Sigiriya is a rock fortress.king kasyapa;the creator of sigiriya was a king with an artistic soul.He modelled his palace and the city on the mythical abode of kuvera’ the god of wealth.kasyapa gave form to his dreams in building this citadel .The name sigiriga has many explanations.The most popular translates ‘giriya’as throat’as it is through the throat ot a crouching lion that one passea on one’ s way to the summit.on the westerm and northern side is a gallerg with a polished well.Even today ‘after fifteen centuries of exposure to sun ‘wind and rain’one can see one ‘s reflection on it.is named the ‘mirror wall ‘on the polished surface are the Sigieiya Graffiti writings 0f visitors to the rock perhaps the writers were inspired by the frescoes of the famous Sigiriya maidens which are on the western face of the Sigiriya rock.There is evidence that there 500portraits of the maidens but only 19 remain today.The summit of the rock is nearly 300 acres in extent.It has pleasure gardens’full of ponde islets and pavilions.Sigiriya provides an example of one of the oldest landscape gardens of the world.all these features make Sigiriya animpressively planned city of ancient times.
SIGIRIYA
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