3/7: Climbing BOTH Sigiriya's Lion Rock & Pidurangula Rock!

Earlier that day Steven and I had hired a young driver though Sri Lanka's pickme app which was basically the same as Uber to drive us from Kandy north two hours to Dambulla, our base for the next couple of days. Located in the cultural heartland of Sri Lanka, it was a convenient spot near the architectural and archaeological sites we were looking forward to seeing plus near a couple of national parks. If you look at the map below, Dambulla is due north of the 'L' in Lanka.

Our driver said the green in his country's flag represented the country's Muslims, the red for its Buddhists, and the orange was for Sri Lanka's Hindus. The four pipul leaves on the red portion were also Buddhist symbols. The gold lion symbolized strength and was originally Ceylon's flag, and the sword represented authority.  

After being dropped off at our very humble hotel in Dambulla and spending a few minutes unwinding, our hotel owner/manager, Rohan, was ready to drive us in his tuk tuk as we'd arranged to the astonishing UNESCO-listed site of Sigiriya located an hour's ride away. That was where the 5th century King Kassapa constructed a nearly inaccessible rocky mountain top as a location for his royal palace.   

Rohan suggested we start first at the Sigiriya Museum where we saw some early memories of Sigiriya.

The painting of the Audience Hall and Cistern Rocks was completed in 1895.

The painting depicted the Rock Summit in 1896.

The painting from 1897 depicted frescoes as "pictured from mid-air 1/36 of actual scale."

Frescoes as depicted in 1896:

The people in the 1898 HCP Bell with Family Near the Fresco Pocket 1ooked like they were perched in a very precarious position on the mat! Bell was a British archaeologist who rediscovered the ruins in 1898 which were further excavated in 1907 by British explorer John Still.

The first stamp with the image of Sigiriya was done in 1938.

The first currency note with the image of Sigiriya was from 1943.

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip toured Sigirya in 1954. I wonder if they climbed to the top like we were about to do!

The museum promoted the theory that Sigiriya was a Buddhist monastery although we read the established position was that it was a royal palace or fortress. It was interesting seeing the trade routes showing Sigiriya's connections with the Gulf states, China, India, and the Roman Empire. These terracotta figures were found in the Boulder Garden and dated between the 8th and 10th centuries. They were likely models of women in the frescoes. Other models were sadly likely taken away as souvenirs by visitors to the site.

Some of the Sigiriya's famous frescoes had been removed to the museum. We read that Sigiriya and its paintings had attracted visitors from all over Sri Lanka through the centuries from the time the palace itself was abandoned in the 5th and 6th centuries. They came to see the paintings, the palace itself, and the statue of the lion. So inspired by these, they composed poems and messages which they added to the frescoes and which subsequently became known as the Sigiriya Graffiti.

There was a pretty strict 'no photography' rule in the museum which always drives me crazy so we didn't spend as much time there as we would have otherwise. That was probably for the best anyway because our drive from Kandy had taken longer because of the unexpected Buddhist festival in Matale en route to Dambulla. At least we saw the museum's lovely paintings. As we left, I liked seeing the Activity Area where children were asked to paint and write Sinhala letters, etc. Their artwork was then organized by their country which we hadn't seen before!

Lots of monkeys greeted us as we walked toward Sigiriya itself. We had to be very careful not to bring out any snacks or the monkeys would have snatched them immediately.

The base of Sigiriya rock was known as the Boulder Gardens, a beautifully landscaped area dotted with formal water features, terraced gardens, and natural boulders that were once home to Buddhist shrines. To access the gardens we walked along the Lion Road!

We have seen our lion's share of moats over the years but never one as large as Sigiriya's Inner Moat that seemed to go on forever.

Our first glimpse of Sigiriya described as one of Sri Lanka's most famous monuments! As it was an archaeological site and not a sacred site, there were no clothing restrictions. In a perfect world, the ideal time to climb Sigiriya was the early morning to avoid the fierce heat and the thickest crowds, but there we were in the early afternoon, just beginning the long climb. 

This was Water Garden #2; guess we missed Water Garden #1!

You can see we still had a long hike along the Lion Road before we got to the rock.

Cave with an Octagonal Pond in front of it was another sight on the way to the rock.

The step-like depressions on the sides of the boulders were the foundations of brick walls and timber columns.

