Sigiriya Rock – A World Heritage Site
Aditi Ghosh
Today let me share with you the fascinating tale of Sigiriya ( at Matale, Sri Lanka). Its creation, abandonment and rediscovery are no less than a fairy tale. Kashyapa was the son of King Dhatusena by a lesser queen. Hence his right to the throne was not a strong one. He conspired and murdered his father to assume the reign. His half brother, Mugalan ( supposed to be the next king) escaped to India.
Kashyapa moved his capital from Anuradhapura and built a new capital at Sigiriya. It is not known if he did it out of guilt or to make his kingdom secure by building it on the top of a monadnock fortified all around. Maybe both! Whatever be the reason, Kashyapa was a troubled but visionary monarch. He transformed the once sinister-looking rock to a massive bedazzling white palace of unsurpassed beauty with lush gardens, ponds and pavilions. Around its circumference of rock, he painted a multi-coloured tapestry depicting celestial nymphs – the Sigiriya frescoes. Halfway up this sheer rock, he constructed a gatehouse in the form of a sphinz-like lion giving his lair its name- Sigiriya Lion Mountain. Sigiriya reflects the sensuousness of a pleasure-loving king, who modelled the city on mythical Alakamanda of the God Kuvera.
The capital city was short-lived and ended abruptly, when Mugalan, the rightful (!) heir to the thrown succeeded him. Mugalan, however, opted not to rule from Sigiriya. Kashyapa’s magnificent city was quickly abandoned, swallowed up by the surrounding jungle, forgotten and quite alone it its glory. There it lies hidden for over a thousand years until rediscovered. It is another story of how it was finally rediscovered.
The writer is a globe traveller
