Sigiriya has been named as a World Cultural Heritage Site by UNESCO. Sigiriya was designed by King Kashyapa. He killed his father King Dathusena and became king. King Kashyapa thought that his brother, Prince Mugalan would try to kill him.
So, he fled to Sigiriya and built a fortress for protection. Sigiriya has got many features such as an art gallery, ponds, the Lion’s Paw entrance, the bathing pool and the stairway.
It is 1,214 feet above sea level and some ruins can still be seen there. A path was constructed to reach the top of the rock.
The path to climb the rock is very difficult and it starts at the mouth of a stone lion. It is because of this that the rock fortress is known as ‘Sigiriya’ or ‘Sihagiri’. It is a tourist attraction in Sri Lanka and is a very beautiful place.
L.G. Nelusha Gunawardhana
Grade 7
Sussex College
Kurunegala