- Sigiriya is a 660 foot (200m) Rock Fortress located in the centre of Sri Lanka.
- It is a Unesco World Heritage Site. ‘Sigiriya’ means ‘Lion Rock.
History
- King Kasyapa (477-495 CE) built his Palace on top of the Rock and briefly made it the Capital of Sri Lanka. Access was beneath the carved head, legs and paws of a giant Lion.
- Gardens, moats and walls defended the Rock. The gardens divide into three types, water gardens, cave gardens and terraced gardens. Cisterns in the upper rock provided water, and still function today. The western side of the Rock was painted with giant frescoes.
- After he died it was used as a Buddhist monastery until the fourteenth century CE.
Sigiriya Rock Fortress