SIgiriya Facts: Who Built Sigiriya?

Sigiriya Sri Lanka
Who Built It? 

The Sigiriya Rock Fortress was built over 1600 years ago by King Kasyapa the second monarch of the Moriyan Dynasty of the Anuradhapura Kingdom. 

Kasyapa ascended the throne in 477 AD by having his father murdered. Unable to redeem himself with the people for this terrible crime he abandoned the royal capital of Anuradhapura and built himself a new one deep in the forests of central Sri Lanka. 

Monarchs before Kasyapa expended their energies building religious edifices for the glorification of the Buddhist faith as self-aggrandizement of any sort was strongly frowned upon by society.

Having being rejected and ostracised by the Buddhist clergy,  Kasyapa no longer left bound by these religious constraints and spent his vast wealth building a royal residence of unsurpassed beauty. This was Sigiriya. 

Read ther whole story at  the website Sigiriya or buy the book The Story of Sigiriya available in paperback, hardcover and ebook format.

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Sigiriya Facts: What are the Sigiriya Frescoes?

Sigiriya Frescoes

The Sigiriya Frescoes were painted 1600 years ago on the western surface of Sigiriya Rock  in Sri Lanka during the reign of King Kasyapa I who ruled between  477 — 495 AD. 

Only nineteen frescoes survive today, located in a small sheltered depression a hundred meters above ground. Ancient graffiti scribbled on the Mirror Wall, however, refer to the existence of as many as five hundred of these frescoes covering an area in excess of 5600 sq. meters over the entire western surface of Sigiriya Rock. 

These were portraits of ladies of King Kasyapa’s harem. Dressed in their finest, they were to be admired but not touched.  Depicted as supernatural they are portrayed with flowers to shower upon the humans below. They were intended to evoke a sense of wonderment and to project the opulence and grandeur of Kasyapa, the all-powerful god-king. 

These spectacular paintings offer us a rare glimpse of ancient  Sri Lankan art at its finest. 

They are a celebration of beauty. 


Read more at our Sigiriya website.

Sigiriya Facts: The Story of Sigiriya

Sigiriya Rock from Western Gardens

The Story

The Story of Sigiriya Rock Fortress is the tale of Kasyapa – a troubled but visionary king who 1,500 years ago murdered his father by plastering him up in a wall. Tormented by guilt he abandoned his capital and fled deep in the forests of Sri Lanka. There in an area dominated by a menacing black column of rock 600 feet high he builds himself a new capital resplendent with lush gardens, ponds, palaces and pavilions. He transforms the once sinister-looking rock to appear like a huge bedazzling white cloud. Around its circumference he paints an exquisite multi-colored tapestry depicting celestial nymphs. We know these today as the Sigiriya Frescoes. Halfway up this rock he built a massive gatehouse in the form of a a sphinx-like lion giving his lair its name, Sigiriya–Lion Mountain. On top this gigantic rock he built himself a gleaming white palace of unparalleled beauty. There, hidden from view, he lived in splendid isolation tormented by guilt and fear. His city thrived for less than fourteen years before it was abandoned and soon forgotten. There it lies hidden for generations until rediscovered by an adventurous young British army officer while out on an elephant hunt.

The Site Today

Sigiriya was the largest and most sophisticated single construction project ever undertaken in ancient Sri Lanka. The ruins seen today are less than twenty percent of the structures that once graced the area. Most buildings were made of wood. Consequently, there is very little evidence of these structures. Those built with stone and brick have survived the ravages of time and provide us a rare glimpse of the opulence and grandeur of an ancient era. Many ruins still lay hidden in the forest and are yet to be discovered. 

When you visit the site you need to let your imagination roam. Remember that it was meant to be a magical place; an earthly paradise with gardens, ponds, fountains, pavilions, hidden passages, beautiful works of art and a palace on top of a massive 200 meter tall rock. The complex was built in less than ten years and employed hundred of thousands of people in its construction. Having spent over six years researching and writing the book The Story of Sigiriya. I have grown to love the place.

Climbing Sigiriya Rock

Climbing Sigiriya isn't that hard but it is strenuous. It is not, however, for the unfit. There are steps all the way to the top; some of which are very narrow and steep. There are about 1200 steps. That's roughly equivalent to climbing 60 flights of steps of a 60 story building. But don't panic. It’s a lot easier than climbing sixty flights of steps in a building. When you climb Sigiriya Rock take your time, rest often and drink lots of water. Proper footwear is strongly recommenced. The best times to climb are early morning and late afternoon.

by Senani Ponnamperuma  author of The Story of Sigiriya