Lion Rock. In the last quarter of the 5th century AD, King Kashyapa built an impregnable fortress and his palace on the rock, with moats filled with water around them. Endless gardens were laid out around the rock, with what were probably the world’s first fountains (still functioning today). The monumental Lion Gate led to the top of the plateau. Before and after Kashyapa’s reign, there was a cave Buddhist monastery on the rock.

There is a legend that Prince Kashyapa built the entrance to the fortress in the form of a lion’s head and paws to intimidate Ravana, the former mythical ruler of Sri Lanka. Kashyapa believed that when Ravana returned, he would see that the plateau was occupied by his palace, and the formidable lion would not allow the god to lay claim to his former place. Only the paws of the giant rock-cut lion, whose mouth once served as the entrance to the fortress, remain, but the surface of the rock still bears the most curious poetic inscriptions left by visitors to Sigiriya since the 8th century.

There are 1,200 steps leading to the top of Sigiriya, with platforms between the stairs offering wonderful views of the surrounding area. The water gardens of Sigiriya had pools and fountains, grottoes and streams. Separate platforms housed pavilions where artists and musicians performed.