The Amazing Old Fortress
Lions Rock Sri Lanka which everyone knows as Sigiriya. It a cool old fortress and palace that rises up from the middle of Sri Lanka. This big rock is two hundred meters high . It shows us how good people were at building things and planning cities a long time ago. King Kashyapa chose this rock to be his capital city around the fifth century. Because he wanted to keep his kingdom safe from people who might attack. Today Sigiriya is a special place. That people from all around the world want to visit and it is even on the UNESCO World Heritage list.
Climbing Up the Old Fortress
To get to the top of Sigiriya you have to climb over twelve hundred stone steps. And some new metal stairs that are attached to the side of the rock. The trip up starts in some nice gardens that King Kashyapa had made and these gardens still have old water systems that work when it rains. On the way up you will see the Lion Paw entrance, where two big lion paws carved out of rock guard the path to the top. You need to be in good shape to make it to the top but there are lots of cool old things to see along the way so you can stop and rest and take pictures.
Cool Old Art and Walls
When you climb up Sigiriya you will see some really amazing old things, like the famous Sigiriya paintings that are right on the rock. These paintings are of women who might be goddesses or ladies from the old royal court. Near the paintings there is the Mirror Wall, which is a shiny brick wall that people wrote on a long time ago when they visited Sigiriya. These old writings are really interesting because they tell us what people thought about Sigiriya a time ago.
The Best Views from the Top
The part of climbing up Sigiriya is getting to see the old palace at the top. You can walk around the rooms where the king and queen used to sleep and see the old pools and thrones. From the top of Sigiriya you can see for miles and miles. It is really beautiful. You can see forests, mountains and lakes and it is especially pretty at sunrise or sunset. If you go early, in the morning or late in the afternoon it will be cooler. You can see the sunset, which is really magical.
