Sigiriya fortress. Sigiriya (Lion Rock). Ancient landscape park

Sigiriya, which translated from Senegalese means Lion rock is destroyed ancient fortress located in the mountains, which still preserved the remains of palace buildings. It is located in the center of the island of Sri Lanka. The remains of the fortress are surrounded, unfortunately, by the remains of a once vast network of pools, gardens, and other structures. This destination is very popular among tourists coming to Sri Lanka. Sigiriya is also famous for its ancient frescoes.

Enlarged map (Google maps)

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Mount Sigiriya on google map maps.

Sigiriya Rock rises above the surrounding plain and is visible for miles from different directions. Its base is a steep rock, which is formed from the magma of an extinct volcano that has long since begun to collapse. The height is 370 meters above sea level.

Aerial view of Sigiriya:

Sigiriya was inhabited in prehistoric times and was already used as a mountain monastery-refuge. It is believed that caves and monasteries appeared here around the 5th century BC. And the palace and garden were built during the reign of King Kasapa I (477 - 495 AD).

Only after the death of the king, this place began to function again as a monastery and existed in this status until the 14th century, after which, for unknown reasons, it was abandoned. Further, right up to the 17th century, all mentions of Sigiriya disappear and appear again after the 17th century. But now this area is no longer called Sigiriya, but the Kingdom of Kandy. But, as if by magic, with the end of the reign of Kandy, people again leave the Lion Rock.

Archaeologists began their work here since the 1890s. Bell was the first archaeologist to conduct extensive research around Sigiriya. The Sri Lankan government began larger studies as early as 1982.

Sigiriya has become one of the seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Sri Lanka. We tried to collect more information about this unique place, and we invite you to take an excursion into the history of Sigiriya, at the same time, and appreciate its beauty.

What is the history of the emergence of the fortress-monastery on Mount Sigiriya?

The earliest mentions of Sigiriya go back to ancient times. In the scriptures that date back to the BC period, it is said that the fortress-monastery was built of pure gold, and the great Vishvakarman was the architect. Brahma presented her to the deity of wealth - Kubera. But very little time passed and the Rakshasa demons, whose ruler was the ten-headed monster Ravana, captured the island. For his pleasure, Ravana kidnapped the beautiful wife of the princes of Rama. Freeing his wife, Rama destroyed Ravana and happily ruled Sigiriya.

A later version of the origin of Sigiriya takes us to the 5th century AD. King Datussen, who reigned at that time in these places, had two sons. The eldest was called Kassapa, and the youngest was Mogallan. Kassapa killed his own father in order to seize power, as his father wanted to give the throne to his youngest son. Moggallan managed to survive by leaving for India. Kassapa, who was left without competitors for the royal throne, calmed down and began to arrange the territory that he inherited at such a terrible price. However, fear remained in his heart and, as it turned out later, was not unfounded. Driven by fear, Kassapa transports the capital of his kingdom from the plains to Mount Sigiriya, famous for its height and steep slopes. In short, Sigiriya is very convenient when you need to keep the defense.

18 years pass. During this time, King Kassapa created a gorgeous palace on the impregnable fortress, and planted many beautiful and cozy gardens under the rock. Archaeologists believe that the first fountains on Earth were built in these gardens. Kassapa relaxed and imagined himself to be the god of wealth. He spent all his time in entertainment.

Mogallan, being in exile and driven by the desire to avenge his father's death and his flight, devoted all his time to improving his military abilities and gathered an army. He understood that the struggle would be difficult and waited until he got stronger.

And then came the long-awaited day for Mogallan. His army and the army of Kassapa met on the plain near Sigiriya. The battle went on for a long time and no one could predict the result of the battle. The preponderance was alternately on the side of one brother, then on the side of the other. The outcome was determined by a simple accident - in the midst of the battle, Kassapa's elephant, tortured by thirst, leaves the battlefield and goes to the watering hole. The army perceives this "maneuver" as the flight of King Kassapa and, too, in a hurry, leaves the battlefield. And so - the thirst for one elephant determined the outcome of the battle. Kassapa's army fled, and he decided not to surrender alive into the hands of his brother and cut his own throat. Mogallan, having avenged his father's death, regains both the kingdom and the crown. The capital also returns to its rightful place - in Anuradhapura. The palace on the rock, as a memory of the terrible past, by the order of the winner, is subject to destruction.

Sigiriya landmarks.

I don’t know how to explain it, but despite the order to destroy everything, many elements of the structures and even structures have survived to this day. Tourists will find a lot of interesting things here.

