The History of Sigiriya

   Sigiriya dates back over 7,000 years ago, through Prehistoric proto-historic early historical times, then as a monastery in the mountains of rock-shelter around the 3rd century BC, with caves prepared and donated by devoted to the Sangha.

   

 The garden city and the palace was built by Kasyapa 477 to 495 AD. Then after Kasyapa's death it was a monastery complex until around the 14th century.

The Mahavamsa, the ancient historical record of Sri Lanka, describes King Kasyapa as a parricide, who murdered his father, King Dhatusena by walls him alive and then usurping the throne which rightfully belonged to his brother Mogallana. To escape the armies of Mogallana, Kasyapa is said to have built his palace on top of Sigiriya, but Mogallana finally made ​​it to Kasyapa and he committed suicide.

    However, there is another version of the Kasyapa story, related by one of the most eminent historians of Sri Lanka, Prof. Senerat Paranavitana. He claims to have deciphered the Sigiry story, written by a monk named Ananda in the 15th century. DP. this work had been placed on the stone slabs, over which later inscriptions had been written. Growing to date no one has done epigrapher a serious attempt to read the inscriptions interlinear.

     The two conflicting versions have been the basis for the historical novel by Daya Dissanayake Bitha Kat, published in 1998. The book won the State literay for Best Novel in English in 1999

Sigiriya is also the location of Fountains of Paradise Arthur C. Secretaries.