Boulder Arch #1 was on the ancient pathway and was an example of adopting the features of the natural landscape in Sigiriya planning. On either side of the boulder arch were two caves prepared as dwellings for the Sangha during the first monastic phase.

We hoped that our view from Boulder Arch meant that we had already climbed halfway up the rock. 

The arch wasn't at all halfway up as it turned out! Alas, we had to climb a lot more to reach the detour to the famous frescoes which were halfway up. As they were so important, we had to wait a bit for school groups and others as everyone was determined to see them.

Seeing a sign indicating Giant Honeybees migrated here to build a social nest both here on the rock and by the grove of trees nearby was more than a little bit nervewracking.

A view of Lion's Road far below:

To access the frescoes, we had to climb the open-air spiral stairway which seemed to go on forever and was not a place if you were at all claustrophobic!

The paintings in the long sheltered gallery in the sheer rock face of the buxom women were popularly believed to represent either celestial nymphs or the king's concubines. The frescoes remained in remarkably good condition with still glowing colors. As there was again a 'no photography' rule, I had to be very surreptitious taking any photos as you can imagine so you will have to take my word for how pretty fantastic the rock paintings were! 

No one knows the exact dates of the impressive frescoes though it was considered unlikely they dated as far back as the 5th century when King Kasyapa reigned.

After descending from the frescoes, the path clung to the sheer side of the rock and was protected on the outside by a 3m high wall. 

Sigiriya Graffiti on the mirror wall expressed the admiration and delight of the art lovers of the aesthetic attributes of damsels portrayed in Sigiriya's frescoes. There were no less than 1200 graffiti verses, 685 of which have been deciphered and published by a professor. The damsels portrayed in the frescoes were the main inspirational sources. The majority of the graffiti was done between the 6th and 10th centuries but a few appeared in the 13th century. The script of most was medieval Sinhala but some were written in the Nagari and Tamil scripts. The graffiti depicted Sinhala literature and society at the time. 

It was known as the Mirror Wall because its surface had been so highly polished to resemble a ... mirror of course! The wall was of architectural and also of literary importance because of its graffiti left by visitors to Sigirya from the 7th to the 19th centuries. The graffiti expressed feelings of enchantment with the paintings and the surrounding environment were not only of literary importance but they also provided contemporary social information. Most of the 'scribble' after the 13th century was mere reporting and lacked "the earlier poetic intensity and feeling." Subsequent professors have also deciphered and published other graffiti on the mirror wall.

More terraced gardens more than halfway up Sigiriya:

The view from the mirror wall showed where we had walked from and also how high we had climbed!

There was still, though, a very long way to go! That was Steven on the right.

Once we got to anther landing, another sign warned of a wasp attack area and the need to be silent as the noise attracted them. Unfortunately, the many students chose not to adhere to the warnings and were, on the contrary, very loud. Thank goodness the wasps didn't come out and attack us all!

At the northern end of Sigiriya, a narrow path emerged onto a large platform from which the site derived its name of Sigiriya which meant 'Lion Rock.' The British archaeologist Bell who was responsible for an enormous amount of archaeology in Sri Lanka discovered these two enormous Lion Paws when he was excavating in 1898.

At one time, a giant brick lion sat at this end of the rock and the final ascent to the top started between the paws and into its mouth. The only part of the lion that remained were its paws and the steps. The lion symbolism was a reminder to devotees climbing the rock that Buddha was Lion of the Sakya Clan and that the truths he spoke were as powerful as the sound of lion's roar!

After a much-needed rest, we began the final ascent between the Lion's Paws. We were so lucky that there was no invasion of the giant honeybees at the Lion's Paws as then we wouldn't have been able to proceed beyond here to the summit.

The stairway to heaven!

Looking back was a view of the plaza in front of the Lion's Paws with Pidurangula Rock in the background that we planned on hiking up next!

We had some pretty spectacular views of the countryside with a few clouds providing the shade over the "emerald ocean of forest canopy."

No wonder the travel guide recommended we do the climb up Sigiriya in the early morning hours to avoid the heat and crowds. The crowds weren't that much of an issue as I sure didn't feel like walking any faster up any of the stairs! But the 90-degree heat and high humidity sure did zap both of us.

The top was finally within sight - were we glad after all the climbing!

The terraced summit covered 1.6 hectares and was thought to be the site chosen by King Kasyapa for his fortified capital after he had assassinated his father. 