So from a huge lion carved into the rock, whose mouth was once the entrance to the fortress, only paws have survived. The throne of King Kassapa was saved, sitting on which he enjoyed the dances of his concubines. Many architectural solutions the builders of the palace, despite their age, amaze with their ingenuity. The moat and walls surrounding the palace have retained their former elegance and beauty, the cisterns for saving water still retain it.

Throne of the King:

Lion paws:

View from the mountain to the surrounding gardens:

Climbing Sigiriya:

In the ruined palace:

One of the main attractions of Sigiriya is the mirror wall. During the time of King Kassapa, it was so polished that the king, passing by, saw his own reflection. The wall is made of a special kind of porcelain. Part of it today is "decorated" with inscriptions and poems left by visitors to Lion Rock. The oldest inscriptions date back to the 8th century. Nowadays, "painting" the walls is prohibited.

Mirror Rock:

This is a rock with the ruins of an ancient palace, which is located at a high altitude at the very top of the mountain. Getting to the palace, which stands at a height of seven sixteen-story buildings, is not easy. However, almost every tourist in Sri Lanka considers it his duty to visit this mysterious and beautiful place... Sigiriya is like Luxor in Egypt or Royal Palace in Bangkok.

History of Sigiriya

While climbing Lion Mountain, the guides tell the story of Sigiriya in Sri Lanka. In the 5th century, King Datusen lived on the island of Ceylon. The king had two sons. And he appointed his younger son, Mogallan, as his successor and heir. The eldest son of the king, Kassapa, was at a loss and in anger. After all, he believed that he would become the heir to his father by right of seniority. The rage of the eldest son shook his head and he killed his father. The youngest son decided to avenge his father. And then Kassapa, fearing his revenge, built a palace on a rock 370 m high.And around the rock they built a beautiful city... But no one could get to the very palace of Kassapa unnoticed.

Frescoes and ruins of lion's mountain in Sri Lanka

Only ruins remained of the city by the cliff. But at the top of the Lion Mountain, the walls of the palace, the throne and beautiful frescoes are still preserved. On the frescoes there are images of beautiful princesses - the wives of Kassapa. There used to be 500 frescoes. That is how many wives and concubines Kassapa had. Now only 17 fresors have survived. The most amazing thing is that these frescoes in Sri Lanka have retained their brightness and beauty. They are said to be coated with a special composition of egg white and wild bee honey, which has protected the frescoes and preserved them to this day.

From the very palace of the son of the king of Sri Lanka, little remains, but the throne has remained unchanged. It is not known how tall and physically Kassapa was, but his throne is huge, about 5 meters. You can sit on it, take a picture and feel like a dark lord.

The view from the top of Lion's Mountain is amazing. Blue sea, green tropical trees and the figure of Buddha, towering over all this splendor.

Sigiriya is one of the most famous landmarks in Sri Lanka, which is located near the city of Dambul. The amazing Sigiriya, that is, the Lion Mountain, has this name due to the huge stone lion located below, where there are many amazing beautiful places and ancient buildings.

Sigiriya is a free-standing large beautiful rock, located on the island of Sri Lanka, there are no such rocks in the world for sure. The name itself is translated from Sinhalese as Lion Mountain, today it is officially referred to as Ancient city of sigiriya, i.e Ancient city Sigiriya. This unique small town has become widely known for its ancient amazing frescoes, ancient big palace in honor of King Kassapa, gardens, fountains and many other attractions. Since the 3rd century, Buddhist monks lived here, and in the 5th century, King Kassapa himself fled to this place, who built a fortress there, where he lived for another 18 years without going down.

To see these wonders, thousands of tourists come here every day from all over the world who want to personally see the amazing Kassapa Palace. This palace is located on the lion's hill, which today is under the personal protection of the heritage of the world and has long been shrouded in various legends. The palace has many ancient interesting secrets, and the Lion Mountain itself is really majestic and a beautiful gorgeous view opens from its top. After Kassapa, monks began to actively settle on the rocky plateau, who formed a unique cave monastery there.

Sigiriya is one of the unique parts of the cultural route along the Sri Lanka Golden Triangle. Big Sigiriya is a mountain plateau in the heart of Sri Lanka, where the famous ruins of an ancient fortress are located, as well as a famous cave monastery.

