"A view I would kill my brother for"

Sigiriya 30^th June – 1^st July

When I was small, a popular family outing used to be to Sigiriya, the ‘Lion’s Rock’. According to my dad I was just below 3 years the first time I climbed the rock fortress. Although I don’t remember anything from that time, I remember bits and pieces from the many climbs after that. My favourite part of the whole ‘Sigiriya experience’ was when my dad used to tell us the story of Prince Kashyapa and how the fortress came to be. He used to start the story just after we crossed the moat and started walking towards the foot of the rock. The story was told in the same way every single time we climbed the rock and even though we knew almost exactly what he would say, we wanted to hear it anyway because it had become a tradition. This was the first time I went to Sigiriya without my parents and I had to maintain the tradition by retelling the story to Keith (a friend visiting from the UK). 

Our journey to the cultural triangle included some road rage [which is normal if you are familiar with the way people drive in Sri Lanka], lots of road trip food and lunch at a place called Hotel Sakura Blue which wasn’t really a hotel, just an interesting restaurant wedged between the road and a very green paddy field! 

Hotel Sakura Blue!

We started our walk towards the rock through a jungle which added an interesting start to the Sigiriya experience. This gave me plenty of time to polish my story for Keith. As we crossed the mote, I started, hoping that the way I said it was at least half as good as the way my father used to say it to us. 

The path through the jungle

The moat

The Grand Rock Fortress

So the story goes that Kashyapa, King Dhatusena’s bastard son was greedy for his father’s wealth and was angry that the rightful heir to the throne was his brother Prince Moggallana. Prince Kashyapa had one day asked the King, his father, to show him their wealth. The King then took him in a boat to the middle of a reservoir and took some water into his hands and showed it to him, saying ‘this is your wealth, son. Protect it like gold’. Prince Kashyapa, feeling like he had been made a fool of, seized the throne from his father with the help of his cousin Migara, the army commander which resulted in Prince Moggallana fleeing to India for safety. King Dhatusena was said to have been walled up alive by Kashyapa.

King Kashyapa, fearing an attack from his brother who wanted revenge, moved the capital from Anuradhapura to Sigiriya and built his safe fortress on the rock. Prince Moggallana returned as predicted with an army from India and declared war. History states that when King Kashyapa was riding to battle on an elephant, he changed course for a strategic advantage, but his army fled thinking that the king was retreating. Unwilling to face defeat, King Kashyapa committed suicide by pulling out his dagger and slitting his throat. Moggallana, taking his rightful place as king then moved the capital back to Anuradhapura.

Satisfied by the way I had told the story, I went on to telling Keith about the climb, the frescoes and the mirror wall. We hit a speed bump when we were half way up the rock when Keith admitted to being afraid of heights! It wasn’t the best day for someone with acrophobia to climb the rock because the wind was very strong. But he managed to power through as we inched along. The frescoes are a series of mysterious paintings of ladies [Sigiri Lalanawan in Singhalese] inside a cave. We then walked alongside the mirror wall which is made out of a type of porcelain and used to be so highly polished with bees’ wax that it held a mirror like reflection. Many visitors over time have written poems and notes on this wall that date back to the 8^th century. 

A few minutes after Keith confessed to being afraid of heights

The Frescoes

 

The hardest part of the climb, especially for people who are afraid of heights is the last bit, from the lion paws to the top. After a lot of convincing, Keith agreed to go right to the top and once he did, he said it was definitely worth it because of the magnificent view. Another one of my friends who climbed Sigiriya for the first time as well said that it was a view he would kill his brother for [not literally, of course!]. The indescribable sight from the top of the rock is one that leaves everyone speechless in appreciation. 

The Lion Paws

The Killer View

If you are ever planning to come to Sri Lanka, Sigiriya is definitely a must visit place. Not just for the story, the climb and the view, but for the whole Sigiriya Experience.

Feels like you're on top of the world!