Secrets Lions Rock

• Mystery Lions Rock

Sigiriya - camaya attractions attractions of Sri Lanka. The main feature - the rise of the steps to stasemidesyatimetrovuyu rock on top of which was once a royal palace.

Lion Rock (it is believed that it is translated as "Sigiriya" from the ancient Pali language) - the ancient magma output. Once there was a volcano.

The highlight of Sigiriya - that is necessary to climb up on the infernal heat. Those who can withstand such can safely go even to hell, there is unlikely to be hotter. Surprisingly, many stand this torture, and climb upstairs without exception. When I couple of young guys trying to get on top of some thick aunt. Aunt moaned, groaned, and seemed to be a little bit more - she even gave up the ghost. But nothing crawled somehow. But that's not the most interesting thing is, and what to look at the top - especially something and nothing. But first things first...

Since time immemorial, it was located on the hill Buddhist Monastery. At the end of the V century BC in Sri Lanka, there was a coup d'etat, in which King became Kassyapa I, who made Sigiriya their capital. He turned the top of Lion's rock in the royal residence, and at its foot smashed a huge landscaped park - one of the oldest in the world. In a short time almost out of nowhere appeared a "perfect" city built by great preparation of a unified master plan.

Kassyapa I ruled the country for about 20 years, until he was killed in a battle with his brother - Mogallanom. Sigiriya lost its capital status, for many centuries again becoming a Buddhist monastery. Today Sigiriya - Museum. Admission is about $ 30 (in general, in Sri Lanka, all tickets to the museums - unjustifiably expensive), so mercantile tourists have worn many trails leading to the cliff to bypass guard posts. A sure sign of a trail - a sign warning about crocodiles and other dangers.

According to the ancient stones carelessly jumping monkey. Despite the fact that they look harmless and friendly, you can not for a moment forget that this is - incredibly arrogant, evil and cunning animal. It is worth a moment gape - necessarily something staschat.

Queen's Park - Gardens of Sigiriya - begins right after the entrance. It consists of three parts. The first part - Water Gardens - a complex system of canals, locks, dams and fountains.

The second part - Stone Garden - a collection of huge boulders of various sizes and shapes.

The third part - Terraced gardens.

Way up in turn passes through all three parts. At the beginning of the climb - a warning: on the slopes of the mountain are situated hives of wild hornets, which can be aggressive.

So as Sigiriya - tourist site, lift passes at a convenient landscaped stairs. Climbing to the top in ancient times - scary to imagine.

It gets dark in Sri Lanka early and Lighting for Sigiriya there, so exactly at 18 o'clock in the evening a rock is closed.

One of the most interesting places of Sigiriya - gallery with frescoes, which depict naked women (in fact, they dressed in translucent choli - short blouse with open back from Chinese silk). This kind of erotic magazine, created by unknown artists more than a thousand years ago.

Have survived only 18 images at once there were about 500. Most of the frescoes were destroyed during the existence of a Buddhist monastery - risque pictures prevented the monks to concentrate during meditation.

Who is depicted in the frescoes - is unknown. Whom they brought their gifts - too.

Then the path goes past the so-called "mirror" of the wall. Once upon a time it was so well polished that it could see his own reflection. Today, from the former specular no trace.

But now the whole wall is painted with different messages. The oldest of them date back to VIII century. I was sure that all the writing on the wall - in the style of "Kish Osia and there were," but it turned out that most of them celebrates the beauty of the women depicted in the frescoes, and in the verses.

On the northern side of the mountain is a small plateau. Previously, there was located the entrance to the royal palace (to which you want to climb even seventy meters up the stairs).

Lions Gate. To the present day from them there were only a foot.