This large plateau is located 170 km from Colombo in the very center of the Cultural Triangle of the island, 10 km from the large highway. Entrance ticket for a tourist here today costs 3600 LKR, which is about $ 36 for adults, and for younger people, the entrance is $ 18. It will take you up to 50 minutes to climb this cliff, due to the air temperature in this area it is better to visit the cliff only in the early morning.

The Lion Gate of Sigiriya, which was a giant lion, was destroyed long ago; the mouth of this lion was previously the main entrance to the Kassapi fortress. Today, only two lion's paws survived from this gate, the size of which is large enough so that one can only imagine how huge the figure of the animal itself was. These two remaining large paws of the majestic animal have already become a symbol of modern Sri Lanka. Between the paws of a giant seated lion is a stone staircase leading directly to the fortress.

The Kassapi Palace is located on the top of the mountain and was built in the 5th century, next to the palace there are amazing gardens, swimming pools and fountains. A tragic and almost Shakespearean story is associated with the emergence of this fortress, which tells about King Dhatusen, against whom his son Kassapa conspired. Today the fortress is one of the seven major heritage sites of Sri Lanka, now only ruins remain of it, although they can impress everyone. The palace fortress complex is surrounded by dilapidated buildings, and to get to the palace itself you have to overcome as many as 2,100 steps.

The frescoes in Sigiriya are one of the main unique landmarks of the palace, where women are depicted at full length. The artist portrayed more than 500 women, although today only a few unique portraits with beauties have survived. It is believed that these are the beauties of the most different countries and guests of Sigiriya who came on a visit to Sri Lanka, although there is an assumption that these are only the king's concubines. The frescoes are one of the few surviving examples of the religious ancient art of Sri Lanka, the dimensions of all frescoes are 140 meters by 40 meters.

The gardens of the amazing Sigiriya are the central large part of the area near the Lion Rock, these gardens can be considered one of the most landscaped in the world. The large gardens were divided into three separate areas, water gardens, huge rock gardens and terraces. There are also many endless beautiful gardens with fountains and canals around the Lion Mountain itself. The best workers of that hour worked to create these beautiful pools and lavish gardens, many of the fountains at the foot of the mountain remain in excellent condition today.

The mirrored wall served to protect the passageways along big rocks, the best masters of the country made it from a complex unique composition... This composition included lime, eggs and honey, and then this wall was polished to a shine so that you could look there like in a mirror. The walls were partially covered with poems left by visitors to this rock, the oldest poems dating back to the 9th century. The poems are mainly about subtle feelings between a woman and a man, as well as about irony and various events. A corridor of mirrors led immediately to the king's chambers, this is one of the most luxurious ancient premises of the Sigiriya palace.

The throne of the king is the most interesting and unique place in the palace, as it was carved out of solid rock. The big throne of Kassapa is a monolithic bench made of stone with a comfortable back and without decorations, it was here that the founder of the fortress sat. In addition to the main throne, there are also a number of others located around the palace, the main throne has been preserved in good condition even now.

In addition to these main attractions, there are others, this is a giant lion staircase of a huge number of steps with lion's paws. At the top of the mountain there are well-preserved pools from the upper palace, in addition to which the beautiful pools near the royal garden remain in excellent condition.

Today, tourists will be able to see the ancient fountains that remain in excellent condition, which are located in the palace. An amazingly beautiful arch is located at the rise that goes through the garden, and there are also grottoes to guard the palace and the Derianiyagala grotto. The structures of the Lion Mountain are the pride of Sigiriya and Sri Lanka and tourists should definitely visit them.

The next day after the cave temples, we went to look at the main attraction of Sri Lanka Sigiriya. This is the undisputed number one of the most interesting places on the island, many even compare Sigiriya with Machu Picchu. It will be interesting for both nature lovers and connoisseurs of history.

First, a few words about the history of Sigiriya. Sigiriya is a rocky plateau with a height of 370 m, the height above the surrounding valley is almost 200 m. Translated from Sinhalese means "lion's rock". At the end of the 5th century, King Kasapa of Sri Lanka built a fortress and his palace on the rock. The king was that type, according to later chronicles. He immured his father alive in the wall, and drove his brother, who by law was to inherit the throne, to India. But fearing his return and revenge, Kasapa just erected this impregnable fortress.

However, as I understood, exact history nobody knows this place. It is extremely doubtful that in the short period of his reign, Kasapa managed to build such an impressive complex. Most likely, he really visited Sigiriya, in which he was before and after a Buddhist monastery, which owns most of the grandiose buildings. But everything that the guides will tell you should be skeptical. Over time, the monks left Sigiriya and everyone forgot about this place, until the British accidentally stumbled upon it at the beginning of the 19th century.

