BeforeYou&Me|Go

Pack your bags, We’re going on vacation.

Menu
  • Home
  • England
  • SouthEast Asia
    • Sri Lanka
    • Singapore
    • Malaysia
    • Thailand – Phuket
    • Bali Island – Indonesia
    • Bintan Island – Indonesia
  • Dubai
  • Latest Updates
  • Travel Tips
    • Travel tips to Sri lanka
    • Travel tips to Singapore
    • Travel tips to Bali
    • Travel Tips to Phuket
  • Terms & Privacy
Menu
Sigiriya

Sigiriya |Lion’s Rock fortress in Sri Lanka

Posted on January 3, 2020June 8, 2020 by Thamara

Hey! I am back again with an article about my motherland, Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka was recently named as a one of the best travel countries in Asia. Oh yes! Lonely planet highly recommended Sri Lanka for tourists. Today I am going to tell you about one of the ancient viewpoints of Sri Lanka. It was my recent adventure in my country. This is a well-known place among tourists. It is Sigiriya.

Sigiriya listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Parricidal King Kashyapa I (477–95) built Sigiriya. You can refer the story of Sigiriya from the next paragraph of the article.

Architecture plan of the Lion’s Rock

King Kashyapa built his palace over Sigiriya rock to hide himself from his enemies. The place consists of 2 parts. He constructed the upper palace on the top of the rock and lower palace at the ground on the rock. Well-maintained gardens, ponds and other structures surrounding the palace are few of main highlights. They decorated vast garden with water fountains. The mechanism they used to bring water to these fountains is a mystery.

Story of Sigiriya

King Kashyapa is a special king in the proud Sri Lankan history. He was a son who murdered his father. It was a very tragic story.

King Dhathusena had 2 sons. Elder was named Moggallana and younger was named Kashyapa. Moggallana was rightful heir to the throne after his father. Kashyapa had some bad friends who forced him to kill his father and take the throne forcefully. Moggallana fleed to India fearing his death.

Fearing an attack by his brother Moggallana, Kashyapa wanted to hide himself in a fortress.

He found a place and he built his fortress on a rock which named as Sinhagiriya which is currently known as Sigirya.

Eventually, after few years Moggallana came with an army and killed Kashyapa and ruled Sri Lanka.

Sigirya Rock
Sigirya Rock

Climbing  Sigirya

Enough about history. Now let’s climb Sigirya. After you purchase a ticket from the entrance you can see the garden that king Kashyapa designed. Along the garden you can enter the Sigiriya Rock. You can get lots of souvenir selfies. We decide to climb the rock around 3pm. It the is best time to climb. However the gates will be closed around 4pm. So, please get your tickets before that.

Here are some photos of the garden.

  • Garden of Sigiriya
    Garden
  • Pond  of Sigiriya
    Pond
  • Water fountain  of Sigiriya
    Water fountain

After passing the garden you enter the ancient gigantic Sigiriya rock. Climbing Sigiriya is not that hard. While climbing you can see many spots for you to rest. If you are not afraid of height, surly this place is highly recommended to you.

  • Resting spots  of Sigiriya
    Resting spots
  • Sigiriya enterance
    Sigiriya enterance
  • Starting point of Sigiriya
    Starting point

Highlights on the Way up

On the halfway point you will enter a little cave which was painted with beautiful ancient Sri Lankan maidens. Some women carry flowers and some are not. There are multiple stories describing the paintings. Some says the women are proof that King Kashyapa has many wives.

Sigiri Apsara
Sigiri Apsara |(P.C https://www.flickr.com/photos/myphots/8659265864)
Note: Photography is not allowed of these paintings.

After the paintings, you can see a well-designed polished orange wall on your left-hand side. It is known as Mirror wall. According to ancient time of stories said, the wall was built for protection of people from falling out. After many years, the ancient tourist who come to visit the palace wrote poems that they come to their mind. They are known as “Sigiri Grafiti”.

Mirror wall  of Sigiriya
Mirror wall

For me Lion’s paws are a great highlight. King Kashyapa designed it at the entrance gate to Palace. The Lion’s paw adds more attraction to Sigirya rock. Lots of tourists focus the Lion’s paw to take lovely photos.

  • Gate to Palace of Sigiriya
    Gate to Palace
  • Giant Lion's Paw of Sigiriya
    Giant Lion’s Paw

Top of the palace of Sigiriya

From the palace entrance gate you have to climb little bit more to go to the top. However, these stairs were made in later years in order to make the climb easy.

  • Climbing to the top of Sigiriya
    Climbing to the top
  • Stairs view of Sigiriya
    Stairs view

The top view is wonderful and it is very worthy of your money. You will be amazed to see how the ancient man built a castle on top the rock. You can see mountain range around there. Most importantly you can see Pidurangala temple from there. That 360 degree angle view gives your lots of insta worthy photos.

