The Rock Fortress

If you are planning a visit to Sri Lanka, Sigiriya is a place you must visit. Your trip would be incomplete without a visit to this geological and archeological wonder.

'Sie' or 'See' gives the meaning Singha (Lion) and 'giriya' in Singhalese means the throat. So, Sigiriya means the throat of the Lion. Peculiar as it may sound, the name would have been the result of the gate, which resembled the head and paws of a Lion, which allowed access to the stairway to the rock. The entrants had to walk into the mouth of the Lion gate and through the throat of the lion, to access the stairway. Another popular interpretaion is that 'Sigiriya' has actually broken from Sihagiriya, which means the 'Lion Rock'. This is because the word 'giri' also means the rock in Sinhalese.

This mighty rock which stands up to more than a sheer 400 feet with many places overhanging the base, towers above the surrounding flat landscape, making it an ideal lookout post. This wonderful rock and its surroundings are waiting to tell you a story like no other...