Sigiriya: The Lion-Rock Fortress, Sri Lanka

Looking over the Mountains of Central Province from Sigiriya, Sri Lanka

Looking over the Mountains of Central Province
It takes a lot of steps to climb to the top of Sigiriya – the 200 metre monolith in Sri Lanka’s Central Province – but even on a rainy day, the view from the top is well worth the effort.

Sometimes, it would be nice to have a tour guide.

Someone, for example, who speaks English and the local language, and who knows where the ticket-office is. Someone who can give you an idea of what to expect, and can tell you a bit about what you are seeing.

If I had been willing to pay the inflated prices quoted for visits to local attractions by the resort that I was staying at, I suppose I would have had all that and an air-conditioned car. But, when prices in Asia are listed in US dollars, you know you will be paying well-over market value!

I was travelling solo on a trip that had been originally planned for two, and had been dropped at a property in North Central Province, Sri Lanka: in the middle of rice paddies – in the middle of nowhere. And, it was raining. A lot.

To say I was feeling a bit isolated and trapped would be an understatement: especially when I read the fees for transport options in my compendium!

So, I took advantage of a break in the weather, google-mapped the route to the nearest town, and set off on a bicycle to negotiate day-trips with a local tuk-tuk driver. With a lot of sign-language and the help of half the neighbourhood, I arranged to have him take me to Sigiriya, the UNESCO-heritage listed ruins of an ancient stronghold about an hour south of me.

Sigiriya (Sinhagiri – සීගිරිය), or Lion Rock, is an ancient palace and fortress complex, built between 477 and 485 CE by King Kashyapa I (reigned 473–495), high upon the monolithic remains of a magma plug from a long-eroded volcano.

My driver was lovely – or seemed so, considering we had no language in common. I’d coordinated the final details with the help of a reception clerk, and I was confident we’d be fine. I packed an umbrella and a raincoat, and the tuk-tuk had roll-down plastic windows; we set off into the rain and hoped for better weather.

When we finally arrived in the Sigiriya parking lot, it was not clear where I needed to go to buy tickets – nothing was signposted, and naturally none of the guys hanging around smoking spoke English any better than my driver. Somehow, I managed to wend my way through the endless corridors of some sort of featureless administration building, find a counter with a person at it, and purchase an entry ticket. Clearly, most visitors have guides who do this for them.

Once I’d retraced my steps back to my tuk-tuk driver, I discovered that a “local guide” had latched himself onto us: for a price, he’d take me into the site. It wasn’t clear to me whether I had to use his services or not, so it seemed easiest to agree.

And it was still raining …

Rainy Rice Patties, North Central Province Sri Lanka.

Rain in the Rice Patties
The rain-flooded countryside is quite beautiful as we chug along in our three-wheeled tuk tuk. (iPhone6)

Entrance to Sigiriya
The rock-fortress of Sigiriya is considered one of the most important examples of urban planning from the first millennium, and sits amid one of the oldest landscaped gardens in the world. Visitor entry to the city-complex is through these gardens.

Rain over the Rock
The gardens are divided into three forms: the first of which are the water gardens. Lion Rock (Sigiriya or Sinhagiri) rises up through the rain clouds in the background.

People on the Steps
Umbrellas are everywhere as the rains continue and we climb from the outer water gardens towards the cave and boulder gardens.

Deraniyagala Cave
This whole area is dotted with caves, many of which were occupied by Buddhist monks and ascetics from as early as the 3rd century BCE.

People on the Steps
Paths and steps wind up (and down) through a combination of bricked terraces …

Boulder Arch No 1
… and natural rock. Caves either side of this boulder archway have been used since before the days of King Kashyapa I.

Monkey on the Steps
Watch your belongings! Anywhere tourists gather in Sri Lanka, the endemic toque macaques (Macaca sinica) will try to take advantage.

Posing on the Lion Steps
Nothing quite prepares you for this massive monolith rising up out of the plateau at the top of the terraced gardens. There was once a sculpted lion’s head over the entrance, but it has long since collapsed.

Lion Paws
The massive carved feet that flank the stairway give some idea of the animal’s size. There are 1200 steps leading up the lion’s sides: through the frescos and mirror wall, and to the top of the rock.

Buddha in the Distance
The rains have stopped, but clouds still hang over the surrounding jungle and mountains.

Dog on a Wall
A local dog keeps an eye on me as I take in the view.

Heavenly Maidens
No photos of the wall paintings decorating the western face of the rock are allowed, so I’ll share a postcard with you. These frescos date back to the 5th century CE .

Looking Down
Looking back down over the lion’s paws, the people on the plateau look very small, and it is easy to imaging the jungle reclaiming the rocky outcrop.

South Palace Complex
The outlines of the old fortress at the top of the rock are amazing. The palace was in use until King Kashyapa was defeated by the rightful heir to the throne, his half-brother Moggallana in 495 CE. Moggallana converted Sigiriya into a Buddhist monastery complex.

The Ruins
The footings of the old citadel are extensive and – with the recent rains – full of water like swimming pools.

People at the Top of Sigiriya

Over the Mountains
The views over the countryside extend in all directions.

Rice Fields of the Central Province
It is easy to see why the patricidal usurper of the throne, Kashyapa I, chose this site over the less-secure capital of Anuradhapura.

The Broken Lion
When I climb back down from lion, the plateau is less crowded, allowing me to get a better view of the front.

Walking Down
Walking down from the plateau, we follow a different path through the layers of gardens.

Audience Hall
The wooden walls and roof are long gone, but the polished “floor” on this boulder – now split in two – was the base of the Audience Hall where King Kashyapa conducted affairs of state.

Asana Guhawa Cave
Another cave, showing giant traces of the paintings that once decorated it, sits under …

Cobra Hood Rock
… the strange outcrop known as Cobra Hood Rock. Personally, I think it looks more like an elephant trunk.

As soon as my “local guide” received his payment at the bottom of the hill, he disappeared. I’m still not sure if I was required to have one; nor am I sure that he actually added any value, as it turns out, the site is much better marked than the ticket office!

Still, I enjoyed exploring –

Text: Happy Travels and I knew that the tuk tuk driver I had organised myself would get me home in time for dinner.