How would you describe Sigiriya?

Sigiriya also known as the Lion’s Rock is a rock fortress and a palace located in the Matale district of Sri Lanka. This ruin is surrounded by gardens, ponds and other structures. Sigiriya was built by King Kassapa and it is included as a World Heritage site. Sigiriya is the best preserved city centre in Asia.

What is special about Sigiriya?

Sigiriya is famous for its palace ruins on top of a massive 200 meter high rock surrounded by the remains of an extensive network of gardens, reservoirs and other structures. The rock itself is a lava plug left over from an ancient long extinct volcano.

What is Sigiriya made of?

Sigiriya is composed of granitic material. It is a hardened magma plug from an extinct and long-eroded volcano. A plug is the solidified rock mass within the former feeding pipe of a volcano. Sigiriya is famous for its historical and archaeological ruins.

How was Sigiriya built?

Sigiriya was built by the fifth-century king Kashyapa I, who ruled the native Sinhalese dynasty, the Moriya. The imposing fortress was the capital of the Sinhalese kingdom until Kashyapa was defeated in A.D. 495. (Watch: An ancient palatial fortress overlooks this barren desert in Israel.)

How many drawings are there in Sigiriya?

According to the Sigiri graffiti (verses scratched on the Mirror Wall over the ages) however, there had been five hundred such figures painted all over the western and northern rock-faces, originally. Many theories attempt to interpret the. identity of the beautiful women portrayed in these ancient masterpieces.

Was Sigiriya built by Ravana?

Cobra Hood Cave & Ramayana Yatra Sri Lanka According to the Palm Leaf Book (Puskola Potha) of Ravana Watha (Ravana Story) the architect of the Sigiriya was a Danava called Maya Danava. He built up Sigiriya on the instructions given by King Visthavasa (Vishravasamuni) the father of Ravana.

Why was the Sigiriya built?

The citadel on top of Sigiriya was built by King Kasyapa who ruled from 477 to 495 CE. He choose this as his royal residence as he was worried of potential attacks from his brother Moggallana, the rightful heir to the throne.

What type of rock is Sigiriya?

granite monolith
Sigiriya, or Lion Rock, is a natural geological feature – a hardened magma plug from an extinct and long-eroded volcano. It s much more than a grand granite monolith, however. Back in 477 AD, according to ancient chronicle Culavagnsha, King Kasyapa chose Sigiriya as the site for the new capital of Lanka.

What are Sigiriya frescoes?

The Sigiriya Frescoes were painted on the western surface of Sigiriya Rock, located in central Sri Lanka. They were the highlight of a massive palace complex built in 480AD by King Kasyapa. Today only a few paintings survive, in a small pocket halfway up the rock, about 100 meters above ground.

Where was Ravana killed?

Lankapura
The ancient city of Lankapura is said to have been burnt down by Hanuman. After its king, Ravana, was killed by Rama with the help of Ravana’s brother Vibhishana, the latter was crowned king of Lankapura. The site of Lankā is identified with Sri Lanka.

Where is Ravana now?

In Ragla, Sri Lanka So the Sri Lankan government and its people still consider Ravana as being present on earth. It is said that in the dense forests of Sri Lanka’s Ragla, the body of Ravana is preserved as Mummy, which is guarded by fierce snakes and hard animals.

Who found Sigiriya?

Jonathan Forbes
In 1831 Europeans accidentally discovered Sigiriya. Jonathan Forbes – a major of the British army discovered it on his way from Polonnaruwa – a city in central Sri Lanka. The site immediately attracted the attention of historians and archaeologists, but only in the 1980s major excavations took place here.

What is the meaning of Sigiriya?

Sigiriya or Sinhagiri ( Lion Rock Sinhala: සීගිරිය, Tamil: சிகிரியா / aசிங்ககிரி, pronounced see-gi-ri-yə) is an ancient rock fortress located in the northern Matale District near the town of Dambulla in the Central Province, Sri Lanka. The name refers to a site of historical and archaeological significance that is dominated by a massive column

What is Sigiriya rock fortress famous for?

Today Sigiriya rock fortress is one of the most famous Archeological Treasure and UNESCO named Sigiriya rock as a World Heritage in 1982 under the name “Ancient City of Sigiriya Sri Lanka”.

Who was the architect of the Sigiriya?

According to the Palm Leaf Book (Puskola Potha) of Ravana Watha (about Ravana) the architect of the Sigiriya was a Danava called Maya Danava. He built up Sigiriya on the instructions given by King Visthavasa (Vishravasamuni) the father of Ravana.

How are the terraced gardens of Sigiriya formed?

The terraced gardens are formed from the natural hill at the base of the Sigiriya rock. A series of terraces rises from the pathways of the boulder garden to the staircases on the rock. These have been created by the construction of brick walls, and are located in a roughly concentric plan around the rock.