Day 4 (Wed 27 Sep): Sigiriya (Lion Rock, elephant safari)

Knew it was going to be a good day when I saw the kingfisher (I always seem to just see a flash of blue):

Sigiriya (see-gri-ya) is ancient palace and fortress complex built on top of a striking rock plateau, formed from the magma of an extinct volcano:

Sitting 200 metres higher than the surrounding jungle, it’s easy to see why it was chosen as the site for a monastery (C3 BC), a royal residence (C5) and then a monastery again (until C14 when it was abandoned):

Some interesting facts (not verified) about it:

Known as “Lion Rock” when King Kasyapa built a gateway in the form of lion’s feet (apparently the head and body have long since been lost, and tourists are now shown the “‘lion” in the natural rock which needs some imagination, but could work)
Due to its inaccessible location, its construction required “advanced architectural and engineering skills” and it is of “significant archaeological importance”
It’s surrounded by an extensive network of fortificatons, gardens, ponds, canals, alleys and foundations which are amongst the oldest landscaped gardens in the world
It’s widely considered to be one of the finest examples of ancient urban planning (although I couldn’t find any detail to explain or justify this – even at GCSE you have to back up any statements you make 😉

It’s also *very* touristy. Entrance was an eye-watering £24 – much more than attractions of equivalent historical value in the UK. But then we’ve got a few more of them, so maybe each one becomes a little less important*.

So, skipping the “shopping complex” (which I’m guessing is not original):

… I headed up Lion Rock. Here’s the natural lion’s head:

… and its paws:

Half-way up there was a small overhang naturally sheltering dozens of ancient pictures. One Aussie had violated the “no pictures” rule and was treated rather heavy-handedly – the guard had physically grabbed him and his camera, telling him he had the power to put him in jail and the right to hit him! I arrived when they’d sat him down and were going through his pictures. Demanding his passport, he said he didn’t have it with him, so they wanted to send his girlfriend back to the hotel to get it. Eventually, after giving them his visa number, they let him go – he just hoped that the system wasn’t efficient enough to get his visa info to border control within the next 10 days. And the photo wasn’t even of the ancient pictures…!

Amazing views from the top – well worth the climb:

*This reminds me of my visit to Rome: the place is literally littered with incredible pre-Christ history, so you find yourself saying stuff like “oh, that’s only 4 AD” and deciding to give it a miss!

My first safari. Here are the money shots:

We were lucky enough to get a volunteer guide who was a mine of information:

Elephants flap their ears to keep cool

Dirt on back is sun cream
Shake grass before eating (to remove insects) and birds hang around to eat the cast-offs
Sleep standing up (they’re so large that moving from lying to standing will give them a serious headrush)
Mud bath to keep cool and protect from insects
Only sleep for three or four hours
Groups are mostly females and children, with one dominant male
Other males live alone or can stay with the group but can’t mate: if he tries, the leader will kill him
At the age of about 16, young males will leave the family group
Asian elephants usually live between 65 and 75 years (in contrast to African heffas who live for 90 to 95 years)
Mating season is Jul to Dec
Gestation period for elephants is 21 – 22 months (oh my!)
Only milk can be taken direct into the mouth – everything else (water, food) is via the trunk (6 – 8 litres of water each time)
Elephants need to drink 60 – 80 litres of water per day
Elephants need to eat 250kg (mostly grass) each day – that’s why they spend most of their time feeding
Children only stay with their mother – if left with their father, he won’t look after them (not exactly the modern man)
Can walk up to 45 km per day: they stay in the jungle in the morning, and venture into the open in the (cooler) afternoon
They can run at 45 – 55 kph, but only for about 200m
Conservation is important: numbers have fallen from 13,000 (2010) to 6,300 (2017) due to habitat destruction and accidents (e.g. being hit by trains that now run through their homes)
If an elephant is dying, the group will stay with them; they often die in the jungle

Tourists come for the elephants. Indeed, some 4WDs sped into the park, and then straight back out again. Which is a shame, because there’s lots of other amazing things to see, too.

Like the chestnut bee eater (there are also green and blue varieties) which, apparently, flies very fast (to catch the bees, I guess):

An Indian roller (beautiful bird):

The male peacock is the only bird in the world with a royal blue neck (he sheds his tail feathers in Jul/Aug when he looks very similar to the female):

We also saw: emerald dove, painted stork, fish eagle and sea eagles:

… as well as weaver nests (they build many nests to make it a bit of a lottery for the snakes, and the entrance is at the bottom where it’s difficult for snakes to get in):