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Ephemeral Eden

  • 14/02/1995

High on a massive rock, 200 metres above the surrounding plain and 10 km from Colombo, are located the ruins of a magnificent ancient city called Sigiriya. Asia's oldest landscaped gardens flower here.

It is an accepted theory that urbanisation could emerge only because of complex environmental, social, economic and demographic reasons. But the city of Sigiriya defies all such norms.

Built during the reign of Kasyapa I (AD 477-495), this city existed for only 18 years. The king was assassinated by his brother Moggallana and the centre of power shifted to Anuradhapura. The city was abandoned. Insists Raj Somadeva, deputy project director, Department of Archaeology, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, "We cannot find any environmental reasons for its sudden decay. The city is a harmonious blend of human interference in landscape."

States Chitra Dambadenaiarachchi, archaeologist, Cultural Triangle, Sigiriya Project, "The rock is the nucleus around which the city has been built. The city is rectangular and measures 2750m from east to west and 925m from north to south. It consists of the royal palace situated on a 1.5 ha plateau on its summit, an inner citadel, garden complex, and moats. A network of brick-made and soil-filled ramparts define its outer limits."

Says Senake Bandaranayake, project director, Department of Archaeology, University of Kelaniya, "To the southeast is the city's main waterway, the Sigiri-vava. In its original form, the dam of this humanmade lake extended for a distance of 7 km with a complex canal system."

This waterway spanned the city, served as a barricade and met people's needs. The network of moats maintained the equilibrium of the Dry Zone Environment. The architect obviously had a thorough knowledge of the relief in the area and has designed the entire waterway so that the water flowed naturally from south to north. The artificial irrigation systems were constructed systematically."

Although Sigiriya was abandoned from AD 491, the memory of its creative building structure was not forgotten. A polished mirror wall dated 7th century speaks of its grandeur. During the 17th century, it was used as a military outpost of the Kandyan kingdom.