Sigiriya
Sigiriya dates back from over 7,000 years ago, through Pre-Historic to Proto-Historic to Early Historic times, then as a rock-shelter mountain monastery from about the 3rd century BC, with caves prepared and donated by devotees to the sangha. The garden city and the palace was built by Kasyapa 477 - 495 AD. Then after Kasyapa's death it was a monastery complex up to about the 14th century.

The Mahavamsa, the ancient historical record of Sri Lanka, describes King Kasyapa as a parricide, who murdered his father King Dhatusena by walling him up alive and then usurping the throne which rightfully belonged to his brother Mogallana. To escape from the armies of Mogallana, Kasyapa is said to have built his palace on the summit of Sigiriya, but Mogallana finally managed to get to Kasyapa and he committed suicide. The most significant feature of the Rock would have been the Lion staircase leading to the palace garden on the summit. Based on the ideas described in some of the graffiti, this Lion staircase could be visualised as a gigantic figure towering majestically against the granite cliff, facing north, bright coloured, and awe-inspiring.

Through the open mouth of the Lion had led the covered staircase built of bricks and timber and a tiled roof. All that remains now are the two colossal paws and a mass of brick masonry that surround the ancient limestone steps and the cuts and groves on the rock face give an idea of the size and shape of the lion figure. Though traces of plaster and pigments occur all over this area, only two pockets of paintings survive. These are in a depression of the rock face, about a 100 meters above the ground level. These paintings represent the earliest surviving examples of a Sri Lanka school of classical realism, already fully evolved by the 5th century, when these paintings had been made. Earlier the Sigiri style had been considered as belonging to the Central Indian school of Ajanta, but later considered as specifically different from the Ajanta paintings. The ladies depicted in the paintings have been variously identified as Apsaras (heavenly maidens), as ladies of Kasyapas court and as Lightening Princess and Cloud Damsels.

There are also remains of paintings in some of the caves at the foot of the rock. Of special significance is the painting on the roof of the Cobra Hood Cave. The cave with its unique shape dates from the pre-christian era. The painting combines geometrical shapes and motifs with a free and complex rendering of characteristic volute or whorl motifs. It is nothing less than a masterpiece of expressionist painting.

The first sight of Sigiriya makes one wonder… why did I take so long to come here! The famous rock fortress resembles not just the craftsmanship of the local craftsmen but you ask your self how did any body think of this and how did they manage to do it! The experienced traveller knows that the best time to climb Sigiriya would be early morning, so that you could be at the summit when the early morning sun is just spreading through. It is not just the Rock fortress which is the main event but also the breathtaking scenery, the walls & moat and the remains of a royal garden…you just have to take it slow to enjoy this.

Dambulla
Dambulla is sited on a gigantic rock which towers more than 160m above the surrounding land. The Rock is more than 1.5km around its base and summit is at 550m. The caves were the refuge of King Walagamba (Vattagamini Abhaya), when he was exile for 14 years. When he returned to the throne at Anuradhapura in the 1st century BC, he had a magnificent rock temple built at Dambulla. The site has being repaired and repainted several times in the 11th, 12th and 18th centuries.

The caves have a mixture of religious and secular painting and sculpture. There are several reclining Buddha's, including the 15m long sculpture of the dying Buddha in Cave 1. The frescoes on the walls and ceiling are from the 15th-18th centuries. The ceiling frescoes show scenes from the Buddha's life and Sinhalese history. Cave 2 is the largest and most impressive, containing over 150 statues, illustrating the Mahayana influences on Buddhism at the time through introducing Hindu deities such as Vishnu and Ganesh. Many Centuries before the Dambulla cave rock temple became a place of pilgrimage and a heritage sight, the caves were a monastery inhabited by Buddhist monks. Today it is named as the Rangiri Damdulu Viharaya or the Golden Rock Temple. The picturesque paintings in side the temple is as unique as the fresco in Sigiriya.

When you remove your shoes and enter the temple the same way you would do at any other temple, you will feel the coolness of the rock beneath your feet. Hardly any noise can be heard when you reach the summit may be the birds and the echo of dripping water… single drop at a time. Makes you imagine the atmosphere that would have been ideal for the Buddhist monks to gain peace of mind and serenity all those centuries ago.