SIGIRIYA(Fortrees of King Kasyapa)
Sigiriya designated "the eight wonder of the world", is a city built on a rock. It is unique for its amazing architecture and construction, beautiful frescoes & and the mirror wall.It is place which brings together the marvels of the country's ancient technological & engineering knowhow , architectural splendour , urban planning , talents of painting and poetry and aesthetic capabilities.
Sigiriya is about 13 miles away from Dambulla and 30 miles from Anuradhapura .
The sigiriya rock is about 200 meters in height and 377 meters above sea level. Its name means lion rock ; at one time, a gigantic brick lion had sat at one end of the rock while the climb to the top started with a stairway that led between the lion's paws and into its mouth. Although the lion is no longer there , the paws and the first steps are still visible.
The royal palace was built a top the rock while other building and gardens were built around the rock. Only the foundation of these structures remain now.The fortrees city was built by king Kasyapa and became a monastic refuge after his death .In the 16th and 17th centuries, it served as an outpost of the kandyan kingdom but later went into ruin and was rediscovered in 1894/1895 by a British archaeologist, H.C.P.Bell.
King Kasyapa was 70th king of Anuradhapura . The son of King Dhathusena and Brother of Prince Moggallana, he ruled from 477-495 AD . The story goes that Prince Kasyapa suspected his father would appoint Moggallana as the next king. So he killed King Dhathusena ans secended the throne and set up his Kingdom at sigiriya. Moggallana ,fearing for his life ,fled to India, gathered an army and came back to fight Kasyapa. At the Battle site ,Kasyapa's forces abandoned him, the king not wishing to die at the enemy's hand. committed suicide.
The well-Planned city has a wall surrounding the sigiriya rock with a moat outside the wall for added protection . The city is about three kilometers in length and one kilometer in width.
the well-organised and landscaped gardens around Sigiriya consist of water gardense ,stone gardense and terraced gardens. The symmetry of the water gardens have astounded visitors local and foreign alike. Some of the fountains in the water gardens are still thought to be operable during rainy seasons.
The king's summer palace was also located close to the water gardens , which are amazing construction for these early ages. The gardens of sigiriya are the oldest such construction in Asia and some of the first inthe world . They had been maintained well even after King Kasyapa.