The choice of location for the fortress and palace was not randomly made. It was a holy place for Buddhists for centuries before it was selected by Kashyapa I for the new capital.
According to historical data, the rock was inhabited by people in ancient times. In the 5th century BC, mountain monasteries began to rise there, intersected by numerous tunnels and caves. They all served as a safe haven for their inhabitants.
5. The entrance to the Sigiriya palace was an enormous lion statue erected in the rocks

6. Only 21 of the more than 500 frescoes of naked women remain

The reason behind this untraditional art is unknown but experts have estimated that there were more than 500 portraits on the walls of the rock walls of Sigiriya. Today, only 21 remain and all share one identical characteristic – the women portrayed are all half-naked.
7. The palace was filled with marvelous ponds and gardens
At the top of the rock formation there are unique structures that still amaze archaeologists. There is also a large pool (or pond), for the construction of which it is believed that about 3,500 tons of granite rock have been excavated. During the different seasons this pool neither overflows nor dries up.
8. The ruins of the ancient palace remain on the highest terrace of Sigiriya

Although no significant structures remain in Sigiriya, the entire site is terraced and filled with ruins of walls and buildings, including Kashyapa’s palace at the highest terrace.
9. The rock fortress of Sigiriya is surrounded by gardens and remains of an ancient town
Not much is visible nowadays due to the dense jungle forests that have covered the area of Sigiriya but archaeologists discovered large gardens that today you can today see at the foot of the rock. We also know that there was once an ancient town around the time of the creation of the Sigiriya capital.
10. The rock fortress of Sigiriya is often called the 8th wonder of the world
Historians are so fascinated by the ancient site that it is often named the 8th wonder of the world.
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