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Sigiriya

Age before beauty

A Palace. A Rock Fortress. King Kasssyapa's castle hide-out. A Buddhist monastery from 3rd til the 14th C. A cosmic mountain- Meru itself? Eighth Wonder of the World?

Nowhere in Lanka do so many melodramatic theories and legends contrast over the inaccessible monolith rising 600 feet out of an awe inspiring landscape. Of the most recent theories, the eminent Sinhala scholar Paranvitana claims that Sigiriya was a deliberate attempt to emulate Alakamanda, the mythical Himalayan mountain paradise of Kuvera - God of Riches who had long associations with Anuradapura Kings.

The famous frescoes depicting cloud maidens and lightening Princesses are akin to Ajanta cave paintings in India. Their bejewelled lotus-decked beauty has weathered 15 centuries owing to the durable glaze -alluvial clay, paddy husks, egg white, lime and wild honey. Yes, maybe Lanka's earliest sex-symbols have lasted so well because they got their face packs before they aged! The bare-breasted Queens and concubines originally numbered 550, but just 23 remain to receive priority touching up for being the oldest figure painting found on the island today.

"Hail! It is certain that those who go to Sihigiri, remembering it, will go there again. Even though other things should be forgotten, wherefore should this not be remembered?"
Early engraving in Sinhala verse.

Sigiriya