But now everything is in order. After visiting, we spent the night in its vicinity. And in the morning we immediately went to Sigiriya, tk. it is advisable to visit it early before the onset of the heat of the day. Otherwise, climbing to a height of 200 meters will turn into torture. Fortunately, Dambulla and Sigiriya are only 30 km apart, so we got there quickly.

At the entrance to Sigiriya, the monkeys were observed again. Here smart creatures have mastered the bungee. They swayed on vines and jumped from them into the lake. The spectacle is just a frenzy. The photo shows the moment when the monkey flops into the water.

I bathed and went to beg for food from tourists.

This time I decided to immediately take a guide from the ticket office. The guide cost $ 30. He promised on oath to lead us in some way known only to him. long routerather than the standard tourist route. And, to check, the guide turned out to be the coolest of the whole trip. He told lies very enthusiastically and interestingly, without him Sigiriya would not be so impressive, I'm sure.

In front of the rock there is a very large area with gardens, ponds and fountains.

From any point you can see the very rock on which we had to climb.

Following the guide, we went to the ascent to the top of Sigiriya. On the way, he told all sorts of stories that Kasapa was very loving and he had 500 wives or mistresses. The king's favorite pastime was to watch the whole herd splash in the pools around Sigiriya.

The rock is getting closer.

On the left is one of the guides, they are easy to recognize by the same umbrellas in their hands.

The wasp warning is not a joke. Relatively recently, there was a case when our (what else) tourists disturbed the nests and then the complex had to be closed for a couple of weeks, because just clouds of these evil insects were flying around.

The guide turned out to be a fine fellow and did not deceive, we, indeed, separated from the main stream of tourists and made a fair detour before the ascent. On the way, he told a lot of things and showed all sorts of interesting places such as the gate in the picture below, but almost everything disappeared from his head in a year and a half.

Pay attention to the steps carved in stone, this is how they used to go up to Sigiriya.

The endless staircase to the top began from this place. According to the guide, this bench is Kasapa's throne, on which he waited for his porters to rest before the long climb.

All right, it's time to go up.

The remains of the tower, on which there were sentries, surveying the surroundings in search of the approaching enemy.

We have not yet passed half the way, and already such beautiful views. On the right you can see the road along which we came from the entrance to the complex.

And here the main thing is not to miss the most beautiful place Sigiriya. This climb leads to the famous frescoes. Be sure not to be lazy and go up there.

All for these unique girls boobs. Of the 500 original ones, only 18 remain, but even in this form, the drawings are striking. They are more than 1,500 years old, but still, thanks to a technology similar to porcelain, the paints have survived well. Who these madam are is not known for certain, the guide said that they were Kasapa's concubines. But in fact, there are many versions.

The place is very popular with tourists.

Following interesting place is a mirrored wall. At the time of Kasapa, it was polished to a mirror state. Walking through the gallery, the king could look into it. Now there are only a couple of areas that really seem to be mirrored.

We are getting higher and higher.

Remnants of some buildings. Gil said this was the barracks for the Sigiriya guards.

And this structure is beyond doubt. Here is one of Kasapa's defensive tricks. The stones under the rock were knocked out and this bulk fell on the attackers.

And, here we are at the home stretch. Remained the last, most difficult part of the ascent along the almost vertical and eerie (its unsteadiness) stairs. It was at this place that the main entrance to Sigiriya was. And he looked like a giant lion, into whose mouth a staircase led. Now only paws are left of the lion.

A similar rock rises next to Sigiriya.

We rise from the lion's gate along a flimsy staircase to the very top to the Kasapa palace.

The views are getting smarter with every step.

Hurray, crawled to the very top.

View of the ponds where Kasapa's 500 concubines splashed.

The buildings at the very top have not survived, only the foundations and pools. But it still inspires.

Kasapa seemed to be very fond of water.

Once upon a time artificial rivers and fountains flowed here. A separate topic is how the water was raised to such a height.

Sigiriya, or Sinhagiri (Lion Rock), is an ancient mountain fortress located in the central part administrative district Matale near Dambulla in the Central Province of Sri Lanka. This name is given to an area of \u200b\u200bgreat historical and archaeological importance, over which a massive rock column rises about 200 m high.According to the ancient Sri Lankan Chronicle of Culavamsa, this place was chosen by King Kasyapa (477-495 AD) to build their capital. On the top of this rock, he erected his palace and decorated it around the perimeter with colorful frescoes. On a small plateau about halfway to the summit, he built a gate in the shape of a giant lion. It was this structure that gave the name to the whole place - Sinhagiri - Lion Rock. After the death of the king, the capital and the palace were abandoned. Until the 14th century, a Buddhist monastery was located here.

