DISCOVERIES
Kashyapa and his palace, de-
cided to look for it. In 1831
he set off to where locals
told him he would find the
remains of an ancient city.
His memoir, Eleven Years
in Ceylon, describes “the
rock of Sirigi [sic],... frown-
ing defiance over the scanty
fields and the far-extending
forest of the surrounding
plain.” As he approached,
he could see platforms and
galleries carved into the
rock. Two of his party man-
aged to scramble some way
up but dislodged rocks,
“which crashed among the
boughs of the trees at a great
depth below.”Unsure as to whether
he had found the Sigiriya
mentioned in the Buddhist
texts, Forbes abandoned
the expedition. Revisiting
a few years later, he traced
the moat that surrounds the
gardens at the foot of the
rock but did not attempt
to climb the cliff face. He
doubted that the name Si-
giriya was related to lions, as
he had seen nothing to sup-
port that etymology.Fabulous Frescoes
British mountaineers even-
tually reached the top in 1851,
but the task of surveying the
site fell to the Archaeological
Commissioner of Ceylon,Harry C.P. Bell. His survey
at the end of the 19th centu-
ry has formed the basis of all
studies since.
Bell painstakingly ascer-
tained the layout of Kashy-
apa’s fantastical city as well
as detailed the magnificent
carving of the lion’s paws at
the entrance, which Forbes
had not been able to see.
In addition to the elab-
orate water gardens at the
foot of the rock, Bell’s sur-
vey also lavished attention
on the galleries on the rock
face. These are decorated
with exquisite wall paintings
that have become some of
the most prized objects in Sri
Lanka’s artistic heritage. Atotal of 21 surviving frescoes
may depict apsaras, celestial
singers and dancers.
Nearby, also on the walls
of the rock face, are well
over 1,000 items of graffi-
ti, scratched by monks and
pilgrims who visited the site
in the eighth to the 13th cen-
turies. These messages from
the past can cause a frisson
when read by visitors today.
One reads: “At Sigiriya, of
abundant splendor, situat-
ed on the island of [Sri Lan-
ka] we saw, in happy mood,
the rock that captivates
the mind of all people who
come here.”—Verónica Walker94 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019Royal Water
Features
SIGIRIYA fuses function and de-
sign. The need for fresh water
and the desire for beauty were
married in the elaborate sym-
metrical design for Kashyapa’s
royal gardens. The largest of
the ponds are laid out on the
western esplanade (right). An
elaborate system of terraces
also holds small gardens at the
foot of the rock (below).ROBERT HARDING/AGE FOTOSTOCKTHE DESIGN of the garden
on the western esplanade
at Sigiriya contrasts rigid
rectilinear lines with the
rounded natural forms of
the surrounding greenery.
DEA/AGE FOTOSTOCK(continued from page 91)