Sigiriya. Roca del León. Siguiriya Lion's Rock. Sri Lanka.
Trail photos
Author
Trail stats
- Distance
- 5.49 mi
- Elevation gain
- 1,404 ft
- Technical difficulty
- Moderate
- Elevation loss
- 1,404 ft
- Max elevation
- 1,182 ft
- TrailRank
-
80
5
- Min elevation
- 1,182 ft
- Trail type
- Loop
- Time
- 4 hours 45 minutes
- Coordinates
- 755
- Uploaded
- April 19, 2017
- Recorded
- April 2017
near Piduragala, Central (Sri Lanka)
Viewed 1273 times, downloaded 44 times
Trail photos
Itinerary description
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Visit to the impressive archaeological site of Sigiriya. We were staying very close to it, so we walked there at 7am to be among the first to visit the place and avoid both the crowds and the relentless humid heat that increases as the hours go by. The ideal is to climb directly to the top of the "Rock". It is worth a stop halfway up the climb to visit the beautiful paintings of "women with naked torsos" (they cannot be photographed).
This place is undoubtedly one of the most spectacular and magical that we can visit in this impressive and rich country.
I copy and paste what Wikipedia writes about this place:
"Sigiriya or Sinhagiri (/ˈsiːgirijə/) is an archaeological site located in the Matale district, in the Central province of Sri Lanka. It contains the ruins of an ancient palace complex, built during the reign of King Kasyapa (477 – 495) It is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country and the inhabitants of the island often refer to Sigiriya in Sri Lanka as the eighth wonder of the world.1 It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1982.2
Location
The Sigiriya rock is the remains of an eruption of hardened magma from an extinct and long-eroded volcano. It towers above the surrounding plain, visible for kilometers from all directions. The rock itself is a volcanic neck that rises 370 (m asl) and is steep on all sides, and in many places protruding from the base. The plane is elliptical and has a flat top that slopes gradually along the axis of the ellipse.2
Archaeological remains
Sigiriya3456 consists of an ancient complex built by King Kasyapa during the 5th century AD. C. The site of Sigiriya contains ruins of a palace located at the top of the rocks, a mid-level terrace that includes the Lion Gate and the mirror wall with its frescoes, the lower palace, which goes deep under the rock , in addition to the moats, walls and gardens that extend for hundreds of meters from the base of the rock.2
Aerial view.
The site is both a palace and a fortress. There are enough remains to impress the visitor with a captivating vision of the ingenuity and creativity of the builders.2 The upper palace, at the top of the rock, still has cisterns cut into the rock, in which water can still be found. The moats and walls that surround the lower palace are richly ornamented.2
History
It is presumed that Sigiriya was inhabited since prehistoric times, used as a monastery nestled in the rock since the 3rd century, with caves prepared and donated by Buddhist devotees.2
The Garden and the palace were built by Kasyapa. After Kasyapa's death, it remained a monastic complex until the 14th century, after which it was abandoned. The ruins were discovered in 1908 by British explorer John Still. The Sigiri inscriptions were deciphered by archaeologist Paranavithana who wrote a renowned two-volume work, published in Oxford, known as "The Glyphs of Sigiri". He himself wrote the popular book "History of Sigiriya".
Legends of the origin of the site
Cool
The Mahavansa, the ancient historical record of Sri Lanka, describes King Kasyapa as the son of King Dhatusena. Kasyapa murdered his father by walling him alive, and then usurping the throne that rightfully belonged to his brother Mogallana, son of Dhatusena and the true queen. Mogallana fled to India to escape assassination attempts on his brother, vowing revenge. In India, he raised an army with the intention of returning and retaking the throne that rightfully belonged to him. Knowing of Mogallana's inevitable return, Kasyapa is said to have built the palace on the summit of Sigiriya as a palatial fortress. Mogallana finally arrived and declared war on his brother. During the battle, Kasyapa's armies abandoned him, and he committed suicide by falling on his sword."
IMPORTANT NOTE: THE DIFFICULTY WITH WHICH I CATALOG MY ROUTES IS REFERRED TO MOUNTAINEERS USUAL TO WALKING, WHO CARRY WITH PROFICIENCY ON ALL TERRAINS, NOT FOR OCCASIONAL HIkers. IF YOU HAVE LITTLE EXPERIENCE, ADD ONE MORE DEGREE TO THE DIFFICULTY OF MY ROUTES SO THAT YOU DO NOT GET ANY SURPRISES.
