{"id":1402,"date":"2015-09-23T09:00:05","date_gmt":"2015-09-23T01:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.srilanka-villa.com\/?p=1402"},"modified":"2024-01-15T17:41:57","modified_gmt":"2024-01-15T09:41:57","slug":"sights-of-sigiriya-must-see-sites-for-culture-buffs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.srilanka-villa.com\/guide\/sights-of-sigiriya-must-see-sites-for-culture-buffs\/","title":{"rendered":"Sights of Sigiriya: Must-see Sites for Culture Buffs"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>A gigantic granite peak protrudes from the dense jungles of <strong>Sigiriya<\/strong>. Chosen by King Kasyapa as the site for his new palace, he built an ornate fortress\u00a0at the summit of the rock &#8211; one featuring enchanting gardens, stunning water features, alluring frescoes and complex defensive structures. The glory of this place was short-lived; after Kasyapa&#8217;s defeat, Sigiriya was returned to the monks and left in a state of progressive abandonment. It was only during the 16th or 17th century that the site was used as an outpost of the Kingdom of Kandy.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_83 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.srilanka-villa.com\/guide\/sights-of-sigiriya-must-see-sites-for-culture-buffs\/#1_Ancient_City_of_Sigiriya\" >1. Ancient City of Sigiriya<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.srilanka-villa.com\/guide\/sights-of-sigiriya-must-see-sites-for-culture-buffs\/#2_Sigiriya_Craft_Village\" >2. Sigiriya Craft Village<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.srilanka-villa.com\/guide\/sights-of-sigiriya-must-see-sites-for-culture-buffs\/#3_Pethikada\" >3. Pethikada<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1_Ancient_City_of_Sigiriya\"><\/span>1. Ancient City of Sigiriya<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Atop\u00a0the rocky outcrop of Sigiriya lies the ruins of the <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.tripadvisor.com.sg\/Attraction_Review-g304141-d317483-Reviews-Citadel_of_Sigiriya_Lion_Rock-Sigiriya_Central_Province.html\">Ancient City of Sigiriya<\/a>.<\/strong>\u00a0Built by King Kasyapa more than 1,600 years ago, it was\u00a0one of Sri Lanka&#8217;s most outstanding royal palaces. The palace grounds were abound with lush gardens, pretty ponds, beautiful pavilions and stunning palaces during its heyday; all that remains now\u00a0are the\u00a0fascinating ruins of a palatial fortress.<\/p>\n<p>An exploration of the grounds presents a scenic sight. Take a stroll in the well-preserved <strong>Water Gardens<\/strong>, traverse the winding pathways through the boulders and rock arches in the <strong>Boulder Gardens<\/strong>, admire the exquisite murals of the <strong>Sigiriya Damsels<\/strong> and peer closely at\u00a0the numerous graffiti messages on the well-polished<strong> Mirror Wall<\/strong>. Lastly, ascend the steps of a metal stairway to arrive at the spacious summit. You&#8217;ll need a good head for heights to clamber up the narrow, frail-looking steps without fear, but once at the top, you are rewarded with spectacular vistas of the surrounding scenery.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2_Sigiriya_Craft_Village\"><\/span>2. Sigiriya Craft Village<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Looking for travel souvenirs? You&#8217;ll find quirky trinklets, lush batiks, shiny brass works, wood carvings and more at the quaint<strong> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.tripadvisor.com.sg\/Attraction_Review-g304141-d7886223-Reviews-Sigiriya_Craft_Village-Sigiriya_Central_Province.html\">Sigiriya Craft Village<\/a><\/strong>. This government-run crafts village houses numerous artisans and craftsmen, providing them with a tranquil environment to focus on work on traditional crafts. It also serves as\u00a0a convenient stop for curious locals and travellers to visit make\u00a0handicrafts purchases and to watch the craftsmen at work.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3_Pethikada\"><\/span>3. Pethikada<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Vacation makers with a love for the arts will be pleased to make a stop by at <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/pethikada.com\/index.html\">Pethikada<\/a><\/strong>. This art gallery showcases a collection of ancient paintings, all of which are\u00a0created\u00a0by\u00a0Jagath Jayasooriya.\u00a0Jayasooriya focuses on\u00a0reproducing\u00a0ancient wall paintings on canvas or wood as a means of preserving these works of art for future generations. Browse through his gallery, and you will set sight on a fine collection of colourful paintings and intricately-carved ornaments. If you haven&#8217;t had your fill of souvenir shopping, this is an excellent place to purchase an\u00a0exquisite selection of local art works.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">See our<strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.srilanka-villa.com\/\">villas in Sri Lanka<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A gigantic granite peak protrudes from the dense jungles of Sigiriya. Chosen by King Kasyapa as the site for his new palace, he built an &hellip; <\/p>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_excerpt -->","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":1531,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[89],"tags":[128,125],"class_list":["post-1402","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-attractions","tag-arts-and-culture","tag-family-friendly-travel","latest_post"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.srilanka-villa.com\/guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1402","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.srilanka-villa.com\/guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.srilanka-villa.com\/guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.srilanka-villa.com\/guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.srilanka-villa.com\/guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1402"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.srilanka-villa.com\/guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1402\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.srilanka-villa.com\/guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1531"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.srilanka-villa.com\/guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1402"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.srilanka-villa.com\/guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1402"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.srilanka-villa.com\/guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1402"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}