The Lion Rock

Sigiriya, Sri Lanka

How can I do a story about Sri Lanka without posting something on this??

Sigiriya is one of the most well-known sights of Sri Lanka. It used to be a rock citadel, with a city on top, yeah, no kidding. It was built by a renegade king of Anuradhapura. The renegade king killed his father, and usurped the throne of Anuradhapura from the rightful heir which was his half-brother. He then moved the capital to Sigiriya for better defence. (Yeah, just look at the rock, and you can understand his reasoning). Nevertheless, he was eventually defeated by his half-brother and he committed suicide (what’s meant to be, was meant to be, I guess). And Sigiriya was abandoned.

This is one story anyway.

But the renegade king sure built some pretty impressive things on and around this rock for the short time that he was king! Thanks to him (…and to nature), Sri Lanka is now getting USD 30 per tourist per visit, and there’s no other way around this (due to it being on a friggin high rock, unlike Polonnaruwa haha).

Here’re the pictures.








On the way up, with lush green scenery all the way


A view of the middle tier


The countryside, from halfway up




Getting difficult to climb, …don’t get me wrong, the steps are good. It’s Anu’s fear of heights that’s keeping us from going faster


The Lion’s Paws - this is the highest point we reached (and it took quite a lot of prompting from me to get us here…). According to records, there used to be a huge lion gate here (of which only the paws are left now). It’ll be like the Sphinx I guess, if it was still intact.


No way we’re doing that! But I’ve gone up before, in 2004, so it’s alright. Besides, I don’t really remember anything of note up there apart from more ruins and a fantastic view of the countryside.




Views of The Rock on our way down


Some odd rock formations




The beautiful park surrounding Sigiriya, Sri Lanka

Divinity in Stone

Gal Vihara, Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka

Continuing on Sri Lanka, and the Buddhist theme. (What the heck! I’ve got nothing to write about, …except for the antics of my 2 kids, and boring work… Want some of that? Yeah, it’s coming!)

These photos are of Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka, another ancient city. Buddhists like to leave ancient cities around, for some reason… (such as giving a good source of income for their generations to come). Like Anuradhapura, you have to pay a hefty 25 (or was it 30) USD per head per day to roam around the countryside looking at ruins and temples, even if you don’t enter them, unless you look, act and speak like a Sri Lankan, which we unfortunately don’t. That, or you can link up with a local auto-rickshaw (tuk-tuk) driver who’ll bring you to the places of interest for a fraction of the price. (Don’t tell anyone you learnt it from here, OK?) Don’t remember there was such a fee on my previous visit in 2004. But that was before the war with the Tamil Tigers ended. So this is the price tag for peace huh?

The nicest attraction here (to me) are the huge statues of Buddha carved spectacularly in stone. It’s a good thing, these are not in Afghanistan or Iraq, or we’d be looking probably at rubble... I don’t know the logic of the nutcases in charge of the Taliban or the Daesh (ISIL). What harm could ancient monuments do to Islam? You don’t see Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), and the Caliphs that followed, destroying the Pyramids, or the Sphinx, or Nimrud, do you?




Buddhas in Stone, Gal Vihara, Polonnaruwa




Ruins of Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka


The best thing about Sri Lankan sites are the abundance of lush greenery, water bodies and the relative coolness in temperature compared to other tropical places like Thailand, Malaysia and South India.




The Vatadage, Polonnaruwa




Lankatilaka Vihara with its Headless Buddha


Kiri Vehera, Polonnaruwa – check the post before this for more stupas of Polonnaruwa


Family photo outside the Lankatilaka Vihara – Don’t ask me what all these names mean. …Heck! I don’t really remember them actually! That’s what Google’s for, haha!