Very often, not being able to visit with my own eyes any country or area that is interesting for me, I find myself there in my imagination, collecting information and preparing another article. Describing sights, facts and legends, it is as if you are transported to this place, and you get to know its history - from the very depths of time.
Sigiriya is located almost in the center of the island of Sri Lanka. A round plateau of rock with such a beautiful name rises 170 meters above the plain - there was once a volcano here, but it died out a long time ago, and Sigiriya was born from its magma. The place turned out to be suitable for life, and soon Buddhist monks settled here - as if time had created caves in the rock especially for them. Much later, almost a thousand years later, Sigiriya was chosen to build a unique palace of its kind, the appearance of which was the logical conclusion of a story that clearly showed that the court backstage, intrigue and lust for power feel great in the world of people both now and in the 5th century, - an epic poem, very popular in Sri Lanka, tells about these events. Then King Dhatusena ruled Sri Lanka. He had two heirs - the elder Kassapa, born of a concubine,and the younger Moggallan, legitimate, born in marriage with the wife of Dhatusena. It was Moggallan who was supposed to ascend the throne after his father, and become the second in this royal dynasty of Sri Lanka, however, Kassapa strongly disagreed with this state of affairs, and in 473 he received the coveted throne - from that moment he is known in history as Kassapa I. In agreement with the court commander, who has long sharpened his grudge against the sovereign, the concubine's son successfully carries out a palace coup. Dhatusena is in prison, and he has too few influential supporters to return the crown to the rightful ruler, but Mogallan - the heir to the throne is still alive, and already out of reach. Rightly fearing an imminent reprisal, he fled from his native country to South India, where he hid for an indefinite time.born in marriage with the wife of Dhatusena. It was Moggallan who was supposed to ascend the throne after his father, and become the second in this royal dynasty of Sri Lanka, however, Kassapa strongly disagreed with this state of affairs, and in 473 he receives the coveted throne - from that moment he is known in history as Kassapa I. In agreement with the court commander, who has long sharpened his grudge against the sovereign, the concubine's son successfully carries out a palace coup. Dhatusena is in prison, and he has too few influential supporters to return the crown to the rightful ruler, but Mogallan - the heir to the throne is still alive, and already out of reach. Rightly fearing an imminent reprisal, he fled from his native country to South India, where he hid for an indefinite time.born in marriage with the wife of Dhatusena. It was Moggallan who was supposed to ascend the throne after his father, and become the second in this royal dynasty of Sri Lanka, however, Kassapa strongly disagreed with this state of affairs, and in 473 he receives the coveted throne - from that moment he is known in history as Kassapa I. In agreement with the court commander, who has long sharpened his grudge against the sovereign, the concubine's son successfully carries out a palace coup. Dhatusena is in prison, and he has too few influential supporters to return the crown to the rightful ruler, but Mogallan - the heir to the throne is still alive, and already out of reach. Rightly fearing an imminent reprisal, he fled from his native country to South India, where he hid for an indefinite time. It was Moggallan who was supposed to ascend the throne after his father, and become the second in this royal dynasty of Sri Lanka, however, Kassapa strongly disagreed with this state of affairs, and in 473 he received the coveted throne - from that moment he is known in history as Kassapa I. In agreement with the court commander, who has long sharpened his grudge against the sovereign, the concubine's son successfully carries out a palace coup. Dhatusena is in prison, and he has too few influential supporters to return the crown to the rightful ruler, but Mogallan, the heir to the throne, is still alive, and already out of reach. Rightly fearing an imminent reprisal, he fled from his native country to South India, where he hid for an indefinite time. It was Moggallan who was supposed to ascend the throne after his father, and become the second in this royal dynasty of Sri Lanka, however, Kassapa strongly disagreed with this state of affairs, and in 473 he received the coveted throne - from that moment he is known in history as Kassapa I. In agreement with the court commander, who has long sharpened his grudge against