Notice: The routes described here, as well as the GPS tracks, are merely indicative. The safety measures specific to each itinerary are the responsibility of the person who carries them out, which will depend on the weather conditions and the physical and technical preparation of the person carrying it out. All the information available here is informative, and the authors are exempt from any responsibility for any mishap that may be suffered by those who voluntarily or voluntarily carry out the route.
This place is undoubtedly one of the most spectacular and magical that we can visit in this impressive and rich country.
I copy and paste what Wikipedia writes about this place:
"Sigiriya or Sinhagiri (/ˈsiːgirijə/) is an archaeological site located in the Matale district, in the Central province of Sri Lanka. It contains the ruins of an ancient palace complex, built during the reign of King Kasyapa (477 – 495) It is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country and the inhabitants of the island often refer to Sigiriya in Sri Lanka as the eighth wonder of the world.1 It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1982.2
Location
The Sigiriya rock is the remains of an eruption of hardened magma from an extinct and long-eroded volcano. It towers above the surrounding plain, visible for kilometers from all directions. The rock itself is a volcanic neck that rises 370 (m asl) and is steep on all sides, and in many places protruding from the base. The plane is elliptical and has a flat top that slopes gradually along the axis of the ellipse.2
Archaeological remains
Sigiriya3456 consists of an ancient complex built by King Kasyapa during the 5th century AD. C. The site of Sigiriya contains ruins of a palace located at the top of the rocks, a mid-level terrace that includes the Lion Gate and the mirror wall with its frescoes, the lower palace, which goes deep under the rock , in addition to the moats, walls and gardens that extend for hundreds of meters from the base of the rock.2
Aerial view.
The site is both a palace and a fortress. There are enough remains to impress the visitor with a captivating vision of the ingenuity and creativity of the builders.2 The upper palace, at the top of the rock, still has cisterns cut into the rock, in which water can still be found. The moats and walls that surround the lower palace are richly ornamented.2
History
It is presumed that Sigiriya was inhabited since prehistoric times, used as a monastery nestled in the rock since the 3rd century, with caves prepared and donated by Buddhist devotees.2
The Garden and the palace were built by Kasyapa. After Kasyapa's death, it remained a monastic complex until the 14th century, after which it was abandoned. The ruins were discovered in 1908 by British explorer John Still. The Sigiri inscriptions were deciphered by archaeologist Paranavithana who wrote a renowned two-volume work, published in Oxford, known as "The Glyphs of Sigiri". He himself wrote the popular book "History of Sigiriya".
Legends of the origin of the site
Cool
The Mahavansa, the ancient historical record of Sri Lanka, describes King Kasyapa as the son of King Dhatusena. Kasyapa murdered his father by walling him alive, and then usurping the throne that rightfully belonged to his brother Mogallana, son of Dhatusena and the true queen. Mogallana fled to India to escape assassination attempts on his brother, vowing revenge. In India, he raised an army with the intention of returning and retaking the throne that rightfully belonged to him. Knowing of Mogallana's inevitable return, Kasyapa is said to have built the palace on the summit of Sigiriya as a palatial fortress. Mogallana finally arrived and declared war on his brother. During the battle, Kasyapa's armies abandoned him, and he committed suicide by falling on his sword."
IMPORTANT NOTE: THE DIFFICULTY WITH WHICH I CATALOG MY ROUTES IS REFERRED TO MOUNTAINEERS USUAL TO WALKING, WHO CARRY WITH PROFICIENCY ON ALL TERRAINS, NOT FOR OCCASIONAL HIkers. IF YOU HAVE LITTLE EXPERIENCE, ADD ONE MORE DEGREE TO THE DIFFICULTY OF MY ROUTES SO THAT YOU DO NOT GET ANY SURPRISES.
Notice: The routes described here, as well as the GPS tracks, are merely indicative. The safety measures specific to each itinerary are the responsibility of the person who carries them out, which will depend on the weather conditions and the physical and technical preparation of the person carrying it out. All the information available here is informative, and the authors are exempt from any responsibility for any mishap that may be suffered by those who voluntarily or voluntarily carry out the route.
Waypoints
Summit
1,176 ft
Palacios superiores
It seems incredible that they could have built something so impressive up here. The views are spectacular. It's like the Machu Pichu Srilankés.
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Archaeological site
Cave
Panorama
Museum
580 ft
Museo de Sigiriya
No es gran cosa, pero ya que estás allí...
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Information
Easy to follow
Scenery
Moderate
Sin duda alguna un lugar realmente único en Sri Lanka.