Sigiriya is also known as the “Lion Mountain” in Sri Lanka. The ancient architectural tradition of Sri Lanka has been portrayed here beautifully. This place has been preserved from the first millennium with its buildings, gardens, trees, pathways, water gardens and others. This city reminds the glorious fame of Sri Lanka’s past.

About Sigiri Rock

The most significant feature of this place is considered to be the Rock which acts as a “lion staircase” to the palace garden which is situated on the summit. This staircase has been visualized to be a “gigantic figure which towers against the majestic granite cliff and is simply awe- inspiring. There are a number of paintings and carvings on the surface of the rock but some of them have worn out with the passage of time. The paintings depict the earlier surviving examples of a school of classical realism in Sri Lanka. Other paintings of eminence lie at the foot of the rock. The painting on the roof of the Cobra Hood Cave is of major significance. This painting has been recognized to date back to the pre- Christian era and has a “combination of geometrical shapes and motifs with a free and complex rendering of characteristic volute or whorl motifs”. This painting is considered to be one of its best in Sri Lanka.

About Sigiri Gardens

The Sigiri Gardens is considered to be the gateway to the “Lion Mountains”. This garden has an “inner house made of timber and brick with a tiled roof”. This place is truly beautiful because this place has been planned elaborately and with technologies which date back to the Early Historic Period. The Water Garden inside the compound of the Sigiri Gardens is an ultimate spot for the tourists who visit this place.

Water Gardens

The Water Garden is considered to be the most amazing place to visit in Sigiri Gardens. This garden is smaller than the Sigiri Gardens and has many pools, water pavilions, courtyards and water courses. The largest water island is believed to have a central island which is surrounded by water on all sides. Also, there is a fountain in the garden which has two shallow limestone cisterns.

Boulder Garden

Another place to visit is the Boulder Garden in Sigiriya. The Boulder Garden is situated at a higher level from the “symmetrical water garden”. Other major places to visit here is the Cistern Rock, and the Audience Hall Rock.

Terrace Garden

The Terrace Garden is situated at the ultimate base of the rock, and is carved out of a natural hill. This garden has been made with “rubbled retaining walls”. Each of the terrace’s has a concentric circle which runs around the rock.

History of Sigiriya

Sigiriya is not considered to be a fortress which is gloomy and forbidding. The Sigiriya period has a lot of history attached to it. It is believed that the “history is replete with legend, love and betrayal”. The history of this period dates back to somewhere around 7,000 years ago.

This garden city and the palace is said to have been built by the King Kaspaya between 477 and 495 AD. Then after the demise of the king, this place was converted into a Buddhist monastery until the 14th century.

This place is simply amazing and is a great place for those visiting Sri Lanka to experience the rich cultural past of the country. Visiting the Sigiriya Mountains, you will be reminded of civilizations like Mohenjodaro and Harappa.

The Sigiriya Mountain is an ultimate place to be in. There are plenty of tourist destinations in Sri Lanka, and this is one of the main attractions in the country for the tourists visiting from other parts of the world.

The festival is a tasteful blend of Hindu and Buddhist ideologies and a dual homage to Skanda and Buddha.  As dusk sets in, the boom of the olden cannons and the lashing sounds of a dozen whips is a pompous call to commence the festivities, as the Perahera or marchers span the streets during the ten day long festivities that get more elaborate and lengthy, with the concluding night being the finest treat to all senses.

As the annual, vibrant Esala Perahera getting to a roaring start, one is simply enthralled by sea of rotary performers and the profoundly featured, ornately decked-up elephants – the icons of fertility and opulence, also called ‘the clouds who walk the Earth’ and are considered crucial symbols to hail in the rainfall for a healthy crop.

The elephants are the real luminaries of this extravaganza, swathed in eye-catching reds and purple coloured capes donning nugget-engraved visors that flow over their head, ears and onto their trunks. A few elephants are seen illuminated with an array of mini lightings with golden tops covering their torso. Some are seen carrying top Buddhist monks and temple VIP’s while others lug pious relics in pagodas.

The sights and sounds one experiences, truly is a live paraphernalia of sorts with locals engaging in stilt walking, fire throwing, percussionists engaged in belting out cacophonous sounds derived from cymbal ringing, ritualistic drum thumping and the cadenced clank of mock sword combats. Avowing to the Hindu deity Skanda, resolute and devout followers take to the streets with spikes lobbed into their backs.

The focal point of the festivities is the Holy Tooth Relic, believed to be the rare few relics of Buddha to endure his last rites that is older than 2,500 years. The tooth was covertly slipped into Sri Lanka from India more than 1,700 years back to guard it against the disparages of an ireful emperor. Since, then, the tightly protected tooth is taken out for a parade annually for public viewing, though its replica is paraded, as the original is believed to be quite valuable.

The Esala Perahera in Kandy is justly the Indian Mardi Gras sans the profligacy, intoxication or scantily clad women folk.