Sigiriya is a small town located Close proximity to the Dambulla city in the Central province of Sri Lanka, which is around 180 Km (3 hours) away from the Colombo City. Sigiriya is one of the main tourist hotspot in the Sri Lanka.
01. Sigiriya ancient palace complex
Sigiriya ancient Palace Complex is a world heritage site declared by the UNESCO in 1982. Sigiriya is one of the main Archeological sites in the world and Once Sir Arthur C Clerk mentioned Sigiriya as the 8th Wonder of the World. Without any doubt, Sigiriya is the main tourist attraction of the Sri Lanka and the most popular place among the tourist.
180m height gigantic rock in the Sigiriya is a monolith rock formed from magma of an extinct volcano during the Precambrian period (4.5 billion BP) and remains as a residual mountain. Sigiriya name derived from the “Sinhagiri” which means the Lion mountain due to the giant lion’s mouth shaped staircase located in the Summit entrance and Sigiriya is known as the “Lion’s Rock” in English.
History of the Sigiriya area dates back to the Mesolithic period, about 5000 years. Evidence of the Human settlements found in the “Aligala” cave close to the east of the rock. Then when we receive the Buddhism in 3rd century BC, Buddhist monasteries were stated in the rock caves in the area. About 30 number of monk dwelling caves, inscriptions found in here.
The main attraction of the Sigiriya is the well planned ancient palace complex dated back to the 5th Century AD (1600 years). Sigiriya is a unique combination of Fifth century urban planning, Landscaping, hydraulic management, engineering, architecture, painting, sculptures and poetry. A king called Kashyapa built & selected Sigiriya as his kingdom.
Sigiriya is considered as one of the historic, oldest and one of the largest surviving Pleasure garden in the world and it is a combination of water gardens, fountains, Boulder gardens and Terrace gardens. Frescos / Paintings in the caves one of the marvel in the Sigiriya along with the Graffiti’s or the poems written by the visitors, who visited the place during the 7th to 13th centuries AD.Remains of the palace still can be seen on the summit area along with the ponds and thrones.
Sigiriya is 45 minutes to 2 hours of hike depend on the physical fitness and the crowd .There are around 1200 steps till the top of the rock. Best time to climb the Sigiriya is early morning or the Evening due to the excess heat during the day time and to avoid the crowd. Sigiriya ticket counters open for the public from the 6.30 am to 5.00 pm. It is advisable to bring the water bottle for your hike and you may wear a comfortable dress for the hike.
02. Village tour in Sigiriya
Village tour in Sri Lanka is a one of the best experience you can take during the Sri Lanka tour. It starts with a Bullock cart ride or Hand tractor ride. Then you’ll get a chance to have a Catamaran ride in the lake area. After that you shall be taken in to a Sri Lankan traditional mud house. Then traditional food & sweet preparation and traditional way of life demonstration shall be conduct by the local ladies. After that you can enjoy the Authentic Srilankan lunch. On your way back you can have a Tuk tuk ride.
03. Pidurangala rock
Pidurangala rock is a nearby attraction to the Sigiriya rock. Pidurangala is an ancient Buddhist temple and hiking the Pidurangala became very popular among the tourist. Hike to the Pidurangala takes around 30 minutes and it is one of the best places to see the sun rise and the sunset.
04. Ayurvedic spa experience
From Thousands of years Srilankan are using Ayurveda and Indigenous medicine to prevent and cure the diseases.Ayurvedic Spa treatment using the Herbals became very popular among the tourist.Habarana, a small town closer to the Sigiriya is famous for the Ayurveda massage treatments. You may experience the Massage therapies or Spa treatments using the herbal oils.
05. Elephant safari in Minneriya / Kaudulla national park
Both the Minneriya and Kaudulla national parks are located in the same area and both are famous for the Elephant Safaris. Minneriya is the place where you can see the largest gathering of the Asian Elephants in the World. July to October is the best time of the year to visit Minneriya or Kaudulla national parks, where you can see around 300 of elephants are roaming freely.