Surrounded by lush green vegetation and resplendent in majestic grandeur, a giant boulder appears in the distance as if it were a lion couchant. This historical site in central Sri Lanka is brimful of the ruins of an ancient rock fortress that was built in the 5th century CE on a unique boulder of an enormous size. This rock fortress is famously known as Sigiriya euphemistically thought of as a shining blue sapphire in the tiny, beautiful, paradise island nation in the Indian ocean.
The Sigiriya Rock Fortress, which owns a striking geological profile enriched by a bewitching feat of technology and town planning, was designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1982 owing to its inexpressible grandeur of universal significance manifest in ancient architecture, historical value, art, town planning, hydraulic technology and also cultural landscape features. The rock plateau, the cynosure of the Sigiriya royal palace complex, rises to a height of 1,145 feet (349 metres) above the sea level and is some 600 feet above the surrounding plain. The final ascent to the summit of the rock is through a monumental pair of lion paws, which have withheld the elements of nature and hence the name of the place called Sigiriya, a corruption of the word ‘Sinhagiri “, the lion rock.
Sigiri murals, by extension, charming Sigiri frescoes of lovely damsels, the Mirror Wall, the ruins of what is believed to have been a hilltop palace amaze visitors coming there from around the world. The moat.