Sigiriya Rock Fortress

Climb Lion’s Rock

Sigiriya is a UNESCO World Heritage site which is proposed to be the 8th wonder of the world. Sigiriya, a massive rock in the green scrub jungle, is perhaps the most memorable place for visitors to Sri Lanka. The site was known from ancient times as a hermitage for Buddhist monks. A well-planned monastic complex included caved temples, bathing pools, lovely ponds and Asia’s oldest surviving landscaped gardens. The “Lion stairway”, the “mirror wall” and the “water gardens” are its other highlights. The ruins of the capital built by the parricidal King Kassapa I (477–95) lie on the steep slopes and at the summit of a granite peak standing some 370 m high also known as ‘Lion’s Rock’, which dominates the jungle from all sides.