The Siri Lankan Fort Sigiriya, History, Construction and Architecture

 

 

  The Siri Lankan Fort Sigiriya, History, Construction and Architecture

 

 The palace in Sri Lanka where you have to go through the claws of a lion to reach

 

 

 

 This ancient fort is called Sigiriya, which was once a royal palace.  The palace is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Sri Lanka and its popularity can be gauged from the fact that more than one million people visited it in 2019 before the global Corona epidemic.

 

 Built in 477 AD, the palace is not only one of the most important archeological sites in South Asia, but also one of the most ancient in the region, preserved in its original condition.

 

 The ancient architectural masterpiece was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site by the United Nations in 1982 as a World Heritage Site due to the magnificent walls of the palace, its construction on a high cliff and the breathtaking art on its walls. But what makes this palace a national asset of Sri Lanka is its gardens and its amazing irrigation system.

 

Sigiriya Gardens are not only one of the oldest gardens in South Asia with an irrigation system, but also one of the oldest in the world.

 When the palace was at its height in the fifth century AD, there were magnificent gardens on each side of the corridor through which the king's special guests would enter the palace.  Arrived at the palace on a high rock.

 The Siri Lankan Fort Sigiriya, Its History, Construction and Architecture

 Sigiria's director of archeology, Sinake Bandaranaike, writes in an article that this historic site is a wonderful combination of natural inequality and man-made smooth construction.  "The gardens of Sigiriya actually consist of three different parts, but these three parts are interconnected.

 

 'In one part there are gardens that have been planned according to the principles of geometry, in the other part there is a natural crooked cave and a garden with large boulders, while in the third part there is a garden that goes up along the rock.  It is a large garden that encloses the entire rock and this section includes small gardens as well as gardens inside the palace which are located on the top.

 

 The Siri Lankan Fort Sigiriya, Its History, Construction and Architecture

 These gardens used to have beautiful pools, springs, rivers and terraces where various ceremonies were held and artists performed their art.  According to Samidha Chandradasa, a lecturer in Tourist Guides in Lanka, you can "compare it to any modern luxury tourist destination with beautiful gardens and swimming pools."

 The Siri Lankan Fort Sigiriya, Its History, Construction and Architecture

 No wonder the little things are taken care of in the map of Sigiriya's gardens, but you are more surprised to see the irrigation system here.  The system combines hydraulic power, underground tunnels and gravity to create a spectacular array of ponds and springs that are fun to look at and surprisingly built about 1,500 years ago.  The system is still working today.

 

 Some people in Sri Lanka still believe in the folklore that the source of the water that irrigates all the gardens of this palace is the pond that is built on the top of this rock.  But the fact is that all the water flowing in this palace complex comes from a small reservoir or dam which the locals call 'tank'.

 

 This complex irrigation system is actually a combination of underground earthen pipes that carry water from a large reservoir located at an altitude with the help of gravity and water pressure or hydraulic pressure to various ponds, springs and rivers.  Takes it from where it irrigates all the gardens.

 The Siri Lankan Fort Sigiriya, Its History, Construction and Architecture

However, some of the water coming to these water gardens also comes from the top of Sigiriya.  What happens is that rainwater collects in the ponds at the top of this large rock, from where it flows through various channels and joins the water inside the rock from the main reservoir.  According to Bandaranaike, the irrigation system installed in these gardens depends entirely on the fact that with great skill, pipes of different sizes have been connected to each other to form an irrigation system that is the world of engineering is a masterpiece.

 

 Bandaranaike also writes in his article that when excavations were made here, waterways were discovered at different depths in the earth, which made it appear that the makers of this system had mastered the sciences of physics and engineering.

 

 Although this irrigation system dates back to the fifth century AD, it seems to be a modern invention.  Before becoming the capital of Sigiriya, the royal capital of Sri Lanka was located at Anuradhapura, 70 km northwest of here.  Later, the son of a woman from outside the royal family of the then king Dhata Sena rebelled against his father, in which the king was killed and King Kasyapa ascended the throne.  Later, King Kasyapa moved the capital to Sigiriya and built a new palace for himself on the top of Mount Sher.  When you come up the long stairs to the palace, you know why this king did it.  According to ancient Sri Lankan historical documents, the king built a palace for himself that looked like a giant lion sitting on the ground from afar.

 The Siri Lankan Fort Sigiriya, Its History, Construction and Architecture

 According to an archaeologist, "its main gate passes through the lion's claws, through which you reach the original palace on the top of the hill."

 

 King Kasyapa ruled the area until 495 AD, after which when he abandoned the palace, it became a Buddhist monastery.

 

Although the walls around the water gardens have lost their luster over time, we still have bricks in the foundations of the ponds, cisterns and springs that help keep the water flowing during the rainy season.  It was collected in gardens and used for irrigation.

 

 The ancient palace also has a series of small gardens called 'Miniature Water Gardens'.  In fact, these gardens are not so small because they are also 30 meters wide and 90 meters long.  These water gardens are divided into five parts and their main feature is a river that burrows like a snake flowing inside them and it seems that its creators were thinking far ahead of their time.

 

 According to Bandaranaike, one of the special things about this river is that when the water slowly passes through the pebbles and marble in the bottom of the river, not only does it look very beautiful, but the sound that comes out of it is also very beautiful.  Not less than Jaltrang.

 

 Archaeologist Mr. Verasanghe says that the real pleasure of these small gardens must have come in the moonlight.  "This aspect of the garden is very romantic.  Although these small gardens no longer look as spectacular as they did in the fifth century, archaeologists are convinced that the system of fluctuations in the water level in these ponds suggests that musical instruments have never been used here.  Which would have been a big deal in terms of his commitment.

 

The common belief about the springs and ponds of Sigiriya, especially the large pool at the top, is that the royal family and Kasyapa's favorite maids used to swim here in the hot summer days.  The stone staircases around these ponds suggest that many of them were used as swimming pools.

 

 But in addition to beauty and use, Sigiriya's gardens had another purpose.  According to Vera Singh, King Kasyapa wanted people to see water in a special way.

 

 In addition to enjoying the pools here, the king also wanted to convey this message through his splendor and insight.  Take

 

 "When you look at this strange system of water use installed around the royal palace of Sigiriya, it seems that the king is sending a message to his subjects about his power."

 

 When a man climbs more than 1,200 steps to reach the palace after passing between the claws of a lion, he becomes intoxicated with sweat.

 The Siri Lankan Fort Sigiriya, Its History, Construction and Architecture

 

 

 When you reach the top and look down, you will realize how skillfully and neatly all the gardens here are arranged.  On the distant horizon you can see lush forests and blue skies.  Surely there was no better place for a powerful king of his time to build this palace full of gardens.

 

 The Siri Lankan Fort Sigiriya, Its History, Construction and Architecture

 According to Vera Singh, "Stand here and imagine that it is raining and the clouds are sitting on the top of this hill."

 

 You are passing through this garden and you see in front of you a huge pool of clear water in which water is falling from above and then coming out of the springs in the form of a strong shower.

 

 "Imagine how much fun you were having."