Sigiriya (166 km from Colombo), the stupendous 5th century A.D. rock-fortress citadel of a fugitive king, where history merges with melodrama.  

The Royal Pleasure Gardens are considered to be one of the earliest extended landscaped gardens in Asia.  It is evident that these gardens have been geometrically planned and the ancient hydraulic system which supplied water to the fountains in the garden was discovered recently and restored by local engineers.  The fountains are now functioning as smoothly as they did 1500 years ago.

A gallery of frescoes of shapely be-jewelled maidens still glows with vibrant colour and the water.  It is believed these paintings depict the “apsaras” or goddess and some say it represents the lightning and clouds.

Another distinctive feature of Sigiriya is the Mirror Wall which is located just below the paintings.  The surface of this wall is well polished and covered with writings known as “Sigiri Graffiti” which are a form of poems.

The Lion Staircase leads to the summit and the special feature of this is the massive Lion Paw which carved out of rock.  The brick wall is still preserved in original form.

Sigiriya is being currently excavated and restored by UNESCO under the Cultural Triangle Project and according to sources is most likely to be declared as a wonder of the world.