Surela Chakraborty

Sigiriya, an ancient rock fortress and palace built by King Kashyapa during the reign of 473-495 AD, which is standing majestically 660ft straight up. It is located in northern Matale district near the town of Dambulla in central Province, Sri Lanka 🇱🇰 The word Sigiriya or the Sinhagiri means the Lion’s Rock where you have to climb up 1200 steps before you reach the Lion Rock Fortress on top of Sigiriya. There are several platforms that break up the steps and allow for a little break if you need it. Today, Sigiriya rock fortress is one of most famous Archeological Treasure and UNESCO named Sigiriya rock as a World Heritage in 1982 under the name “Ancient City of Sigiriya Sri Lanka”. This fortified garden city of Sigiriya rock fortress is an exceptional master piece of ancient urban planning / landscape & architecture / construction technology /exceptional hydraulic engineering & management / ancient fine art with unique harmony between nature and human imagination and all these living examples proved that it was a Well Planned City & Palace in 5th Century AD. Sigiriya rock fortress is recognized as one of best preserved surviving ancient urban sites in Asia from 1st Millennium or simply it’s a Living Museum. Sigiriya World Heritage Site is versatile and many-faceted appeal and it is one of Sri Lanka’s ancient political capitals and Sri Lanka’s most sensational heritage site. Historical research carried out at the site has brought to light evidence to show that origins of Sigiriya date back to pre-historic times. Situated at the base of Sigiriya rock of its eastern side, is a monadnock named Aligala (Elephant Rock). In a cave underneath this, excavation have revealed remains of pre-historic human settlements that existed here around 5500 years BC. In addition, there is evidence of human habitation in this area, as far back in history as 9th-10th Centuries BC. In 3rd century BC a Buddhist monastery had been established at Sigiriya rock fortress. 30 cave-shelters with drip-ledges, which accommodate monks, have been identified at the base of the great rock so far. In eight of them, details of donations of cave shelters have been inscribed in Brahmi script. All the principal structures that are found today in Sigiriya, have been erected during reign of King Kasyapa (477-495 AD), who chose to make Sigiriya as his seat of administration. According to archaeologist Prof. Senerath Paranavithana, Sigiriya reflects the sensuousness of a pleasure-loving king, who modeled city on mythical Alakamanda of god Kuvera. Indian and Roman coins and pottery belonging to Sassanian dynasty of Persia (Iran) found in Sigiriya rock fortress as well as the affinity to Persian styles in the creation of pleasure gardens all indicate commercial and cultural relations with foreign countries during this brief period. Subsequently however, in 6th-7th Centuries AD, Sigiriya ceased to be of political importance and once again became the abode of Buddhist monks. During this period, cave-shelters with drip-ledges which belonged to the earlier monastic phase were further improved. Additional shrines such as stupa, image house and bodhi tree shrine were constructed. This second phase of monastic development continued up to 12th-13th Centuries AD. In the centuries that followed, Sigiriya was totally abandoned, until 19th Century AD, when it was used as n military out-post of the kings of Kandy. Later, it was a British military. officer, Jonathan Forbes in 1832, who once again brought Sigiriya out of its obscurity, back into historical focus. In 1894, under H.C.P. Bell the Archaeological Department commenced archaeological activities in Sigiriya. Nearly a century later, in 1982, Central Cultural Fund took over the task, which it continues with great success, to date. #archaeohistories