Sigiriya is now an object cultural heritage UNESCO. This is one of the best preserved examples of urban development from ancient times.

History of Sigiriya

According to the Kulawamsa chronicle, Kashyapa was the son of King Datusena. Kashyapa kills his father, immuring him alive, and seizes his throne, rightfully belonging to his brother Mugalan, son of Datusena by the rightful queen. Moggallana is forced to flee to India in order not to be killed by Kashyapa, but vows revenge. In India, he is raising an army to return and take the throne of Sri Lanka, which he considers to be his by right. Knowing that Mogallana will definitely return, Kashyapa builds a palace on the top of Sigiriya, turning it into a fortress and a place of entertainment. Finally, Moggallana returns and declares war. During the battle, Kashyapa's army leaves their king, and he commits suicide by throwing himself on the sword.

Kulawamsa and folk tales tell that Kashyapa's war elephant changed direction in order to take a strategically advantageous position, but the army misunderstood his maneuver and thought that the king made a decision to retreat, which caused the entire army to abandon his king. The chronicle says that he was too proud to surrender, so he pulled the dagger from the scabbard hanging from his belt, cut his throat, proudly raised the dagger, sheathed it and fell dead. Mogallana returned the capital to Anuradhapura, transforming Sigiriya into a monastery complex.

There is an alternative story according to which King Datusen is considered the original founder of Sigiriya, and Kashyapa finished construction in honor of his father. In some stories, Kashyapa appears as the rake king, and Sigiriya was his pleasure palace. There is even disagreement about the eventful life of Kashyapa. Some sources report that he was poisoned by his mistress, others that he cut his own throat, left alone during the decisive battle. However, all further versions agree that Sigiriya became a Buddhist monastery and was no longer used for military purposes. She may have played an important role in the rivalry between the Mahayana and Theravada Buddhist traditions in ancient Sri Lanka.

The earliest evidence of a human presence in Sigiriya was found in the Aligala rock grotto east of the Sigiriya rock, suggesting that the area was inhabited some five thousand years ago during the Mesolithic.

During the 3rd century BC. on the western and northern slopes of the rocky hills surrounding Sigiriya, Buddhist monastic settlements arose. During this period, several mountain grottoes, or caves, were built. These grottoes were created under large boulders, and gutters were cut near the entrance to the cave. On many grottoes, next to the gutters, carved inscriptions are found indicating that these caves were transferred to the Buddhist monastic community as dwellings. Such grottoes date back to the 3rd century BC. - 1st century AD

Archaeological remains and their features

In 1831, Major Jonathan Forbes of the 78th Scottish Regiment of the British Army, returning on horseback from a trip to Polonnaruwa, discovered the "bushy summit of Sigiriya." Sigiriya attracted the attention of collectors of antiquities and, later, archaeologists. Archaeological excavations on a small scale began in Sigiriya in the 1890s. G. Ch. P. Bell became the first archaeologist to conduct a comprehensive study of Sigiriya. In the framework of the Cultural Triangle project, initiated by the government of Sri Lanka, since 1982, considerable attention has been paid to Sigiriya. For the first time, full-scale archaeological work in the entire city was started precisely thanks to this project. The entrance was guarded by the head and paws of a lion, but the head fell many years ago.

Sigiriya consists of an ancient citadel built by King Kashyapa in the 5th century. The archaeological site of Sigiriya includes the ruins of an upper palace perched on a flat cliff top, a mid-level terrace including the Lion's Gate and mirrored wall, lower palaces hidden behind the lush gardens of the lower level, and the moats and ramparts that protected the citadel. Sigiriya was both a palace and a fortress. On the territory of the upper palace, at the top of the cliff, there are reservoirs carved into the rock. The moats and walls surrounding the lower palaces are extremely beautiful.

City plan

Sigiriya is considered one of the most striking examples of urban development of the first millennium, and the city plan is extremely thoughtful and varied. This plan combines the concepts of symmetry and asymmetry, used to artfully intertwine the geometries created by man and the natural outlines of the surrounding area. On the western slope of the cliff is a royal park, laid out according to a symmetrical plan; The park contains water retaining structures including sophisticated surface / underground hydraulic systems, some of which are still in operation. There is an artificial reservoir on the southern slope; it was actively used during the time of the previous capital, located in the dry belt of Sri Lanka. The entrances were blocked by five gates. It is believed that only members of the royal family could use the western, most ornate, gate.

