Unique Stories of Sigiriya on Your Holidays to Sri Lanka
It has been the theatre of grandeur, a backdrop to the rise and fall of Sri Lanka’s Royal Kingdoms, an ancient city that’s an engineering marvel and a 5th-century palace of sensuality. King Kashyapa’s crowning citadel is now amongst Bloomberg’s The Seven Wonders of the World perfect for the new age luxury traveller looking for a unique adventure on their holidays to Sri Lanka.
The Lost Throne, a UNESCO Site on your Visit to Sri Lanka
It unfolded in the late 5th century during the reign of King Dhatusena, whose son Kashyapa staged a coup to oust his brother Moggalana, the rightful heir to the throne. Even though Kashyapa was the firstborn, he was simply the son of Dhatusena’s concubine, and lawfully could not claim his perceived rights to the throne. The coup ended with the execution of the King and the fleeing of Moggalana to South India. Kashyapa reigned for 18 years after building his palace on top of the Lion Rock. One account has it that when Kashyapa died on the battlefield, 500 court ladies threw themselves down Sigiriya in utter anguish, an event recorded among the writings on the mirror wall.
An adventurous climb to the summit of Sigiriya with kids in tow will include a kid friendly narrative with Ayu in the Wild guides and can be offered all year on a family holiday to Sri Lanka.
Between Heaven and Earth inside Sri Lanka’s Cultural Triangle
Alluring visitors, history buffs and dreamers from across the world for centuries, climbing Sigiriya is a sensual experience and unravels a vault of stories with every step of the 1236 steps to the top. Sigiriya makes it to the top of every traveller’s list of things to do when curating holidays to Sri Lanka with our Travel Designers, with the young and old excited for an early morning start, before dawn, to get to those magnificent sunrise views at the summit.
The steps are made of white quartz, which illuminated the king’s path to his crowning citadel after hours; the highly polished mirror wall is the repository of the scribblings and poetry of ancient wanderers telling of their amazement of Sigiriya’s structure; and from any given point on the rock, numerous gardens, intricately designed, are visually and mentally soothing. For Kashyapa, lover of all things sensual, it was important that he created a palace and city that can rival paradise. He himself fashioned an image of a divine king, an intermediary between heaven and earth. Hand in hand with that image is the idea of the ‘apsaras’ being celestial and so, the famous Sigiriya Frescoes were painted as large murals of beautiful goddesses.
Did you know?
Every ápsara has been painted in such a way that they symbolize 22 different personalities. Historians believe the apsaras possibly were court ladies or perhaps daughters of the Hindu god Kuvera.
The idea of Sigiriya is not fixed to one truth-it is constantly changing, by people of the 22 ancient villages that the rock fortress shelters and by archeologists and historians. The second of Sri Lanka’s historical chronicles, the 6th century Chulawamsa, has references of Sigiriya too. However, the basic story does not vary hugely. The story of a 5th century King and a battle for the throne; of paintings depicting beautiful goddesses; a very advanced system of hydraulics far ahead of its time; and of numerous gardens, intricately designed to sooth visually and mentally. Whether you’re curious about the history that the archeologists have unearthed, or the version of the chronicles narrated on a private guided visit during your holidays to Sri Lanka, the allure of Sigiriya will never fade.
Luxury holidays to Sri Lanka. Tailor made private tours by sustainable slow travel experts with a bespoke, boutique touch.
Ayu in the Wild Holidays is a 100% Sri Lankan owner-run bespoke luxury travel agency and are specialists in curating sustainable slow luxury holidays to Sri Lanka, since 2012. Founders of @sustainabletravelsrilanka
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