The mystique of sigiriya

Srilanka’s top les sigiri fresco women, sublime and etched on rock walls between
477 to495 A.D. are as elusive in identity to historian as the name name and personatlaty
of mona liza, printed by Leonardo da Vinci. In like mode, there are interpretations of the sigiriyaperiod, history gorged with legend, passion, and betrayal. Of the founder of sigiriya, too, riddle lingers, but some things are known. He was king kashyapa. He came from anuradhapura, the then, established capital of the Indian ocean island. One legend has it that kashyapa walled his father to death, because of his refusal to travel where some treasure lay. Kashyapa, feared the worth of his half-brother,mugalan, and built for him self on the gigantic sigiriya rock, the mighty fortress-place and city modelled on the mythical abode of kuvera, the god of wealth. Today, sigiriys is claimed my many authoritiesto have been the 8th wonder of the world.

The mystique of sigiriyaSrilanka’s top les sigiri fresco women, sublime and etched on rock walls between477 to495 A.D. are as elusive in identity to historian as the name andpersonatlaty of mona liza, printed by Leonardo da Vinci. In like mode, there are interpretations of the sigiriyaperiod, history gorged with legend, passion, and betrayal. Of the founder of sigiriya, too, riddle lingers,but some things are known. He was king kashyapa. He came from anuradhapura, the then, established becauseof his refusal to travel where some treasure lay. Kashyapa, feared the worth of his half-brother,modelled on the mythical abode of kuvera, the god of wealth. Today, sigiriys is claimed by many authoritiesto have been the 8th wonder of the world. Some historian have said that sigiriya was Buddhist monetary, before kashyapa acquired it.

Sigiriya is approached from the west over a moat that encloses an elaborate water garderuns up to the foot of the rock. The picture here is of the second moat. There was evidently a moat previous to this one but it is no longer available. It is said that the King kept alligators or crocodiles in the moat to make it very difficult to cross.

Directly after the moat is the beginnings of the excavated water gardens, or pleasure gardens, that lead up to the foot of the fortress. Only the southern side of the garden has been excavated, leaving the identical northern half for the archaeologist of the future. The water gardens of the western precinct are symmetrically planned, while the boulder garden at a higher level is asymmetrically planned. The water garden displays one of the worlds most sophisticated hydraulic technologies, dating from the Early Historic Period.

After all work and building, this palace only served the King for fortien years. He came to a sticky end, maybee deservedly. In 495, his brother Mogallan at last returned from India with an army of combined Chola and Sinhalese troops behind him and Kasyapa descended from his impregnable stronghold to meet him in battle. At a crucial stage in the battle, the King's elephant balked at a hidden swamp before him and momentarily turned aside, making his troops believe he was retreating. His army broke in confusion, leaving Kasyapa defenseless. Flamboyant to the last, he drew his dagger, slashed his own throat, raised the blade high in the air and sheathed it again before falling down dead.
Sigiriya's halcyon days ended with Kasyapa's death. But the grandeur of this astonishing rock lives on. Sigiriya dates back from over 7,000 years ago, through Pre-Historic to Proto-Historic to Early Historic times, then as a rock-shelter mountain monastery from about the 3rd century BC, with caves prepared and donated by devotees to the sangha.

All an all sigirya is one of the greatest historical monument in the world and now it world herritege site to we are as sri lankens we need to protect it.

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