Sigiriya (Lion Rock) is an ancient rock fortress located in the Central Province, Sri Lanka. Sigiriya is one of the most valuable historical monuments of Sri Lanka. It has a historical and archaeological significance that is dominated by a massive column of rock nearly 200 meters (660 ft) high.

According to the ancient Sri Lankan Culavamsa, this site was selected by King Kashyapa for his new capital. He built his palace on the top of this rock and decorated its sides with colorful frescoes. On a small plateau about halfway upside of this rock he built a gateway in the form of an enormous lion. The name of this place is derived from this structure – Sinhagiri, the Lion Rock.

The capital and the royal palace were abandoned after the king’s death. It was used as a Buddhist monastery until the 14^th century.  Sigiriya today is a UNESCO listed world heritage site. It is one of the best-preserved examples of ancient urban planning. The innovative engineering and design have been used in the building of the palace/fortress.

Sigiriya, considered as the eighth wonder of the world. It has many Archaeological remains and features such as Frescoes, Mirror wall and Gardens. The gardens, one of the most beautiful aspects of Sigiriya, consist of three sections: the water gardens, the terraced gardens, and the cave and boulder gardens. These landscaped gardens are among the oldest in the world, there are paths through the gardens which takes to the palace at the top of the rock. The upper sky palace sited on the flat top of the rock, A mid-level terrace includes the lion Gate and the Mirror wall and Sigiriya Frescoes. About halfway up, there are two lion paws that were part of a massive lion with an open mouth. The open mouth is the entrance to the palace.

One fascinating feature of the site is the Mirror Wall. Situated on the western side of the rock, the Mirror Wall was a brick wall covered with white plaster so highly polished that it could produce reflections. As time passed, this wall became a graffiti board, covered with messages from the various visitors to Sigiriya. This site provides the visitor with a stunning view of the jungle around the rock.

Pidurangala is a massive rock formation located a few kilometers north of Sigiriya in Sri Lanka. It has an interesting history closely related to that of the Sigiriya Rock Fortress. The rocky outcrops that surround the central rock gives one an indication of what the area around Sigiriya may have looked like prior to its clearing and preparation as a royal citadel. The Pidurangala area has been occupied on and off for over two thousand five hundred years by monks who lived in the caves around the site. It really came into prominence when King Kasyapa (477- 495 AD), who built Sigiriya, moved monks living around Sigiriya Rock to a newly refurbished and enlarged temple and monastery here at Pidurangala.

On the first landing is located shallow cave with a beautiful 12.5-meter-long statute of a recumbent Buddha. This statue was at one time the largest brick statue of Buddha in the world. It may originally have been commissioned by King Kasyapa. The head and torso of the statue were destroyed by treasure hunters in the 1960s and have been reconstructed.