Sigiriya

13th March 2017

We awoke early to see a lone fishing boat on the lake and a solitary hot air balloon in the distance. It looks like it will be a sunny day and the forecast is that it will be hot.

Off to breakfast at 7.30am, we get our first real chance to take in the hotel and surrounding scenery in daylight.  The hotel is truly built into the environment, with rocky ledges forming walls and some of the original rocks appearing out of the middle of walkways. The forest almost encroaches on the hotel.

Just off the main foyer is an infinity pool looking out over the lake, and the bar that sits next to it looks like an ideal place for an afternoon drink.

The main restaurant (where we had dinner last night) is up on the next floor and has stunning views over the lake. The breakfast spread was as good as you would see in any top hotel, enhanced by the sensational setting.

After a hearty breakfast  we met our driver in the foyer hotel entrance for our tour to Sigiriya, a rock fortress built by King Kashyapa during the 5^th century AD.

Sigiriya rock is imposing, making the perfect site for a fortress. It is also quite a climb to the top, where the King located his palace. It looks like today will be one with plenty of exercise.

Entering the complex , you first pass through an excellent museum which was provided by the Japanese. Unfortunately, not photography is allowed inside.

The land surrounding the rock was part of of the “city”, with protection from invaders by constructing 2 moats, an inner and outer moat, filled with crocodiles. The flat land between the moats and inside the inner moat was turning into lavish gardens including many water gardens with fountains and cascades fed by gravity.

Approaching the rock, the only entrance to the access stairway is through a narrow crevice, to once again make life difficult for invaders. The sight of the incredible climb up to the summit should have bee enough of a deterrent.

Having decided we could do it, we headed off and started climbing the stairs. It seemed to take forever before reached the faced of the rock and a started a steep climb upwards. 

All sorts of stairways have been added to make it easier for tourists, but it was still hard work. Before we reached halfway up, there was a diversion ( a vertical one at that). A spiral staircase, hanging off the side of the cliff has been built to allow access to a cave where original paintings 0f “heavenly maidens “ have been painted on the wall. You are then required to go back down a second spiral staircase (also precariously hanging off the cliff wall) , to get back on the track up the hill.

Not much further along you arrive at a large platform, and are confronted with the final ascent to the summit and the site of the palace.

The entrance is shrouded in the sculpture of a huge lion, and the original entrance to the final ascent was through the mouth of the lion. Unfortunately the head of the lion is no longer there, but you can get the feel of how daunting it must have been.

The final ascent (see the Lion's paws either side of the stairway)

It was good to have reached the summit and the view was amazing. All that is left of the Palace and the surrounding structures are foundations, but it must have been an incredible complex in its prime. The complexity of the planning of the whole fortress , including the lower moats is astounding for the 5th century.

Remains of the Palace

Other remains of the fortress complex

Getting back down the hill was also challenging, as the steps were quite narrow and steep. The fact that you are hanging of the side of a sheer cliff was also a bit disconcerting.

Eventually we were back at the bottom and were shown a few more features of the city, including the audience hall, where the King would meet with the leaders of his subjects in a type of Parliament.

The Audience Hall (note the steps carved into the rock of the left for the soldiers to climb up to a vantage point)

By now the monkeys had come out to greet the visitors, having seem only a few on the way up, they must have detected it is lunch time.

Arriving back at the mini bus at around 12.30pm, we agree to have lunch in Dambulla town. It is the major settlement in this area and has a population of around 25,000. More importantly, it has a large farmers market, and as we enter town the roads are clogged with little truck loads of produce that farmers are bringing to the market for distribution. The sheer volume of traffic would suggest this is a very important market for this district.

Produce being delivered to the Dambulla market

Lunch was at a local restaurant that catered for tourists and the food was quite good and prices reasonable.

We arrived back at our hotel at around 2.30pm,and headed straight for the swimming pool, which is just down the stairs from our room. It has been stinking hot and we very much enjoy an hour , or so, in the pool cooling down. For much of that time we had the pool to ourselves.

Dinner tonight is back in the main restaurant, after pre dinner drinks around the infinity pool near the main foyer. The afternoon storm hit at around 6pm and helped cool things down.