Sri Lanka Honeymoon Ideas

The legend of the Sigiriya Fort is very interesting. Having usurped power, which belonged rightfully to his brother Mogallana, King Kasyapa built the Sigiriya translated as ‘Lion Rock’, to defend himself from his brother’s retaliatory advances.

King Kasyapa chose an inaccessible rock that rose about 180 metres above the surrounding jungle; to it he added the brick head of lion and foreparts, broad moats and stone perimeter walls. The result was a fort that resembled a recumbent lion. It’s been years since these events unfolded; of the lion, only the paws remain today. If you are up to a little bit of climbing, the fort’s treasures are laid bare to you. Midway up the stairway are the Sigiriya Damsels, the only secular art to have survived from the early Sinhalese kingdoms.

The final section of the stair originally passed between the paws of a colossal brickwork lion which formed a gateway into the upper citadel and gave the rock its name, which in Sinhala means lion rock. There is no mistaking its aura of power. The terraces, the gardens, the frescoes, the mirror wall and finally the ruins of the palace itself, you will be blown away as much by the view as by the furious wind that whips itself into a frenzy and threatens to shove you off and below.

If the Sigiriya Fort was an exercise in Luxurious living (it was, after all, a king’s residence), you can be treated to something equally deluxe, i.e. Elephant Corridor, an all suite complex, surrounded by acres of jungle. The wilderness comes knocking at your doorstep here, and even from the comforts of its luxurious bed, you can gaze out at the Kandalama Hills. You are sure to love the private plunge pool and the easel with paper and colors ready to take on shapes and shades at the beckoning of an artistic hand. If you are lucky, you will even catch a glimpse of elephants, known to drop by a nearby lake for a drink.