  • A Pond
    A Pond
  • Pidurangala Temple view from the Sigiriya
    Pidurangala Temple view from the Sigiriya
  • Top of the Palace
    Top of the Palace

We managed to capture the beautiful sunset moment from the top of the rock. In conclusion, this was a one of the greatest adventures for your life. If your plan to go Sri Lanka for your next tour, definitely add the Sigiriya to the list. The view is magnificent! Definitely worth the climb!

Sigiriya
A beautiful sunset moment from the top of the rock

Location

Sigiriya

Address & Opening hours

Sigiriya located in the northern Matale district near the Dambulla town in the Central province.
Address: Rock Front, Sigiriya 21120
Opening hours:   Monday to Sunday , 7am – 4pm




Latest articles in Sri Lanka

Mirissa Sri Lanka

Coconut tree hill – Mirissa

Coconut tree hill is located a …
Read More

Thalpe Natural Pools

Natural pools in Thalpe is one …
Read More
Unawatuna Sri Lanka

Unawatuna Sri Lanka

Unawatuna is world famous for its …
Read More
Hikkaduwa Sri Lanka

Hikkaduwa Sri Lanka

Hikkaduwa is one of the best …
Read More
Galle fort Sri Lanka

Galle Fort Sri Lanka

Galle is most famous for its …
Read More
Galle Sri Lanka

Galle Sri Lanka Guide

Galle Sri Lanka Galle is the capital …
Read More
Things to do Tangalle Sri lanka

Things to do in Tangalle, Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka’s tourism industry is taking …
Read More
Tangalle Beach

Tangalle Beach, A beautiful Pristine Beach of Sri Lanka

Tangalle is one of the gateway …
Read More
Dambulla Cave Temple

Dambulla Cave Temple Sri Lanka

Dambulla Cave temple which is also …
Read More
Sigiriya

Sigiriya |Lion’s Rock fortress in Sri Lanka

Hey! I am back again with …
Read More
Mount Lavinia Sri Lanka

Always Happening Mount lavinia beach– Colombo

If you are in Colombo and …
Read More
Ambuluwawa

Ambuluwawa temple Sri Lanka – A Sri Lankan Air Temple

If you watched Avatar -The Last …
Read More
Horton plains Sri Lanka

Horton Plains – Sri lanka

Horton Plains is one of the …
Read More

  • Sigiriya
  • Sri lanka
  • Sri lanka tourism
  • tripadvisor.com
  • 1 thought on “Sigiriya |Lion’s Rock fortress in Sri Lanka”

    1. Nipun Cooray says:
      April 26, 2020 at 3:51 pm

      One of nice topics that is presented 💚💚💚

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    About me

    Beforeyouandmego

    Hi, I am Thamara, a travel enthusiast and a nature lover. You are in my very first travel blog. This blog contains all of my travel experiences, photos  and adventures. Enjoy and keep travel.

    Like & Follow Us

    Beforeyougo fb page

    Type BeforeYouGo

    Upcoming Events

    View All Events

    Recent Posts

    • london chirstmasLondon Christmas Lights
      November 28, 2022
    • lavender fields in UKVisit Lavender fields in UK
      August 8, 2022
    • Mirissa Sri LankaCoconut tree hill – Mirissa
      August 1, 2022
    • Earl's Regency HotelEarl’s Regency Hotel
      November 24, 2021
    • Thalpe Natural Pools
      August 21, 2021
    • Unawatuna Sri LankaUnawatuna Sri Lanka
      July 21, 2020
    • Hikkaduwa Sri LankaHikkaduwa Sri Lanka
      July 2, 2020
    • Galle fort Sri LankaGalle Fort Sri Lanka
      June 27, 2020
    • Galle Sri LankaGalle Sri Lanka Guide
      June 21, 2020
    • Things to do Tangalle Sri lankaThings to do in Tangalle, Sri Lanka
      June 17, 2020
    • Bintan Island ResortsBintan Island Resorts
      June 16, 2020
    • Tangalle BeachTangalle Beach, A beautiful Pristine Beach of Sri Lanka
      June 10, 2020
    • Grand lagoi Hotel BintanGrand Lagoi hotel by Nirwana Gardens – Bintan
      May 24, 2020
    • Phuket TipsTravel Tips to Phuket, Thailand
      May 21, 2020
    • Night Market at Phuket, ThailandPhuket Night Market
      May 19, 2020
    • Phuket, ThailandHow to Getting around in Phuket, Thailand
      May 13, 2020
    • The Tint at PhuketThe Tint at Phuket, Thailand
      May 9, 2020
    • Phuket Phi Phi TourMy “PHI PHI Island” Day Tour
      May 4, 2020
    • Phi Phi Island tourHow I planned PHI PHI Island Day Tour ?
      April 24, 2020
    • phi phi islandOne Day Island packages in Phuket
      April 21, 2020
    © 2023 BeforeYou&Me|Go | Powered by Minimalist Blog WordPress Theme