In 1907, John Still suggested that "the entire surface of the hill looks like it is a giant art gallery ... possibly the largest in the world." Apparently, the images covered most of the western slope of the cliff - a surface 140 m long and 40 m high. According to some reports, 500 girls were depicted in these drawings. However, most of these frescoes are lost forever. Some frescoes that differ from the images on the side of the rock can be seen in other places, for example, on the ceiling of the room called the "Cobra Hood Cave".

Although the frescoes are classified as works of the Anuradhapura period, the style of depiction is considered unique: the lines and style of painting are different from those of Anuradhapura. The lines are drawn in such a way that the shapes appear more voluminous. The paint was applied in sweeping strokes with great pressure on one side, thus creating a richer color effect closer to the edges. Other depictions of the Anuradhapura period used the same drawing technique, but they lack the contour lines used in the Sigiriya style, which are a characteristic artistic device. The identities of the girls depicted in the frescoes are still unknown. There are different points of view on this score. Some believe that these are the ladies of the court, while others believe that these girls took part in religious rites... These murals closely resemble the images found in the Ajanta caves in India.

Mirrored wall and spiral staircase leading to the frescoes

Previously, this wall was polished so carefully that the king, walking along it, could see his own reflection. This wall is a brickwork, covered with white plaster, polished to a mirror shine. Now this wall is partially covered with verses carved by travelers who visited the rock. There are inscriptions on the wall dating back even to the 8th century. People left messages of a very different nature on the wall: love, ironic and other poems. Now writing on the wall has been banned to protect the old inscriptions.

Dr. Senerat Paranavitana, an eminent Sri Lankan archaeologist, has deciphered 685 verses written on a mirrored wall in the 8th, 9th and 10th centuries AD.

One of them was translated into Sinhalese like this:

“I am Budal [the name of the writer]. Came with a hundred people to see Sigiriya. Since everyone else was writing poems, I didn't! "

He left important information that travelers have visited Sigiriya for a long time.

Sigiriya Gardens

Sigiriya Gardens are one of the most important features of the city, as they are among the oldest landscaped gardens in the world. These gardens are subdivided into three distinct but interconnected forms: aquatic gardens, cave and stone gardens, and terraced gardens.

Water gardens

Water gardens are found in the central part of the western section. There are three main gardens. The first garden is a plot of land surrounded by water. It is connected to the main territory by means of four dams with gates located at the beginning of each of them. This garden is built according to the ancient char bagh gardening model and is one of the oldest examples of such construction that has survived to this day.

In the second garden there are deep pools on both sides of the road. Two small serpentine streams flow into these basins. There are fountains made of round limestone plates. Underground water pipes supply water to these fountains, which are still in operation today, especially during the rainy season. On both sides of the second water garden are two large islands... On the leveled surface of these islands are built summer palaces... Further north and south are two more islands. These islands are built in the same style as the island of the first water garden.

Sigiriya Gardens - view from the top of Sigiriya rock

The third garden is located above the first two. It consists of a large octagonal basin with an elevation in the northeast corner. A large wall of the citadel, built of bricks and stones, runs along the eastern border of the garden.

The water gardens are built symmetrically about the east-west axis. They are connected to an outer moat in the west and a large artificial lake in the south by the Sigiriya cliffs. In addition, all the basins are connected to each other through a network of underground pipelines fed by the lake and also connected to the moat. To the west of the first water garden is a miniature water garden consisting of several small pools and canals. This newly discovered garden was probably built after the Kashyapa period, possibly between the 10th and 13th centuries.

Stone gardens

The stone gardens are made up of several large boulders connected by winding paths. Such gardens stretch at the foot of the Sigiriya cliff from the northern to southern slopes. On top of most boulders is a building or pavilion; cuts were made in them, which were used as a basis for brick walls and floors. When the enemy approached, such stones collided from the cliff on the attacking armies.

Terraced gardens

The terraced gardens are formed by a natural elevation at the base of the Sigiriya rock. Several terraces lead from paths in stone gardens to stairs in the rock. They were created using brick walls and are arranged around the rock in a concentric pattern. The path through the terraced gardens is a limestone staircase. From this staircase there is a covered path that leads along the edge of the cliff to the highest terrace on which the lion staircase is located.