Sigiriya: Rock-climbing at Dawn

We were up at 4.30 am and picked up by tuk tuk (same driver again) at 5 am for a short drive in the darkness to the carpark of the Sigiriya rock complex. We purchased US$35 tickets at the museum, then followed other tourists through the ancient palace grounds and up endless steps towards the crown of the rock. Luckily we had the iPhone’s torch as there was very little light on the trail.

Constructed in the 5th centuy AD by Kassapa, who killed his father and stole his brother’s throne (and some time later was defeated by that brother and committed suicide after the battle), this probably the most iconic Sri Lankan tourist spot. 

Going up the stone staircases, and fairly a metal staircase bolted to a sheer cliff face, in darkness lit only be shaky circles of iPhone-torchlight, was wonderfully atmospheric. And we did well, especially considering we only had one small bottle of water ad had nothing for breakfast – recent weeks of exercise have paid off!

At the top people lined the brick foundation’s of Kassapa’s palace to wait for sunrise. The view was incredible – 360° of lush green jungle, the pools and gardens in geometric order at the base of the rock, the lightening sky and clouds backed by a pinky-red glow. The sunrise wasn’t a spectacular one, but the location was unbeatable, and there we had plenty of time and opportunity to comment on the absolutely ridiculous clothing choices that tourists have a habit of making – we eventually reduced ourselves to hysterical laughter at the guy in shorts and pineapple-print T-shirt and the woman in pale pink hoodie and dress with a tiger face plastered over her bum.

Young women seemed to favour really inappropriate tight fitting gym wear, but there were plenty of people who looked liked they’d been forced to grab the first thing lying on the floor because the house was on fire, not had to plan for a trip to a conservative, mostly Buddhist and Hindu country with a hot and humid climate. People are weird.

Anyway, people started dispersing all over the top of the rock, exploring the the remaining foudations of the Royal Palace and its terraced gardens. What an incredible place it must have been at its zenith. After some time we headed down again; this time with the precipitous drop below the rickety-looking metal steps fully visible. Not a problem for me, but out of Carol’s comfort zone, though she did it without a complain. At the base of this section of cliff is a space called the lion platform, where the steps up pass between two huge lion paws, like something from an epic fantasy film set. Descending by further steep stone steps, we took a side path to a section called the Mirror Wall – an original wall section clinging to the face of the rock and forming a passageway, once coated in highly polished plaster.

Now it is covered in graffiti dating fee back to the 7th century. In the museum, which we later visited, the many of these inscriptions are poetic paeans to the fabled ‘Sigiriya Damsels’, the frescoes (painted in the 5th century) we were next to see. They are the only non-religious paintings that have survived from ancient Sri Lanka, and as iconic as the rock itself.

Nineteenth century cast-iron spiral staircases let up and down from a shallow cave in the cliff face, and a metal-covered walkway had been constructed to allow viewing of the frescoes. They were stunning – individual, naturalistic paintings of bare-breasted women holding flowers and trays of fruit, shown from the waist up. The faces, in profile and three-quarter view, looked like they were modelled on individuals, and the colours were beautiful. How and why they were pointed in such an inaccessible spot beggars belief, but apparently they once extended all the way down the cliff face to the base opposite the mirror wall, and would have been reflected in it. What a sight that must have been.

We descended further past a series of garden terraces, caves and platforms, and finally returned to ground level. There was a brief downpour in the carpark (luckily the weather is getting better earlier than we first feared), then we got a tuk tuk to a neaby local resort and had a really nice breakfast.

Finally we walked back to the site by another way – a very nice walk, mostly along a long red dirt road though lush jungle forest – and visited the museum, which turned out to be quite good, despite being housed in a huge concrete modernist folly that seemed to be rotting around us as we walked through it. It’s built on a swampy pool and has huge trees growing through it, but the paint is peeling and mouldy and it looked like it was going to collapse. It was like a post-apocalyptic movie set, and it was mostly empty except for one good section.

Another stroll and we made it back to the lodge about 12:30 pm.

We both relaxed for a few hours – well, I caught up in this diary, and transferred photos from my camera to my iPhone.

For drinks and dinner, we retuned to the King’s Resort – there really was no beating the fantastic view, amazing food, and exceptionally friendly service. I was impressed how, after last night’s huge tip, the food manager took away the bill folder, not even giving me the opportunity to leave another tip. While waiting for our tuk tuk we chatted to what we assumed was the owner, a lovely man who had been on several trips down south to watch and photograph Sri Lanka’s 4 species of owls.

Before retiring, we talked again to Raygar, who offered to take us to Kandy tomorrow (for 15,000), and didn’t charge us extra for the two stops we want to make on the way.

Sri Lankans are lovely!