Sigiriya Castle, or Lions Rock, is the main attraction of the island of Sri Lanka. This unusual ancient city is located in the heart of the island, in the Matale district. The rock, turned into a castle by the efforts of ancient craftsmen, rises 370 meters above sea level. A dilapidated palace and fortress complex has survived to this day, which is surrounded by an extensive network of beautiful gardens and swimming pools. This complex is recognized as one of the best examples of ancient urban planning.
Let's take a look at it now …
Sigiriya is a powerful rock, the rock of which is the frozen magma of an ancient extinct volcano. The plateau rises 170 meters above the surrounding area, and these lands have been inhabited since ancient times. In the III century BC. e. in the caves of Sigiriya have already been used by Buddhist monks and ascetics, who indulged here in solitude and meditation. In the 5th century, small Buddhist monasteries were already built on the mountain plateau, and the rock itself was dotted with many passages, the entrance to which is now closed to tourists and other curious people.
The legend of the parricide king Kashyap
An unlikely legend, but loved by historians and guides of Sri Lanka, has developed that in 477 Kashyapa, the eldest son of the reigning king Dhatusena, the second ruler of the Moriyan clan of the Kingdom of Anuradhapura, carried out a coup d'état, because by birthright from a woman of a lower position, the throne was to pass to his half-brother Mugalan (or Moggallan (Moggallana / Mugalan), born of a woman from the royal family. Killing his father by conspiracy with the head of the royal army Migara (Migara), who was a protagonist in coups d'état during the reign of as many as three kings of the Moriyan dynasty between 463 and 515, Kashyapa seized the throne.
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Fearing for his life, the youngest son and heir to the kingdom fled to South India, and Kashyapa, fearing revenge and devoured by a sense of guilt, moved the capital from Anuradhapura to the impassable jungle in Sigiriya, where he built an impregnable fortress at a record pace and it is not known for what means.
Migara, in the 14th year of Kassape's service, offended by the king's ban on holding a large religious holiday dedicated to the opening of the shrine built by Migara, betrayed the king, secretly sided with his younger brother Mugalan. He, 18 years later in 495, having learned about this, arrived on the island and, with the support of his associates, set up a camp in a remote part of the country. Kassapa decided to rebuff his brother despite the prediction of an impending catastrophe given to him by his astrologers, and went into battle.
The number of Kassapa's army outnumbered the army of Mugalan, but at the very beginning of the battle, the elephant on which Kassapa was riding, rested into a swamp and decided to bypass it, turned on solid ground, and at this time, Migara, riding behind the fighting elephant of Kassapa, skillfully took advantage of the situation, making armies retreat sign. Seeing this, in despair of the shame that overtook him, Kassapa drew the knife and cut his throat.
Moggallana ascended the throne, returned the capital back to Anuradhapura, and gave Sigiriya to a monastery. The complex was a Buddhist monastery from 495 to 1150, after which it was abandoned for the next seven hundred years. Later, in the 17th century, Sigiriya was used as an outpost for the rulers of the independent kingdom of Kandy, after which the fortress was completely abandoned again until it was discovered by the British in the 19th century.
Monks lived in Sigiriya until the XIV century, after which they left these places. In the 17th century, Lion Rock became an outpost of the Kingdom of Kandy, which successfully repelled the territorial encroachments of the Dutch and British, but nevertheless became part of the British Empire at the beginning of the 19th century. British archaeologists drew attention to such an unusual place, which by that time was not inhabited, and at the end of the 19th century they carried out archaeological excavations there. But the real research of Sigiriya was initiated only in 1982 by the government of Sri Lanka.
The remains of the ancient architectural complex erected by the usurper Kashyapa have survived to this day. The ancient fortress and palace at the top of the plateau, the lower palace, the Lion's Gate and the Mirror Wall, water and stone gardens - despite the distinct seal of the centuries, this place is still beautiful. The western part of the rock was covered with frescoes, but only a small part has survived to this day - Buddhist monks considered them a hindrance to meditation and mostly destroyed them. At least that's what the official version says.
The mirrored porcelain wall is one of the main attractions of this place. Today it is no longer so mirrored, but in the old days it was polished so carefully that the king could look into it like in a mirror. Another pearl of Sigiriya is its gardens, stretching to the west of the cliff and being a symmetrically planned park, all paths of which are oriented to the parts of the world. The park is equipped with a hydraulic system consisting of numerous reservoirs, canals, dams and bridges, which included aboveground and underground water structures fed by rainwater. The fountains built in Sigiriya are probably the oldest known today.
