Things to Do in Sigiriya

The fortress was designed by the King Kasyapa to serve as his capital. Accordingly, prior to its abandonment, Sigiriya was surrounded by magnificent moats, gardens, palaces and had four gates. A gigantic replica of lion served as the entrance. Although only the claws and paw survive to this day, their size serves as a reminder of the grandeur of the ancient gate. One of the best things to do in Sigiriya is climbing the Lion Staircase. At the top of the staircase is the once majestic Sky Palace - a number of airy buildings surrounded by ponds and gardens.  On the way to the summit are the Terrace Garden and the Boulder Garden – the most treasured tourist attractions in Sigiriya.

One of the underrated and unique attractions of Sigiriya is the ‘Lion Rock’. Nearly 200 meters high, this big rock is magnificent because of its structure that looks like a lion. At present, only vague structure of the entire rock with the paws are left. The outline structure of the remaining walls does give you an impression as to how it might have been looked like in earlier days. The sight you get to see now is still a jaw-dropping view to look at.

The awe-inspiring view of the rock is the ruins of the fortress that once belonged to the king Kaysapa. You need to enter the palace via the stone staircase that starts from lion’s paw and goes up to the lion’s mouth and then to the throat. Once you reach the ruins, you get the perfect panoramic view of the entire land down there. 

Comprising of over 80 caves containing paintings and sculptures, this is another World Heritage Site within the cultural triangle of Sri Lanka, about twelve miles from the Sigiriya Fortress. In spite of the place being a popular tourist destination, it carries a feeling of serenity and calm, as if stepping in another world. There are five main caves and a golden temple containing a 30m golden statue of Buddha. A beautiful, well-preserved site, containing over 150 statutes in an old monastery, the Dambulla Cave Complex is definitely a must-see destination for all tourists.

Moving to the next level from the Boulder Gardens, you can see a cobra shaped rock, popularly known as Cobra Hood Cave. Raise your head and you will see that the rock is shaped as a cobra’s hood. According to the facts from Ramayana, Sita was captivated here. You can see many pre-historic drawings made of its wall, providing some link between the cave and Sita. The drawings you see over here is different from what you see on Sigiriya walls.

An hour drive from Sigiriya will take you to this beautiful national park of Sri Lanka. It is centrally located and is considered as the best place in Sri Lanka to observe wild Asian elephants. In fact, the park is said to be the home of largest number of Asian elephants.

You need to reach the entrance, located at Habarana. From there, you will get jeep that will take you on a private safari tour. It is best to visit the place during rainy season, especially in August. At this time of the year, you get the most breathtaking sight of around 300 wild elephants, all gathered together at one place. This phenomenon is popularly named as The Gathering and is said to be the largest gathering of Asian elephants around the world.

Minneriya National Park has no accommodation facilities within its boundaries. But the cities close to Minneriya National Park- Sigiriya, Polonnaruwa, Habrana and Giritale- are clustered with luxury hotels and lodges.

Things to see: Watch baby elephants moving around playfully, bull elephant tussling for dominance.

Things to do: Go for an early morning Hot Air Balloon ride.

Offering a gorgeous view of the dense Sri Lankan forest, the Pidurangala Rock is nearly as tall as the nearby Sigiriya. From the top you can view the entire Sigiriya complex while at the base is a Buddhist monastery and temple. The climb is steep and unmarked, and often ignored by tourists, but the view and the feeling of being closer to nature more than makes up for it.

It is said that King Kasyapa relocated the Buddhist monks who resided at Sigiriya Rock to build his fortress. He built a temple and monastery for them, the ruins of which can be seen at the site now. It is also said that the king was cremated here, the Kasyapa's Stupa possibly marking the cremation site.

Located just 200m from the Sigiriya fortress, the museum has a number of displays featuring the history of the region. The displays are simple, but informative and provide an excellent context to the whole Sigiriya complex. The museum also contains recreation of the Frescoes, a few writings from the Mirror Wall and a model of the fortress .

The Sigiriya Frescoes, might once have been one of the largest collection of ancient painting in the world.  Reportedly, painted by artists perched 100m from the ground, the Frescoes were a collection of nearly 500 paintings and covered the entire rock face. Made with vivid colors, these depict beautiful women, said to be the women of the King's harem; or perhaps the Goddess Tara; or maybe simply women the artists might have seen in everyday life.

This award winning art gallery is filled with traditional and modern paintings, traditional handicrafts like wooded sculptures, statues and lacquer works. It is a must-see place for anyone interested in looking at Sri Lankan art in its purest form. You can also witness a blend of modern and traditional as the age old patterns, colors and techniques are being used to create irresistible abstract paintings and wall arts.

If you wish to buy authentic fabrics and other items of Sri Lanka, come to Sigiriya craft village. Step into the village and you will be exposed to various shops selling batiks, brass-works, ornamental pots, handloom textiles, wood carvings and silver jewelry.  Shopkeepers let the visitors to witness the craftwork of the craftsmen as well.

Nice place to hang out for some time and buy a souvenir for the journey. 

Situated on an enormous rock, surrounded by lush forest and painted a gleaming white, the Sky Palace, is said to have resembled a gigantic floating cloud in its hey day. The walls of the rock were also covered in paintings (the Frescoes), adding to the opulence of the whole structure. The climb up to the palace is a bit strenuous and recommended only for the fit, but the view at the top and the attractions on the way are worth the entire effort. You can also stroll through the miniature gardens, water gardens, boulder garden and terrace garden on your way up.

The Mirror Wall, once buffed to perfection so as to reflect the King's face, has survived the ravages of time for over 1600 years. Reached by climbing the Lion Staircase halfway in the Sigiriya Fortress, the wall today is an orange hued, flat slab. It is covered with writings from travelers –  learned scholars, historians as well as common men or women. Called the Sigiriya Graffiti, some of the writings date back to the 8th century, and contain description of the wall as well as verses on love, war and everything in between.

Located adjacent to the water gardens, stand boulder gardens. Covering nearly the entire western side of Sigiriya rock, these gardens were built by King Kasyapa, in the year 1600. The striking feature of these gardens is the design. Stones are placed in a certain irregular pattern to create an illusion of harmony.

Take a tour within the garden and you will see that most of the boulders have natural shelters beneath them. History says most of these shelters where constructed by Buddhist atheists. Taking a closer look to these shelters, you will find descriptions on the rocks. Another unique feature is the shelters created by the boulders. The shelter prevents the rainwater to flow into the caves. Later when king Kasyapa came into power, he beautified the garden to make it look like a paradise. 

Moving to ahead of boulder gardens, the route will take you to the water gardens. This area has both small as well as large water gardens. The first garden you come across is a miniature one, situated in the interior of the inner walls. It consists of a courtyard, pools; cisterns where you can stroll around the place or event sit for some time. The slow moving water of the pools acts as a cooling device creating a soothing sound effect and presents a serene beauty.

The largest water garden has four L-shaped pools, connected with underground water making it a natural swimming pool. One of the pools located in the south-west region is actually used as bathing pool by the visitors. There are steps leading into the pool and hence, you can easily get down into the pool.

A nice place to play around with water safely for some time! 

If you wish to explore Sigiriya in the best way, get on the back of any of the elephants that local tour guides offer to take a trip around the place. The elephant will walk pass through the forest and will take you to a lake covered in lilys. The entire journey is quite exciting and doesn’t last more than an hour.

Great way to enjoy with family!