Posted on February 13 2020
Sigiriya or Sinhagiri is an ancient rock fortress – a site of historical and archaeological significance that is dominated by a massive column of rock nearly 200 metres high. Sigiriya Rock Fortress is by far the most impressive piece of history we have ever experienced!
The ruin is surrounded by gardens, ponds and other structures. Sigiriya was built by King Kassapa. It is a World Heritage site and is the best preserved ancient city in Asia.
Previously a rock-shelter mountain monastery which was donated by Buddhist devotees. Later King Kassapa renovated it by building gardens and A PALACE RIGHT AT THE TOP OF THE ROCK.
This rock has virtually VERTICAL sides, how did they do that?? It seems no one knows for sure.
On a small plateau about halfway up the side of this rock was a gateway in the form of an enormous lion. The name of this place is derived from this structure — Sīnhāgiri, the Lion Rock.
All that remains of the lion is its paws which frame the entrance to the staircase.
Sigiriya Rock is Located in the northern Matale District near the town of Dambulla in the Central Province of Sri Lanka.
We were staying in Kandy when we visited Sigiriya, and it was a 3.5 hour drive to get there. Making this a full days expedition.
Spending a night in Dambulla to eliminate 7 hours of driving in one day is not a bad idea!
That being said, I still strongly recommend that you visit Sigiriya Rock Fortress regardless of where you’re staying as it is truly a fascinating and eye-opening experience.
You might also like: 6 Best Places To Stay In Unawatuna, Sri Lanka and 20 Photos To Inspire You To Visit Sri Lanka.
A Little Sigiriya Rock Fortress Info:
- Sigiriya Rock is actually a hardened magma plug from an extinct volcano
- There are two pockets of rock paintings covering most of the western face of the rock. The ladies depicted in the paintings have been identified as Apsaras (celestial nymphs, typically wives of heavenly musicians). However a lot of these ladies were wiped out when the palace was again converted into a monastery so as not to disturb meditation (you will see these rock paintings at the top of the spiral staircase)
- The gardens are amongst the oldest landscaped gardens in the world. Divided into three distinct but linked forms; water gardens, cave and boulder gardens, and terraced gardens.
- The mirror wall (which you will see when you get to the top of the stone staircases) was so well polished that the King could see himself whilst he walked alongside it. It is made of a kind of porcelain.
Know Before You Go:
- There are around 1200 steps to the top of Sigiriya Rock
- It can take between 1.5 – 3 hours to climb the rock and come back down again, depending on your fitness, how long you spend at the top and the crowds. Take water with you!
- We managed to get there by around 10am on New Years Day and just hit it lucky as we didn’t have crowds, but if you go on the weekend I hear you can wait hours in line just to BEGIN the climb, so keep that in mind when planning your trip and if you go on the weekend, get there early!
- There is an entrance fee which you pay at the office when you first arrive
The stairs up to Sigiriya Rock start off as the original stone staircases, and then turn into modern metal structures when you start to climb the rock itself, that have been attached to the rock-face and look rather precarious to be honest. But with hundreds of people going up and down them on a daily basis, they must be sound!
Once you get to the top it’s JUST BREATHTAKING.
360° views of lush tree-canopy covered terrain below, dotted with large lakes which sweep the eye up to majestic mountains far off in the distance.
Quite magical.
I would advise holding onto the handrail on the way down, the ol’ knees start to get a little wobbly.
*Fun Fact* – On our way up we were taking photos on the first landing and noticed someone who looked a lot like Jude Law. Lo and behold, at closer inspection…IT WAS JUDE LAW! He and his son ended up climbing the rock right behind us. We exchanged a few pleasantries on the spiral staircase, but didn’t want to bother him much.
Bizarre and fun encounter! I’m pretty sure he was hoping no-one would recognise him in the middle of Sri Lanka, and we had to go and spoil his day 🙂 Well done us.
Sigiriya Rock Fortress Sri Lanka is an amazing experience that you will remember for years to come, so don’t miss out!
Questions for you:
- Have you been to Sigiriya Rock?
- What did you think?
- If you’re planning a trip to Sri Lanka, what’s on your must see list?
Let me know in the comments!