Sigiriya

Sigiriya is a sheer granite monolith rising almost 200 metres from the dry-zone plains, crowned by the ruins of King Kashyapa's audacious fifth-century citadel and ranked among the best-preserved examples of ancient urban planning in Asia. The approach climbs through symmetrical water gardens and boulder gardens, then up a stairway between the colossal brick paws of a giant lion that once framed the final ascent. Along the way a sheltered rock gallery still holds the celebrated frescoes of bare-breasted 'cloud maidens', overlooking a highly polished mirror wall inscribed with verse graffiti left by visitors over a thousand years ago. Most travellers climb at first light or late afternoon to escape the heat and the crowds, and pair the rock with the neighbouring outcrop of Pidurangala for the classic side-on photograph.