Sri Lanka 8. the organised tour ends, then it's back to The Hill Country
Sigiriya Every travel book you see about Sri Lanka will feature Sigiriya which is in the middle of the Ancient Cities area. This flat-topped monolith is a spectacular and dramatic sight even from some distance away and is the remains of an unimaginably old volcano, most of which has eroded away leaving just the central magma plug of extra hard rock behind. With nearly vertical sides, overhanging in places and rising about 600 feet from the surrounding land it would make an excellent fortified location. Which is just what it was unless it was really a monastery, the alternative suggestion for the site. The commonly accepted belief is that it was the location of a short lived kingdom ruled by King Kasyapa. The story is that he overthrew and murdered his father then grabbed the throne, actions which you can imagine would lead to a rather frosty family Christmas. He took refuge on Sigiriya and ruled for 18 years until overthrown by his half-brother. Looking at the r