Exploring Sigiriya

Sigiriya, also sometimes called the Lion Rock, is a large rock formation near Dambulla in the Central Province of Sri Lanka. It is a UNESCO listed World Heritage Site. Historically King Kasyapa built his palace on top of the rock. You can read more about it here.

But why am I writing about it? Well, my family and I went on a holiday to Sri Lanka in May 2018. We like to try different activities during our holidays. In this trip one of the activities we had chosen was visiting Sigiriya and climbing the Lion Rock. And that is what we did. Having done it now we could see why it is on the list of most travelers who visit Sri Lanka.

The first place of visit in our Sri Lankan holiday was Sigiriya. After landing in Colombo early in the morning we made our way to Sigiriya. We were booked at the Sigiriya Village Hotel and were to stay for 1 night. We reached the Sigiriya village around noon.As we made our way to the hotel we go our first view of the famous Lion Rock, standing majestically above the ground.

At the hotel, after completing the check-in formalities, we went straight to the restaurant to have lunch. We chose a table that continued to give unobstructed views of the Lion Rock at a distance. Peeping through my binoculars I could see people on the top of the rock. Our plan was to climb the Lion Rock early next morning in order to avoid the strong sun later in the day. As for today we would attempt to climb up Pidurangala, another rock almost as high as the Sigiriya Rock, towards evening from which one could get fantastic views of the Lion Rock.

Lunch done we went to our rooms. The plan was to take some rest first and then head to Pidurangala at 4pm. The weather forecast has shown rain when I had checked it earlier in the day. The hotel staff had also said that it had been raining in the afternoons over the last several days. I was hoping that this might change and luck would favour us. Time would tell I guess. While the others opting to take a nap I decided to first explore the hotel property as well as possibly sight some of the local fauna. And payoff it did! Here are some of them that I got to see.

I saw a number of local bird species that were new for me (a topic to be dealt with separately 🙂 ). Back in the room, the lack of sleep in the previous night was beginning to hit me. I too decided to the join my wife in slumber.

Climbing Pidurangala Rock

At 4PM we were all inside our vehicle ready to head to Pidurangala Rock. Rain had not yet come. We hoped our good luck so far would continue for the rest of the evening.  It took us around 10 minutes to reach the starting point for the climb up to Pidurangala Rock.  The drive had been through a beautiful patch of forest; a really scenic patch.

After paying the required fees at the Buddhist monastery for the climb we made up way up. A young puppy also decided to accompany us up. The climb was mostly through a shaded pathway. There were steps for most part of the climb up. Three-fourth way up one comes to a place where there we see a status of the Buddha in a lying-down posture.

We got out first open view from this spot, though not of the Lion Rock yet. Along with the breath-taking view we also got a chance to catch our breaths.

The remaining part of the climb was more adventurous. We had to climb over large uneven rocks. This part required planning, being careful and finally just going for it; planning because there was no defined path and so one had to climb up the first rock, plan where to go next and then carefully executing the thought through next step. But it was all worth it. The views of the Lion Rock and all around that one gets to see once we clear this last stretch is breath-taking! Here are some photos from there.

 

The Lion Rock had a different hue when we saw it in the evening just before we reached the resort on the way back.

Here is a video of the climb up Pidurangala Rock.

Back in the resort in the evening we walked around to explore the place. It is certainly a large and beautiful property. Dinner was a lavish buffet spread. We were further pampered by them. Being Mother’s Day our family was called to the centre and my wife was asked to cut a cake; we were the only family with children I guess 🙂 .

Climbing Lion Rock

Next day morning had us all ready by 7AM. We were going to climb the Lion Rock. We had made a good decision in doing the climb this early. The sun was not yet hot and there were far lesser number of visitors doing the climb. It allowed us to do the climb at our own pace.

The gardens at the base of the rock is vast and well maintained. There are several information boards giving the history as well as explaining the various structures that we were passing by.

The climb to the top was all on steps (and a lot of them). There were sections that had shade as well as lots of area which were not shaded. Once we reached the top we could further see how well thought through they had to be so as to live up on the rock. It was really impressive to see how the past rulers had good planners and engineers who managed the storage and usage of water so efficiently.

Here are some pictures from the climb.

 

We took a slightly different path in some sections on the way down. Hence we got to see the Cobra rock before the exit that lead to the car park.

Here is a video showing the climb in more details.

Back in the van we realised that we had taken much lesser time than what the indicative duration. This was even after spending good amount of time admiring the various views in the climb. Well, I guess we were decent trekkers.

At the resort breakfast awaited us. We were all ravenous. It was past the usual closing time for the breakfast counters. However they had extended the timing for us as we had told them that we were going to do the climb first. Once breakfast was done it was time to pack and leave Sigiriya to our next destination in our Sri Lanka holiday. Well, that is a subject for another blog.

Looking Back

When we had talked to our friends who had visited Sri Lanka none of them had gone to Sigiriya as part of their trips to Sri Lanka. But we were really glad that we had included it in our Sri Lankan itinerary, thanks to the research by my wife. We would strongly recommend it to any one for their trip. However one has to be willing to do some hiking to climb the two rocks. All worth the effort for the views you get at the top.

Of the two climbs we found the climb up Pidurangala more exciting. I guess it was because of the varying terrain, the adventure in the end over the boulders and finally getting the magnificent views of the beautiful Lion Rock at the top.

Tips

Both the climbs require a reasonable level of fitness but the climb up Pidurangala definite needs more determination and courage towards the end. One will need to wear shoes with a good grip for the climb up Pidurangala. For Lion Rock climb one can wear comfortable walking shoes.

The climb up Lion Rock is best done in the early morning as a lot of climb is unshaded. Carry drinking water along with you. Climbers will need to have their shoulders covered and the pants/shorts will need to be below the knees for the Pidurangala Rock climb. This is because it is a requirement for you to pass through the Buddhist temple at the base from where the climb starts.

There is a small charge that is required to be paid at the Buddhist temple at the base of Pidurangala Rock. Get cash for it. As for the climb for Lion Rock all foreigners need to pay. There is a reduced charge for nationals from SAARC countries though.