the sovereign, the concubine's son successfully carries out a palace coup. Dhatusena is in prison, and he has too few influential supporters to return the crown to the rightful ruler, but Mogallan, the heir to the throne, is still alive, and already out of reach. Rightly fearing an imminent reprisal, he fled from his native country to South India, where he hid for an indefinite time.however, Kassapa categorically disagreed with this state of affairs, and in 473 he received the coveted throne - from that moment on, he is known in history as Kassapa I. In agreement with the court commander, who had long sharpened his teeth on the sovereign, the son of the concubine successfully carried out a palace coup. Dhatusena is in prison, and he has too few influential supporters to return the crown to the rightful ruler, but Mogallan - the heir to the throne is still alive, and already out of reach. Rightly fearing an imminent reprisal, he fled from his native country to South India, where he hid for an indefinite time.however, Kassapa categorically disagreed with this state of affairs, and in 473 he received the coveted throne - from that moment on, he is known in history as Kassapa I. In agreement with the court commander, who had long sharpened his teeth on the sovereign, the son of the concubine successfully carried out a palace coup. Dhatusena is in prison, and he has too few influential supporters to return the crown to the rightful ruler, but Mogallan - the heir to the throne is still alive, and already out of reach. Rightly fearing an imminent reprisal, he fled from his native country to South India, where he hid for an indefinite time.and he has too few influential supporters to return the crown to the rightful ruler, but Moggallan, the heir to the throne, is still alive and out of reach. Rightly fearing an imminent reprisal, he fled from his native country to South India, where he hid for an indefinite time.and he has too few influential supporters to return the crown to the rightful ruler, but Moggallan, the heir to the throne, is still alive and out of reach. Rightly fearing an imminent reprisal, he fled from his native country to South India, where he hid for an indefinite time.
The military leader was very convincing: Kassapa sincerely believed that somewhere in the palace his father kept countless treasures. He visited the prisoner, and demanded to reveal the location of the jewelry. Dhatusena did not argue or deny, but instead of the coveted gold and gems, a huge irrigation tank appeared before Kassapa's gaze. The deposed ruler did not lose his pride: he declared to the usurper that this reservoir was his only treasure. This led to a tragedy, after which Kassapu began to be called the Patricide - in a rage, he ordered to brick Dhatusena in the wall.
The censure of Kassapa among the people was so great, and the fear of his brother's return was so strong that he had to take care of his own safety and move his capital from Anuradhapura to a large citadel, for the construction of which an impregnable rock was chosen, which later received the name Sigiriya, which is literally translated from Sinhalese means "Lion rock". A city with a rather complex layout appeared near the citadel - Kassapa chose a good place, all the surroundings are perfectly visible from the top of Sigiriya, and the enemy will not pass unnoticed. This is a significant strategic advantage: while the enemy's army approaches the city, there is every chance to think over the actions of its defenders.
All the years that Kassapa spent on the throne, he continued to build and improve his palace. During this time, Sigiriya was covered with a huge number of pools and fountains, which, by the way, are still in good working order. A well-thought-out irrigation system nourished lush gardens - the Lion Rock was buried in greenery.
But, if Kassapa had lived in the palace in bliss and abundance, then this story would not have happened. The younger brother, the rightful heir to the throne, gathered an army during his stay in South India and returned home. The impregnable Sigiriya did not fulfill its role: Kassapa and the soldiers went out onto the plain to meet Moggallan face to face. This decision did not bode well for him: the more experienced contender in battles smashed the usurper's army to smithereens. Imagining what might await him in the near future, Kassapa did not tempt fate and committed suicide, not allowing his brother to avenge his father. So in 495, the reign of Kassapa I ended, and Moggallan I ascended the throne. Revenge of the already dead enemy consisted in the fact that the new ruler ordered the destruction of the palace: the capital was moved to another place, and the Lion Rock was covered with ruins.which were soon settled again by the monks.
