Sigiriya
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This document provides an overview of Sigiriya, an ancient rock fortress in Sri Lanka built by King Kashyapa in the 5th century AD. It describes the major sites within Sigiriya, including the upper palace on top of the rock, the Lion Gate and mirror wall with frescoes on a mid-level terrace, and the lower palace and gardens extending hundreds of meters from the base. The document outlines the frescoes, gardens divided into water, cave and boulder, and terraced sections, and important structures like the Lion's mouth entrance and polished mirror wall. It concludes with a brief history of archaeological work conducted at Sigiriya.
Sigiriya
- 1. Prepared by, ICT Students of Kochchikade Maha Vidyalaya
- 3. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Introduction Historical Background Site Plan Of Sigiriya Frescoes of Sigiriya Gardens of Sigiriya Important places in sigiriya Mirror Walls in Sigiriya Archaeological work at Sigiriya
- 4. Sigiriya is located in the central province Sri Lanka. It is a rock fortress,built by king Kashyapa during 477AD-495AD. He built his palace on the top of this rock and decorated the inside with colourful frescoes. The name of this place is derived from this structure-Sinhagiri,the lion Rock. Sigiriya is a UNESCO listed world heritage site today. It is also considered as 8th world wonder.
- 5. Sigiriya consists of an ancient castle built by King Kashyapa during the 5th century. The Sigiriya site has the remains of an upper palace sited on the flat top of the rock, a mid-level terrace that includes the Lion Gate and the mirror wall with its frescoes, the lower palace that clings to the slopes below the rock, and the moats, walls, and gardens that extend for some hundreds of metres out from the base of the rock.
- 7. Sigiriya is considered one of the most important urban planning sites of the first millennium. On the west side of the rock lies a park for the royals, laid out on a symmetrical plan; the park contains water-retaining structures, including sophisticated surface/subsurface hydraulic systems, some of which are working even today. The south contains a man-made reservoir. Five gates were placed at entrances.
- 9. Frescoes of Sigiriya The frescos belong to 5th Century. There were about two hundred and fifty frescoes.
- 13. The Gardens of the Sigiriya city are one of the most important aspects of the site, as it is among the oldest landscaped gardens in the world. The gardens are divided into three distinct but linked forms: water gardens, cave and boulder gardens, and terraced gardens.
- 14. Water Gardens of Sigiriya Three principal gardens are found here.
- 15. Cave & Boulder Gardens in Sigiriya The boulder gardens consist of several large boulders linked by winding pathways.
- 16. Terraced Gardens of Sigiriya The terraced gardens are formed from the natural hill at the base of the Sigiriya rock
- 17. Lion’s mouth There was a sculpted lion's head above the legs and paws flanking the entrance, but the head broke down many years ago.
- 19. Originally this wall was so well polished that the king could see himself whilst he walked alongside it. Made of a kind of porcelain, the wall is now partially covered with verses scribbled by visitors to the rock. People of all types wrote on the wall.
- 20. Archaeological work at Sigiriya H.C.P. Bell was the first archaeologist to conduct extensive research on Sigiriya. The Cultural Triangle Project, launched by the government of Sri Lanka,focused its attention on Sigiriya in 1982. Archaeological work began on the entire city for the first time under this project.
- 21. Thank you.