SIGIRIYA ROCK SHELTER

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

A shallow, sun protected but daylight-lit niche or rock shelter, which had been interpreted as a long, sheltered gallery in the sheer rock face (LONELY PLANET 2003: 229), contains spectacular frescoes (rock art) dated to the 5th-century (Kasyapa, son of Dhatusena, ruled 18 years between 459 and 477 A.D.) and showing beautiful women or apsaras (note 1), which probably represent the only non-religious old paintings to be seen in Sri Lanka (note 2). ETYMOLOGY: FORBES (1840, 1841 vol. 2: 2 note): Sikhari signifies a mountain-stronghold or hill-fort, hut so simple a derivation and so appropriate a designation is rejected; and the learned natives derive its name from Siha or Singha, (a lion), and giri (a rock), and assert that it was so called from the number of lions sculptured on different parts of the fortress. Their derivations, always fanciful and often absurd, are not supported in this instance by any remains which we discovered; it is one of the very few places of consequence in whic I have not found lions sculptured in various attitudes. SITUATION: Close to the geographical centre of Sri Lanka and halfway up the Sigiriya Rock (note 3), an isolated hillock (note 4), which lies 10 km east of Inamaluwa (N07°55'57”: E080°41'06” WGS84), the turn-off point on the A6 road (note 5). CULTURAL HISTORY - rock art: FORBES (1840, 1841 vol. 2: 12) mentions … copies of Nagara inscriptions which appear on the rock of Sigiri, and on the neighbouring hill … the rock-temple of Pedurugalla … (Piduragala). LONELY PLANET (2003: 229): About halfway up the rock is a modern spiral stairwaqy that leads up from the main route to a long, sheltered gallery in the sheer rock face. In this niche there is a series of paintings of beautiful women, believed to represent apsaras (celestial nymphs). They are similar in style to the rock paintings at Ajanta in India, but have specific character in their classical realist style. Although there may have been as many as 500 portraits at one time, nly 22 remain today … Protected from the sun in the sheltered gallery, the paintings remain in remarkably good condition, their colours still glowing. They are at their best in the late afternoon light (note 6). CEYLON TRAVELLER (1974: ?, 1983: 114): … beautiful women painted on the rock face … These frescoes are similar in style to those of the contemporary Ajanta cave paintings in India. They are also believed to be the oldest examples of figure-painting in this island. Only 21 of these bewitching figures have survived to this day. Their sensual beauty is most striking. Some have golden complexions and some dark. They are graceful, be-jewelled and lotus-decked. Some are bare-bosomed while others are clad in diaphanous clothes. KUSCH (1973a) gives a description (in German) and reviews aspects of cultural and art history. The site is just about mentioned by CEYLON TRAVELLER (1974: 249; 1983: 251) and WILSON (1988: 22) but much advertised in cheap tourist goss, e.g. IRANI (2004). Don$*t take a single word of DRINNEBERG (1926: 32) granted (note 7).REICHENBACH et al. (1995: 71, photograph on page 66): … die 17 Mädchenfresken (von ursprünglich etwa 500) in einer Art Höhle auf halber Höhe. … Schönheit und Grazie der 1500 Jahre alten -Wolkenmädchen- [ohne Unterleib] haben schon vor vor Jahrhunderten die Besucher entzückt. Ihre poetischen Jubelverse aus dem 7. bis 11. Jahrhundert sind in einer sogenannten Spiegelgalerie unterhalb der Fresken zu bewudern: Auf 20 x 3 m poliertem Kalkstein stehen Elogen wie -Du mit den Mandelaugen, alle hast Du verzaubert …- Wer zu den Ruinen auf das Bergplateau in 200 m Höhe steigen will, muß trittsicher und schwindelfrei sein.nly 22 remain today … Protected from the sun in the sheltered gallery, the paintings remain in remarkably good condition, their colours still glowing. They are at their best in the late afternoon light (note 6). CEYLON TRAVELLER (1974: ?, 1983: 114): … beautiful women painted on the rock face … These frescoes are similar in style to those of the contemporary Ajanta cave paintings in India. They are also believed to be the oldest examples of figure-painting