Sigiriya Rock Fortress

Sigiriya's story begins in the 5th century CE, when King Kashyapa I seized the throne after deposing — and, according to the ancient Mahavamsa chronicle, killing — his father, King Dhatusena. Fearing revenge from his half-brother Moggallana, the rightful heir who had fled to India, Kashyapa abandoned the traditional capital of Anuradhapura and built an entirely new fortified city on and around this isolated granite outcrop.

For around eighteen years Sigiriya functioned as a self-contained royal citadel, complete with moats, ramparts, landscaped water gardens and a summit palace. When Moggallana finally returned with an army in 495 CE, Kashyapa rode out to meet him on the plains below rather than defend the fortress — his forces reportedly faltered, and he took his own life. Moggallana returned the capital to Anuradhapura, and Sigiriya was handed over to Buddhist monks, who used the surrounding caves as a monastery until around the 14th century before the site was gradually reclaimed by jungle.

Sigiriya was rediscovered by British surveyors in 1831 and has been under archaeological excavation since the late 19th century. It was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982, recognised as much for its ancient urban planning and hydraulic engineering as for its artwork and dramatic setting.