination of two mutually exclusive concepts of geometry: symmetry and asymmetry took place.

Below the mountain there are beautiful gardens, among them grandiose fountains. The rock of Sigiriya (Sri Lanka) is a place that inspires and amazes with its unearthly beauty.

Organization of city water supply

Water for everyday needs of the population and the filling of pools, ponds, fountains and baths was delivered by a system of ingenious mechanisms and devices. The need for water of the ruler with his servants, as well as the troops, was fully satisfied. The pools were L-shaped. From the serf ditches, water was delivered through pipes that were made of burnt clay. The system of these utilities was in the ground. As you can see, Sigiriya (Sri Lanka) has a very rich history.

The passage of time could not completely destroy everything that was created by the hands of the then masters. From the former luxury of the royal palace remained the foundation. In addition, the canals and walls around the palace, as well as swimming pools, are available to view modern tourists. The reliability of ancient cisterns in which water was collected and stored is striking. They are now able to function!

Wonderful Gardens

The description of Sigiriya will be incomplete if you ignore the stone and water gardens in the form of terraces, which are recognized as the best in the whole world. They equip all suitable plots for this area. The source of moisture, supporting the life of plants, served as reservoirs. The filling was performed by an artificial method. Water was distributed in all directions by a special irrigation system. And now they do not make us admire projects of engineering structures. Strange as it may seem, they are still in working condition today!

Unusual landscapes adorned the rock of Sigiriya (Sri Lanka). Photo gardens are often used by designers of modern landscapes.

The luxury of the royal palace is admirable

Do not remain indifferent visitor who entered the Mirror Hall. It was located in front of the king's chambers. The surface of the walls was a very thin sphere of porcelain. The figure of the king, who passed along this hall, reflected in the mirrored walls, each time causing a sense of narcissism. The wall in some places was destroyed. Also, thieves could not pass by her porcelain cladding. The surviving remains were written by tourists, in which the talent of the poet was present. Now unauthorized painting is punishable. Researchers came to the conclusion that the earliest records were made in the eighth century. Do not cease to interest archaeologists and today the amazing rock of Sigiriya (Sri Lanka). History was rich in these parts.

Part of the rock, located in the west, after preliminary polishing was turned into a huge rock painting, the length of which was 140 meters. On it unknown artists portrayed young women of beautiful appearance almost without clothes. Probably, these are the royal wives and concubines.

For many years scientists can not come to a common opinion about the plots that are the basis for creating the frescoes. Some believe that these are the deep-rooted queen and servants who come with flowers to bid farewell to the master. According to another hypothesis, the artists depicted the heavenly nymphs, the characters of the myths of Sri Lanka.

Castle today

Again, unfortunately, modern visitors have the opportunity to contemplate only what remains of the rock painting - only 17 murals from 500. The masters used to protect and preserve the original form of painting special composition, which included honey of wild bees and egg white. This explains the longevity of the masterpieces of painting performed at an altitude of 100 meters. The real works of art hid the rock of Sigiriya (Sri Lanka) for a long time.

Now it is under the protection of the state. Although under the influence of ruthless time, images are much worn out, but still they are viewed. The researchers disclosed the composition of the paint, which gave it considerable stability. The main components were wax and egg white.

The throne room of Kasap now represents ruins. In it is a stone throne of enormous dimensions, sitting on which, the king enjoyed the form of dancing concubines. In a cave called "Cobra's Hood", the ceiling and wall surfaces are covered with frescoes that introduce the visitor to the historical moments of the life of the autocrat. Unusual beauty was the ancient castle (Sigiriya, Sri Lanka).

For modern archaeologists remains a mystery way to deliver a fairly heavy building material, from which at the top of the rock erected a city-fortress.

The death of King Kassapa

The self-proclaimed ruler of Kasapa I took steps to make his residence impregnable. Along the edge of the rocky plateau, at its disposal, dug in the form of canals, and then completely filled with water. You can get to the top only through the Lions Gate. They represented a huge figure of a lion carved in a rocky rock, between which the steps were led to the very head. The last stage is the open mouth of the beast. As is known, in most peoples the figures of a lion were associated with such qualities as power and strength. Unfortunately, since those far times only the paws of a huge stone beast have been preserved.

In the middle of the road storming the city-fortress of the enemy was to detain a fairly powerful system of defensive structures. On the narrow paths, which are carved into the rock, watchmen stood watchful. Drowning in a sleep on a small area led to the death of the patrolman as a result of falling down from the rock. Sigiriya (Sri Lanka) was to be protected at all times.

It would seem that in his fortress the king-pretender had to feel completely safe. Fate took him to the board for almost twenty years, which ended on a sad note. Perhaps he would have avoided a fateful fate if he had not decided to fight with the army of Moggalan, the place for which he chose on the plain at the foot of the cliff. They say that the king was seated on an elephant, like a real military leader. The outcome of the battle was decided not in favor of Kasapa. He summed up the elephant, who, instead of going to the enemy, succumbing to the habit and instinct, went to the nearest pool with water. After the warlord, warriors rushed, deciding that he was leaving the battlefield. Feeling the rout, his soldiers fled from the battlefield, and the king, not wanting to be captured, where he was awaited by a shameful execution, cut his throat.

People who walk the clouds

The capital, as before, was Anuradhapura. After the diligence of Mogallan was partially destroyed the fortress, built by a traitorous brother, Buddhists settled in the city, turning Sigiriya into a monastery. In this capacity, there was a rock before the 14th century. Then the monastery fell into decay, they forgot about it.

About Sigiriya civilized world learned in 1907, thanks to the emerged essays of a researcher from England.

An interesting phenomenon is observed on the plateau of Sigiriya during the day when the cloud cover is very low. Although in reality people are immersed in clouds to the waist, from the side it seems that they walk across the sky.

Beautiful at any time of year the rock of Sigiriya (Sri Lanka). How to get there? First you need to get to Colombo airport, there to buy a train ticket. From Negombo, tourists travel to Sigiriya by bus, the journey time is about 5 hours.