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Sri Lanka was thrashed in internecine wars, which again and again divided it into dozens of small states, and then again redrawn their shaky borders. Around the 15th century, Sigiriya ended up on the territory of the Kingdom of Kandy and became a refuge for the border garrison. In the 19th century, it was completely forgotten - the kingdom was occupied by British colonists, and no one remembered the ancient ruins. Only in 1907 did they start talking about the palace complex again: during his research, John Steele told the world about the unique frescoes that adorned the huge halls. Unknown artists fulfilled the king's order and depicted Kassapa's concubines on the frescoes, confirming this with the phrase “500 young beauties in their splendor are like the crown of glory of the royal treasures”. The researchers had another version: they say, all these images of half-naked women are nothing else,like the many faces of the goddess Tara, who is called the female incarnation of the Buddha, and not the artists of Kassapa created them at all, but the monks. But this harmonious theory has a significant drawback: next to the frescoes, they found the "king's cell", the place where Kassapa spent time with his concubines. It would be sacrilege to watch the image of the goddess during this pastime, but looking at your other girlfriends is easy. Therefore, most likely, it is the beauties from the harem that are captured on the walls. To date, only 18 portraits have survived - it is noteworthy that even due to its impressive age, none of them has lost the brightness of colors. Let's look at the dictionary:next to the frescoes, they found the "king's cell", the place where Kassapa spent time with his concubines. It would be sacrilege to watch the image of the goddess during this pastime, but looking at your other girlfriends is easy. Therefore, most likely, it is the beauties from the harem that are captured on the walls. To date, only 18 portraits have survived - it is noteworthy that even due to its impressive age, none of them has lost the brightness of colors. Let's look at the dictionary:next to the frescoes, they found the "king's cell", the place where Kassapa spent time with his concubines. It would be sacrilege to watch the image of the goddess during this pastime, but looking at your other girlfriends is easy. Therefore, most likely, it is the beauties from the harem that are captured on the walls. To date, only 18 portraits have survived - it is noteworthy that even due to its impressive age, none of them has lost the brightness of colors. Let's look at the dictionary:that even due to its impressive age, none of them lost the brightness of their colors. Let's look at the dictionary:that even due to its impressive age, none of them lost the brightness of their colors. Let's look at the dictionary:
The fresco is painting on wet plaster. When dried, the lime contained in the plaster forms a thin transparent calcite film, which makes the fresco durable.
Imagine the age of the Sigiriya frescoes and the conditions in which they were for more than a thousand years - the plaster applied to the granite did not peel off, did not fall off, did not crumble, and the images did not lose their beauty even with all the delights of the tropical climate and being in the open air. In the composition of the paint, which was used by ancient masters, it was possible to find egg white and bee honey, but the researchers do not know the remaining ingredients or their proportions.
Lion Rock is now the most attractive destination for tourists arriving in Sri Lanka. Inspection of Sigiriya is customary to start from the bottom of the rock, which contains most of the gardens and terraces, mixed with pools. Back in the days of Kassapa, a protective moat was built here, filled with water: it surrounds almost the entire rock, and now from time to time they try to populate crocodiles there - so to speak, restore the true historical appearance. From that time, wide marble steps have been preserved, along which one can climb to the top.
To get to the palace itself, you need to go through the Lion Gate, the “design” of which gave the name to the entire mountain: initially it was a huge lion through the mouth of which the visitor got inside, but time, sparing the fountains, destroyed the figure of the beast, leaving only paws on both sides stairs. Remarkable is the fact that there are only three fingers on each paw, and the claws somehow do not pull on the lion's - they rather resemble the paws of a dinosaur than a lion. The theory suggests itself that in the 5th century, the Sri Lankans somehow managed to get acquainted with the antediluvian lizards.
If official science still gives at least some convincing explanations for the durability of the frescoes and lion paws, which are more similar to the paws of a dinosaur (from the series “I am an artist, I see it that way”), then its version regarding the throne room does not at all inspire trust. The fact is that both the throne and everything that is next to it, be it a fence or a platform, are all perfectly even, without chips or other flaws. Cutting such a thing into a solid granite rock, and even with such a quality of processing, is only possible with modern technology - so where did it come from in the days of Kassapa?
There is an assumption that a technology that was incredible for that era was used for construction: the craftsmen somehow softened the stone, turning it into a kind of plasticine, and, having carried out all the necessary work, restored its hardness again. Nowadays, such a “procedure” exists only in theory: for example, a similar effect on a stone can have a huge strength of radiation, since it affects the very structure of the stone. This option has two colossal disadvantages at once: firstly, even now it will require an incredible amount of energy release, and secondly, living in such a room would be unrealistic, and, moreover, traces of radiation would have survived to this day but they are not. This means that this method disappears, and the technology was different. What is it?
