Being one of the world’s most resplendent specimens of an ancient landscaped garden, The gardens located at the base of the Sigiriya Rock comes in as wonder the moment you witness its splendrous outlook. This is a site of great historic significance in Sri Lanka and it is listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO as well. Being embellished with unique attributes such as water fountains, bathing pools, a vibrant array of intricately carved sculptures, Buddhist and Hindu shrines, there is so much to see and explore.
The idea of a garden was conceptualised and was brought into existence by a King known by the name Kashyappa during the 5th century – who was regarded as a person who dearly loved all forms of art. He wanted his palace and its surroundings to be the pinnacle of ancient art and stunning feats of engineering even though his rock fortress was supposed to safeguard him from his brother’s conquest to take revenge and capture his land. It has been said that he brought in an army of skilled engineers, artists, and sculptors from India to make his dream a dazzling reality.
From the entrance of the site, the stepped landscapes gradually take you to the foot of the rock, slowly unfolding its wonders. The gardens set stunning backdrops for your pictures and it comes in as an enticing place to explore. The pools in the gardens are fed by intricately built underground ducts – which miraculously, still function as they used to several millennia ago. As you observe closely you could see there are three different sets of garden scapes namely, the terrace gardens, the water gardens, and a garden area filled with brilliantly placed boulders. All of them combined makes the world-renowned Sigiriya gardens – a wonder by its own right!
Due to the immaculate beauty of this attraction and the sophisticated engineering that went into building this megastructure, the whole site is an unofficial candidate for being the 8th world wonder. And as you visit and explore the site you will not have any sort of doubts that proves the statement otherwise!
