Travel Eye on Sigiriya (Sri Lanka)

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Overview:

Taking its name from giriya ('jaws and throat') and sinha ('lion'), Sigiriya is a palace in central Sri Lanka. It contains the ruins of an ancient royal fortress and city founded in the fifth century AD by King Kasyapa. Three kilometres (1.8 miles) wide and one kilometre (0.6 miles) long, it stands on a remarkably steep, large rock, known as Lion Mountain , that rises 180m (600ft) above the surrounding plain. It was constructed in AD 477 as a safeguard against attack from Mogallana, Kasyapa's brother from whom he had usurped the throne after killing their father, and visitors were obliged then, as now, to enter through the jaws of a massive monumental lion.

Sigiriya is a small shanty village, best known for its 5th-century rock fortress and temples. The 600-foot-high monolithic Sigiriya Rock dominates the surrounding scenery and attracts an abundance of tourists, normally on a one- or two-night stopover.

Accommodation is spread across a vast area with some of the higher-rated properties up to 10 mls away, all fairly basic self-contained properties quietly placed on outskirts of village. More sophisticated properties can be found in Habarana to North.

This is a popular destination for back-packers and day-trippers touring the area's historic sites.

Locality:

Sigiriya is fairly centrally placed, almost 100 mls NE of Colombo and Bandaranaike international airport, 10 mls NE of Dambulla. It is set in lush jungle surroundings of rolling hills and agricultural land.

Entertainment/Facilities/Attractions/Things to do:

Located in Kandy, an ancient religious centre for Buddhism, the octagonal, golden-roofed Temple of the Sacred Tooth is by far the main tourist attraction in the area. It was built between 1687 and 1707, and is a stunning sacred temple, which is believed to house the left upper canine of the Lord Buddha himself. According to legend, the tooth was taken from the Buddha as he lay on his funeral pyre and smuggled to Sri Lanka hidden in Princess Hemamali's hair, where it survived numerous attempts to capture and destroy it.

The tooth was brought from Kalninga in India during the fourth century by Princess Hemamali and Prince Danta on the orders of the princess's father, King Guhasiva; he was worried that the relic might fall into the hands of his enemies and so, in order to safeguard it, he gave it to King Kirti Sri Meghavarna (AD 301-328) of Anuradhapura. Today, this famous religious relic attracts white-clad pilgrims, bearing lotus blossoms and frangipani, every day. The temple is joined to the Pattiripuwa (Octagon), built in 1803, which was originally used as a prison, but now houses a collection of palm-leaf manuscripts.

There are many other attractions in this ancient city, including Natha Devale , a stone sanctuary and the oldest building in Kandy, and Mahavishnu Devale , a temple which is dedicated to Vishnu, the protector of Buddhism in Sri Lanka

There are one or two souvenir stalls only, selling Buddhist artefacts, spices, fresh fruit and vegetables on the roadside.

All the entertainment is purely hotel based.

All the restaurants are also hotel based, but a couple of small shack-type eateries for daytime snacks can be found in the streete.