Another theory is based on sound vibrations. Its adherents believe that the Sri Lankans also influenced the crystalline structure of granite, but not with radiation, but with sound, drilling holes in certain places and sending waves of different frequencies into them. This theory has no more specific assumptions, but holes of the correct geometric shape located in various places speak in its favor - they have not yet been able to determine their purpose.
Above the throne room is a swimming pool, apparently made according to the same technology, with equally perfect walls and steps. Science knows the way in which in ancient times they worked with slabs of granite: holes were drilled along the "cut" line into which wooden wedges were driven. The tree was watered with water, and it, swelling, simply split the monolith into parts conceived by the builders, but this technology left behind characteristic traces that were not seen in Sigiriya. The lion's rock conceals too many mysteries, which are rarely spoken about in the Big World. and in Sri Lanka itself they have long been accustomed to them. Sigiriya can boast of such structures, which are unparalleled anywhere else in the world. For example, the mirrored wall, famous in narrow circles, is a structure that stretches for tens of meters, curved so strongly that if a person stands close to it,then it will not be visible. In addition to the decorative function, it also serves for its intended purpose, protecting those passing by from falling into the abyss. Around the 8th century, these very passing ones introduced fashion - they left small notes or poems on polished china. Now this is regarded as vandalism, and anyone faces serious punishment. And here's what is interesting: porcelain is obtained in ovens by firing a special clay - how did you manage to apply it to a rather long wall? And in the complex itself there is a stone monolith, the weight of which exceeds 2000 tons. It is not clear how he got there, nor how he was lifted on props so that, if necessary, dropped on the heads of the invaders. It is now a similar technique - it is doubtful that it existed in the 5th century.saving those passing by from falling into the abyss. Around the 8th century, these very passing ones introduced fashion - they left small notes or poems on polished china. Now this is regarded as vandalism, and anyone faces serious punishment. And here's what is interesting: porcelain is obtained in ovens by firing a special clay - how did you manage to apply it to a rather long wall? And in the complex itself there is a stone monolith, the weight of which exceeds 2000 tons. It is not clear how he got there, nor how he was lifted on props so that, if necessary, dropped on the heads of the invaders. It is now a similar technique - it is doubtful that it existed in the 5th century.saving those passing by from falling into the abyss. Around the 8th century, these very passing ones introduced fashion - they left small notes or poems on polished china. Now this is regarded as vandalism, and anyone faces serious punishment. And here's what is interesting: porcelain is obtained in ovens by firing a special clay - how did you manage to apply it to a rather long wall? And in the complex itself there is a stone monolith, the weight of which exceeds 2000 tons. It is not clear how he got there, nor how he was lifted on props so that, if necessary, dropped on the heads of the invaders. It is now a similar technique - it is doubtful that it existed in the 5th century.and everyone faces severe punishment. And here's what is interesting: porcelain is obtained in ovens by firing a special clay - how did you manage to apply it to a rather long wall? And in the complex itself there is a stone monolith, the weight of which exceeds 2000 tons. It is not clear how he got there, nor how he was lifted on props so that, if necessary, dropped on the heads of the invaders. It is now a similar technique - it is doubtful that it existed in the 5th century.and everyone faces severe punishment. And here's what is interesting: porcelain is obtained in ovens by firing a special clay - how did you manage to apply it to a rather long wall? And in the complex itself there is a stone monolith, the weight of which exceeds 2000 tons. It is not clear how he got there, nor how he was lifted on props so that, if necessary, dropped on the heads of the invaders. It is now a similar technique - it is doubtful that it existed in the 5th century.that it existed in the 5th century.that it existed in the 5th century.
And - the cherry on the cake. Despite the fact that the Sri Lankans claim that the palace complex was built during the reign of Kassapa, there are several reasons forcing researchers to doubt the reliability of this information. The fact is that the number of Patricide's subjects did not exceed 100 thousand people, and the weather conditions with prevailing rainfall and wind left only a couple of months a year for such construction work, February and March. The impending war also did not add to the speed of construction, so it is logical to assume that Kassapa did not build, but only found and partially converted to his needs a palace that had already been built by someone before him. Researchers found that a number of structures were built at least 700 years before the reign of Kassapa, but Sigiriya is in no hurry to reveal its secrets to the Sri Lankans, and with them to the rest of the world.remains to be learned about the unknown builders who ruled in Sri Lanka thousands of years ago.