Discover Sigiriya

Discover Sigiriya

We will take you from your door step and safely drive throughout the tour with excellent English spoken driver. Specialized local guide will provide to describe the Lions rock and Pidurangala rock can be enjoyed by yourself in a quite and calm journey. On the way back , we will take you for little rest at the Thalkote lake. However, You are able to take nice photos at any place and we will be happy to assist you further.

Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product

Stop At: Ancient City of Sigiriya, Sigiriya Site between the towns of Dambulla and Habarane, Sigiriya 21120 Sri Lanka

Sigiriya or Sinhagiri (Lion Rock Sinhalese: සීගිරිය, pronounced see-gi-ri-yə) is an ancient rock fortress located in the northern Matale District near the town of Dambulla in the Central Province, Sri Lanka. The name refers to a site of historical and archaeological significance that is dominated by a massive column of rock nearly 200 metres (660 ft) high.

According to the ancient Sri Lankan chronicle the Culavamsa, this site was selected by King Kasyapa (477 – 495 CE) for his new capital. He built his palace on the top of this rock and decorated its sides with colorful frescoes. On a small plateau about halfway up the side of this rock he built a gateway in the form of an enormous lion. The name of this place is derived from this structure — Sīnhāgiri, the Lion Rock (an etymology similar to Siṃhapura, the Sanskrit name of Singapore, the Lion City).

The capital and the royal palace was abandoned after the king's death. It was used as a Buddhist monastery until the 14th century. Sigiriya today is a UNESCO listed World Heritage Site. It is one of the best preserved examples of ancient urban planning.

Sigiriya is considered to be one of the most important urban planning sites of the first millennium, and the site plan is considered very elaborate and imaginative. The plan combined concepts of symmetry and asymmetry to intentionally interlock the man-made geometrical and natural forms of the surroundings. 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 today. The south contains a man-made reservoir; these were extensively used from the previous capital of the dry zone of Sri Lanka. Five gates were placed at entrances. The more elaborate western gate is thought to have been reserved for the royals.

Duration: 3 hours