This was the low foundation of where the Palace Reception Hall had been located. 

Lina: I tried to do an imitation of you!

Though the remains weren't very impressive, the astonishing views from the lofty perch made up for them. Far, far below was where we'd started our hike an hour or so ago!

I was pretty beat climbing up Sigiriya, I wasn't sure I was up for climbing Pidurangula still that afternoon!

This area had been a meditation spot for the king.

Down a few steps from the summit was a water storage tank although it looked just like a swimming pool! 

What goes up must come down!

Yet more signs cautioning us about the danger of the honeybees and to shush!

Another striking feature among the different styles of Sigiriya Gardens were these terraced gardens formed out of the natural hill at the base of the rock. What was noteworthy here were the stone retaining walls on raised terraces, each rising above the other. It was an imaginative use to prevent soil erosion. 

This Audience Hall belonged to the royal city complex of King Kasyapa and was located on the flattened top of a boulder. It seemed a favorite hangout spot for the monkeys now!

As we continued our hike down, we came to Asana Cave which took its name from the seat or asana carved out of the rock. A plaque said the cave was used by monks when Sigiriya was a monastery before Kasyapa's era. The paintings were from the 9th-10th centuries. 

A little further on was Boulder Arch #2.

Next was Cobra Hood Cave so-called because of the natural cobra-hood shape of the cave. It was used as a dwelling during the first monastic phase before Kasyapa. The ceiling painting was likely done in the 6th to the 7th centuries. An excavation carried out in front of the cave revealed nine human skeletons. 

The rocks here were an unusual shade of pretty vivid green or had some moss on them, I wasn't sure which.

The hike down from the summit had been a breeze in comparison to the rigorous ascent up the series of vertiginous staircases. With the bonus of the interesting rock formations and terraced gardens along the way, it seemed to take no time at all! Even though we were in pretty decent shape, it had been no walk in the park making that ascent. 

Our hotel owner and driver, Rohan, had kindly waited the entire time for us so he could then drive us in his tuk tuk to Pidurangula Rock which we had seen from near the summit of Sigiriya. The parking lot was packed because the best time to come was at sunset.

The temples at Pidurangula actually predated Sigiriya.

Yeah - more steps to climb!

We entered the small Old Cave Temple first for only a couple of minutes because we needed to hurry to ascend the rock while there was still sufficient light. 

Through the doorway was an enormous statue of Buddha.

The steps didn't look very difficult at first but we started out there later than we should have given how high this rock was.

When the stairway gave way to way too many uneven rocks to clamber over, I told Steven to go on ahead as I no longer felt safe with my balance issues and foot problems. Rarely if ever am I wise enough to know when to stop when it comes to a physical challenge but I knew going on would be foolhardy. I happily plonked myself down on a rock and waited for Steven to return and regale me with what I had missed!

Showing me photos like this made me thankful I had known when to stop! 

Near the top, Steven said, was this 12.5 meter long reclining Buddha.

Steven's view of Sigiriya where we had both climbed just a couple of hours ago!

How I would have loved to have been among those atop Pidurangula at sunset as long as I didn't have to go down in the dark as the trail wasn't lit!

Rohan must have known how exhausted we both were after such a long day as he asked if we'd like his wife to prepare dinner for us once we got back to the hotel. We were delighted to accept as the last thing we wanted when it was already so late was to find a restaurant in Dambulla and then get back to the hotel which was a little way out of town. Steven and I almost laughed with the massive amount of food she cooked for us for dinner that night on the lovely balcony outside our room at 8:30. The courses kept coming and coming and there was enough for at least two more people! The repast was a perfect end to a delightful day.

Next post: The ancient city of Polonnaruwa, the island's capital from the 11th to the 13th century.

I have been trying to finally finish the posts on our trip to Ireland and the United Kingdom last fall so have been interspersing ones from that trip in between this one. Here's the link to my latest post on our tour of the Isle of Iona, the last of the Inner Hebrides islands we saw on a day tour from the Scottish Highlands resort city of Oban:

https://bergersadventures7.blogspot.com/2020/05/930-idyllic-isle-of-iona.html

Posted on May 8th, 2020, from Denver as we returned home after just two weeks into our long-planned four-month-trip to Asia and the Middle East because of the pandemic. Count your blessings and hang in there as this, too, shall pass.