The Lion's Gate was practically destroyed - only the paws of the lions survived, making it possible to imagine the scale of this structure. By the way, the lion is a symbol of Sri Lanka, and Syrginia, today, is the main object of tourist pilgrimage to the island.
The western and southern slopes of Mount Sigiriya are divided into terraces, where rooms for servants and guards were located. On the western slope, two flights of steps lead to the rock. One staircase runs next to a cave dedicated to the goddess Aphrodite, a figurine of which was discovered here in the 12th century during the reign of King Parakramabahu. Attention is drawn to a huge dismembered boulder, on one half of which a water cistern is hollowed out. On the other, fallen half, there is a throne and a square platform, where the meetings of a member of the Council of Ministers may have taken place. According to another version, theatrical performances were held here. In the cave below the boulder, called the "Cobra Hood," traces of ancient painting on the ceiling are the biography of Kasapa. Several places of a religious nature have been discovered among the boulders around the rock. The cave temple contains the undated torso of a Buddha statue,where the monks practiced meditation. Preaching Rock, a huge boulder from which sermons were delivered, has a huge number of miniature niches, where oil lamps were lit in the afternoon …
For 18 years of reign from the top of the cliff, Kasapa imagines himself the master of the universe. Confident in his strength, he sent a message to his brother, who had returned from India with an army, that he wanted to fight him on the plain. But the decision was unsuccessful. In the midst of the battle, Kasapa's elephant moved to a nearby pond to drink water. The army decided that the king was fleeing and began to retreat. Left alone, Kasapa slit his throat. Mogallana destroyed the citadel, destroying the traces of the former master, and, taking power into his own hands, rebuilt the capital in Anurahapura. The ruins of Sigiriya were discovered in the middle of the 19th century by an English hunter. Restoration work is underway. On the basis of literary evidence and archaeological excavations, there is another version of the purpose of Sigiriya. Meteorological data since 1895 showthat the wind and rain of the two monsoons stopped field work for 8 months a year.
February-March are the only months when construction work is possible in this region of the country. So, out of 18 years of Kasapa's reign, only five years remain for construction, and this includes such colossal work as: calculating the area, transporting marble, making and firing bricks, gouging niches in the rock to fix bricks, building a gallery and a "mirror wall", preparing rock surfaces for painting, work on top of the rock, not to mention building around the rock itself. Even if we imagine that thousands of workers were involved, it is almost impossible to carry out all these grandiose works in such a short time.
The palace theory does not hold water either. Excavations at the top of the cliff revealed a 13 x 7 m rectangular platform, which was unconditionally recognized as Kasapa's palace. But if this is a palace, then why are there no traces of the presence of rooms, a toilet, columns, indentations for columns? The remains of a tiled roof were also not found, but a vessel was found in which the relics were kept. How was the tiled roof able to withstand the onslaught of garbage winds and rain? The gigantic throne hewn from stone to the south of the platform and on the lower level is the only structure at the summit that bears the features of a once-existing roof (or canopy) protected by a vertically rising stone wall. In 1833, a stupa was discovered at the top, which existed at the beginning of our century; now this place is marked with pegs. Archaeologists have discovered at least 2 construction periods at the top of the cliff and 5 at the base. If the palace and gardens of Sigiriya are the work of Kasapa, then who is responsible for the other 4 periods of construction activity?
The ruling monarchs were the patrons of the faith. The monastic order enjoyed great privileges in the form of royal grants, prestige and patronage. Archaeological excavations confirm that already in the II century. BC there existed a large monastic complex, as evidenced by the presence of a large number of cave temples on the western and northern slopes (excavations have not yet been carried out on the southern and eastern slopes). In one of the caves, inscriptions from the 2nd century AD were found. Taking this into account, one should not even allow the thought that Kasap, in a difficult situation for himself, would decide to go into conflict with the monks only in order to build a palace on the top of a cliff. The presence of an army on the territory of the monastery is also impossible. On the contrary, the king, the army and the population had to support and protect the keepers of the Buddha's teachings in every possible way, which Kasapa did. Kasapa could not cut the branch on which he was sitting. During this period of time, the temple of the Tooth of Buddha and the relic itself (a symbol of royal power) were located in Anuradhapura, where the government was also located. In Anuradhapura, Kasapa built several temples, including the Kasub-Bo-Upulvan temple (in honor of the god Vishnu). All these facts speak for the fact that Kasapa visited Sigiriya, but could not live there.
