Sigiriya rock is around 2,500 million years old from the Precambrian Era, the earliest epoch in the Earth's formation (ok yes, I've been to the museum - expect more facts). Even if you're not that into rocks, trust me, this one is pretty cool. Perhaps the coolest thing about it is that archaeologists have found evidence of human habitation in caves within the rock, in the form of tools and skeletons, dating back to 4,000 BC.
There are lots of other cool facts about this rock. I will intersperse these with photos and some 80's pop so as not to blow your minds all at once.
In order to climb the 1,200 steps it takes to reach the top before it gets too hot, an early start is necessary. They say you have to count, and if you lose track, start again...
About halfway up you reach the Frescoes, a series of paintings which are surprisingly well preserved.
As people visited the rock between the 7th and 11th centuries, they would leave poetry and messages about how beautiful these women in the frescoes were - known as the 'mirror wall' graffiti. Much of this old graffiti has now been translated and been useful in helping linguists understand the origins of Sinhalese and its links to Sanskrit.
We bumped into a group who also had a male member sporting a red bandana, cueing nods of respect and camaraderie. Made a nice change from the usual pointing and laughing.
As Le Bon & co. will know, the ruins are almost as impressive as the breathtaking views of the surrounding forest, lakes and distant hills.
In the nearby village, we stayed in an adorable budget guesthouse within walking distance from the site called Flower Inn, covered in flowers and colour and with 2 huge double beds in each room. Budget accommodation in Sri Lanka is not the cheapest in comparison to other traveler-friendly countries in Asia, but I've noticed that the standard is pretty good, even in what are referred to as the 'lower-end' places.
There are lots of other cool facts about this rock. I will intersperse these with photos and some 80's pop so as not to blow your minds all at once.
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| Sigiriya is one of the oldest surviving large-scale garden complexes in the world |
In order to climb the 1,200 steps it takes to reach the top before it gets too hot, an early start is necessary. They say you have to count, and if you lose track, start again...
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| As you can just about make out in this photo, the stratigraphy of the rock is pretty spectacular |
There is evidence at Sigiriya of the 'protohistoric transition' period between 1,000 & 300 BC, when humans started moving from a hunter-gatherer lifestyle to agarian village settlements, developing food production, irrigation, primitive writing and social differentiation.
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| Likely??!!? |
About halfway up you reach the Frescoes, a series of paintings which are surprisingly well preserved.
As people visited the rock between the 7th and 11th centuries, they would leave poetry and messages about how beautiful these women in the frescoes were - known as the 'mirror wall' graffiti. Much of this old graffiti has now been translated and been useful in helping linguists understand the origins of Sinhalese and its links to Sanskrit.
We bumped into a group who also had a male member sporting a red bandana, cueing nods of respect and camaraderie. Made a nice change from the usual pointing and laughing.
According to Sri Lankan history, King Kasyapa built a palace on the top of the rock in the 5th century with an enormous stone lion as a gateway to the palace. Now, only the feet remain.
At the top I was thinking about what a great site this would be for a music video. Apparently Duran Duran had the same idea and filmed some of the video for Save a Prayer here in 1982.
After the palace was abandoned, the site became a Buddhist monastery until the 14th century. Nice spot for some meditation.
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| remains of a reservoir built on the summit |
In the nearby village, we stayed in an adorable budget guesthouse within walking distance from the site called Flower Inn, covered in flowers and colour and with 2 huge double beds in each room. Budget accommodation in Sri Lanka is not the cheapest in comparison to other traveler-friendly countries in Asia, but I've noticed that the standard is pretty good, even in what are referred to as the 'lower-end' places.
In the next instalment we meet a member of the Elephas Maximus family.
Can you guess what it is yet?!
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