in this island. Only 21 of these bewitching figures have survived to this day. Their sensual beauty is most striking. Some have golden complexions and some dark. They are graceful, be-jewelled and lotus-decked. Some are bare-bosomed while others are clad in diaphanous clothes. KUSCH (1973a) gives a description (in German) and reviews aspects of cultural and art history. The site is just about mentioned by CEYLON TRAVELLER (1974: 249; 1983: 251) and WILSON (1988: 22) but much advertised in cheap tourist goss, e.g. IRANI (2004). Don$*nly 22 remain today … Protected from the sun in the sheltered gallery, the paintings remain in remarkably good condition, their colours still glowing. They are at their best in the late afternoon light (note 6). CEYLON TRAVELLER (1974: ?, 1983: 114): … beautiful women painted on the rock face … These frescoes are similar in style to those of the contemporary Ajanta cave paintings in India. They are also believed to be the oldest examples of figure-painting in this island. Only 21 of these bewitching figures have survived to this day. Their sensual beauty is most striking. Some have golden complexions and some dark. They are graceful, be-jewelled and lotus-decked. Some are bare-bosomed while others are clad in diaphanous clothes. KUSCH (1973a) gives a description (in German) and reviews aspects of cultural and art history. The site is just about mentioned by CEYLON TRAVELLER (1974: 249; 1983: 251) and WILSON (1988: 22) but much advertised in cheap tourist goss, e.g. IRANI (2004). Don$*nly 22 remain today … Protected from the sun in the sheltered gallery, the paintings remain in remarkably good condition, their colours still glowing. They are at their best in the late afternoon light (note 6). CEYLON TRAVELLER (1974: ?, 1983: 114): … beautiful women painted on the rock face … These frescoes are similar in style to those of the contemporary Ajanta cave paintings in India. They are also believed to be the oldest examples of figure-painting in this island. Only 21 of these bewitching figures have survived to this day. Their sensual beauty is most striking. Some have golden complexions and some dark. They are graceful, be-jewelled and lotus-decked. Some are bare-bosomed while others are clad in diaphanous clothes. KUSCH (1973a) gives a description (in German) and reviews aspects of cultural and art history. The site is just about mentioned by CEYLON TRAVELLER (1974: 249; 1983: 251) and WILSON (1988: 22) but much advertised in cheap tourist goss, e.g. IRANI (2004). Don$*nly 22 remain today … Protected from the sun in the sheltered gallery, the paintings remain in remarkably good condition, their colours still glowing. They are at their best in the late afternoon light (note 6). CEYLON TRAVELLER (1974: ?, 1983: 114): … beautiful women painted on the rock face … These frescoes are similar in style to those of the contemporary Ajanta cave paintings in India. They are also believed to be the oldest examples of figure-painting in this island. Only 21 of these bewitching figures have survived to this day. Their sensual beauty is most striking. Some have golden complexions and some dark. They are graceful, be-jewelled and lotus-decked. Some are bare-bosomed while others are clad in diaphanous clothes. KUSCH (1973a) gives a description (in German) and reviews aspects of cultural and art history. The site is just about mentioned by CEYLON TRAVELLER (1974: 249; 1983: 251) and WILSON (1988: 22) but much advertised in cheap tourist goss, e.g. IRANI (2004). Don$*t take a single word of DRINNEBERG (1926: 32) granted (note 7).REICHENBACH et al. (1995: 71, photograph on page 66): … die 17 Mädchenfresken (von ursprünglich etwa 500) in einer Art Höhle auf halber Höhe. … Schönheit und Grazie der 1500 Jahre alten -Wolkenmädchen- [ohne Unterleib] haben schon vor vor Jahrhunderten die Besucher entzückt. Ihre poetischen Jubelverse aus dem 7. bis 11. Jahrhundert sind in einer sogenannten Spiegelgalerie unterhalb der Fresken zu bewudern: Auf 20 x 3 m poliertem Kalkstein stehen Elogen wie -Du mit den Mandelaugen, alle hast Du verzaubert …- Wer zu den Ruinen auf das Bergplateau in 200 m Höhe steigen will, muß trittsicher und schwindelfrei sein.