Sigiriya The Rock Castle  - Why its a must visit place? 

As one of the famous tourist attraction in Sri Lanka- Sigiriya experiences a considerable surge in tourists visit the area year by year. Being one of the most important historical site full of beauty, glory and tragedy Sigiriya is one of the must-visit places in Sri Lanka.

So, what’s the importance?

The place is an ancient rock fortress built by King Kashyapa in the 5th century on a top of 660 feet tall rock -a palace looked like a fierce lion that had proudly stood from the surrounding jungle setting giving the illusion of an effortlessly floating giant fearless lion among the clouds over the canopy of the dense forest back in its glorious days.

Even though the fortress was built with the intention to stop king’s brother’s invasions, King Kashyapa never forget to give his attention to enrich the fortress with aesthetically appealing and grand details turning it into an oasis of grandeur and luxury.

For those who have heard that Sigiriya is a must-visit place in Sri Lanka, we have listed here 5 reasons to reassure that Sigiriya is worth paying a visit.

1. Story of the history

Just imagine how hard it would be to build and maintain a fortress on a 660 feet high rock 1600 years ago without any pieces of machinery.

The reason behind this wondrous yet extremely difficult and peculiar construction was the game for thrones.

After the murdering his father, king Dathusena, King Kashyapa took the throne which was legally hired by Mugalan, his elder brother. The fear of losing the crown lead him to build this beautiful fortress in Sigiriya later conquered by Mugalan making king Kashyapa suicide himself just before Mugalan captured the fortress. Though this the quick version of the main tragic story behind Sigiriya, there are so many amazing stories you should listen from your Sigiriya tour guide while you are witnessing the actual place with your naked eyes.

2. Irrigation and constructional wonders

The well-preserved remaining of the royal throne, country yards, pools, luxury suites, king’s royal entertaining complexes with advanced and complex constructional and architectural techniques are historical wonders worth capturing with your own eyes.

Sigiriya has had an automated water carrying system to the top of the rock. The advanced construction, landscaping, creative interior designing techniques and other irrigation work of the place are few thing waits in Sigiriya to amaze you.

3. UNESCO world heritage site

Renowned as the world’s 8th wonder of the world, the some advancement in construction and irrigation techniques used in building the fortress have become a puzzle even to the modern construction professionals.

All the hard work of King Kashyapa seems to paid off even though the fortress couldn’t protect him from his brother’s invasion, as he was able to make his name live through this beautiful fortress which was honored by the UNESCO as a UNESCO world heritage site in 1982 recognizing the importance of the place to the world’s history.

4. Historic paintings

As a person who known for his rich artistic taste, King Kashyapa had spent a lot of time decorating his palace. The best testament to this is the masterpiece of the topless ladies dressed in their finest drawn around the belly of the rock.

Though there are several arguments about who were these ladies, it is believed that these were the ladies of queens of King Kashyapa. Most of the frescoes have destroyed by the monks who choose the place for their meditation purposes after King Kashyapa’s death as they considered the images of ladies were a distraction in achieving their enlightenment. But still, you can see some well-deserved topless ladies in your visit to Sigiriya.

5. The view from the top

With a small fleet of narrow steps to climb to the top of the palace, 1200 steps to be exact, reaching the top of the Sigiriya is not that easy. But once you reach the top you realize that the sweat you shed and the calories you burned along the way is not for nothing as the breathtaking views on the top of the rock of the surround dense jungle setting and the mountains tops that runs as far as your eye can see is a sight beyond perfection.

6. Nearby attractions and activities

The rural Sigiriya village and its simple local lifestyle, peaceful nature, nearby attractions along with the finest fleet of hotels, restaurant and fun and adventures activities have enhanced the value of your visit to Sigiriya. Pidurandala rock, Minneriya national park Dambulla cave temple and Sigiriya craft village are some of the places to visit in your stay in Sigiriya. Among the fun activities to do hot air balloon rides, local biking tour and elephant rides lies on the top.

Simply put, Sigiriya is a place that has so much to offer you. Plan your Sigiriya tours with us for a memorable and safe Sigiriya tour.