Up, up, up to Sigiriya

We weren’t sure what to expect of Sigiriya, we knew it was a giant rock that held a lot of significance to the people of Sri Lanka, but beyond that we didn’t know much at all.

In fact the attraction is a giant palace built centuries ago onto the top of a giant rock – 1200 steps and 200 metres straight up with the remains of what must have been a stunning palace at the top.

The Palace was built for King Kasyapa (who ruled from 473-495), his wife, and 500 concubines (according to legend, that is). The palace no longer stands but you can wander around the ruins, and there are signs throughout that give you the background of the site. The site was used by Buddhist monks before King Kasyapa moved in and built his palace.

After the King committed suicide the site returned to a Buddhist monastery. Today it is recognised as a World Heritage site by UNESCO and is one of the most important cultural locations in Sri Lanka.

The site was very spiritual – for me it was far more spiritual than the Dambulla Caves, but perhaps that was because I had a better understanding of Sigiriya than the caves. 

The walk up is tough, but very pleasant. After walking through what would have been the water gardens you wander through a rock arched entrance, past caves containing rock paintings of the concubines and the original “mirror wall” before finally reaching the official entrance to the palace. At some time this would have been an imposing lion, but all that is left are the feet and the final steps. 

The top of the rock is covered with the ruins of the old palace, the palace gardens and swimming pool. The grounds are impressive, but even more so is the intricate water system that ensured all rainwater was channelled for use within the palace grounds – it’s amazing to think how long ago this was built.

The walk was challenging, but achievable and worth the effort. Just be aware we had two very helpful young men who ‘helped’ Ade’s mum up the track, at various points they tried to help the rest of us, but we said no.

At the end of the visit he tried to charge about $70 – $US70 – for the two hours he was with us. He tried to confuse Jenny with conversion rates.

We paid him, of course, not the $70 he asked for, it wasn’t worth anywhere near that much, but what we considered was a fair sum for the help he had provided. 

Fast Facts

We stayed at Amaya Lake.

We spent half a day at Sigiriya.

Was it long enough? We had plenty of time to climb the rock and to look around at the top.

Highlights: The rock art on the way up is stunning.

You can read more about out our adventures in Sri Lanka here.

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