It is unlikely that the construction work of Kasapa in Sigiriya, the patron saint of the Mahayana sect (liberal direction of Buddhism), could receive approval in the Mahavamsa chronicles, which describe mainly the history of Buddhism and the relationship of the ruling monarchs with the church, from which we learn the history of Sigiriya and which were written in the 13th century by the Theravada sect (the teaching of the elders is the orthodox direction of Buddhism). The seven-century break between events and their recording played into the hands of the chroniclers: it is much more convenient to distort real events and put Kasapa in a false light as a crazy genius than to glorify his adherence to the hostile direction of Buddhism. The Theravada movement denies the existence of savior gods, whose main mission is to alleviate our suffering in this life.
The meaning of Sigiriya painting can be understood only when the purpose of the complex itself is clear. Usually, painting plays a certain role: decorative (like, for example, about), or it tries to influence, convey a certain idea, which is not necessarily understandable to mere mortals. Taking into account that the complex is the center of the Mahayana sect, it is not difficult to guess who is depicted in the frescoes. One of the most respected and revered goddesses of the Mahayana sect is the goddess Tara, the star, the mother of all Buddhas. But why are there so many images of the same face on the Sigiriya rock? Repetition, a very popular manner of expressing feelings in Buddhist art, conveys the magical power of a deity not through colossal size, but through repeated repetition, a sense of infinity. Examples of this are found in India, Central Asia, China,Indonesia, Burma. One such example in Sri Lanka is the Dambulla Cave Temple. The inscriptions on the "mirrored wall", left mainly by visitors from the 8th-10th centuries, refer to the place as Sihigiri - the Rock of Remembrance. And the chronicles of the XIII century Mahavamsa call the rock Sihigiri - the Rock of the Lion. Believers, going up to the gallery, to the "lion's platform" and finally to the top of the rock, constantly saw the image of the goddess Tara before their eyes. By visually representing the goddess and worshiping her, the believers hoped that Tara would ease their suffering and show the way to salvation. Sigiriya is a reminder to believers of Tara, hence the name Rock of Remembrance. The call to meditation is the meaning of the painting of Sigiriya, whose patroness was the goddess Tara. According to eyewitnesses of the 19th century, the steps, starting from the "lion platform", were decorated with sculptures of lions. Examples of the identification of the goddess Tara with a roaring lion are found in India (Ghost, M - Development of Buddhist Iconography in Eastern India: 1980). Over time, Tara was forgotten by ordinary people. This is evidenced by the fact that the visitors of the 10th century and later no longer mentioned Tara, but identified women in the frescoes with the wives of Kasapa, which was encouraged by the propaganda of the Theravada sect.
Considering the above facts, we can conclude: Sigiriya has never been either a capital or a fortress. It has been an aesthetically planned monastic complex of the Mahayana Buddhist sect for over 20 centuries. It was easier to lead a righteous life surrounded by beautiful scenery and a favorable climate. Powerful ramparts with ditches diverted excess rainwater beyond the territory of the monastery, which otherwise would have been flooded. The so-called palace was nothing more than an open hall for meditation, and flowering gardens and ponds created the ideal setting for this. Water reservoirs for ritual ablutions and decorative purposes are not an exclusive phenomenon in Buddhist temples and monasteries.
Sigiriya Rock is located 175 kilometers northeast of Colombo, the island's capital, and 10 kilometers from the Ambepussa - Kurunegala - Trincomalee Highway between Dambulla and Habarane. By car, you can get to the attraction on the A1 and A6 highways. The turn to the rock is located near the village of Inamaluwa (sometimes - Inamalava). Travel time is about four hours.
You can also get to Sigiriya by public transport. The most convenient way to get there is from Dambulla, located 25 kilometers southwest, from where buses run daily to the rock. Travel time - 40 minutes; flights are operated from 7:00 every half hour. The last bus leaves at around 19:00, but it is better to check the actual flight schedule from Sigiriya to Dambulla on the spot. The fare is 40 LKR (~ $ 0.4). A tuk-tuk trip will cost 800 LKR (~ $ 8.0) one way.