In the heart of Sri Lanka lies the city of Sigiriya, and as its name suggests (translated as “little rock”), it was built on the 180-meter-high Lion Rock, at 360 meters above sea level. Because of its sophisticated urban planning, the city is the subject of admiration by today’s scientists.
Time heals wounds, a well-known saying goes. However, time also leads to the forgetting of some things, including once-great and powerful cities. This story is about one such city.
The city of Sigiriya was the political center of Sri Lanka for a century and a half, and today its well-preserved ruins are a popular tourist destination.
Swallowed by the jungle
It was built in the 5th century during the reign of King Kashyapa as a fortress within which are a royal palace, water gardens, botanical gardens, and a Buddhist temple. How exactly such a structure was built on top of a rock in a time without technology remains a mystery, and local legends say it was built as a “palace in the sky.”
Later, the place was inhabited by Buddhist monks until they too left, and the city remained forgotten in history during the period between 1155 and 1831, ultimately suffering the fate of being swallowed by the jungle.
The “forgotten” city of Sigiriya in Sri Lanka
It was rediscovered by European explorers in the early 19th century, and historians and archaeologists worked tirelessly to preserve the site as best as possible. In 1982, it was included in the UNESCO World Heritage, and in 2009, the Sigiriya Museum was opened, encompassing three decades of archaeological research.
The city is located three hours from the capital of Sri Lanka, Colombo, and is open to tourists every day. After climbing 1.250 steps that end with a passage between stone lion’s paws, visitors can spend hours exploring this fantastic monument to the architecture and construction of an ancient civilization, Punkufer writes.
